Whit keeps crafting simple

This is Whitney.  She's smart and awesome.  Maybe I'm biased because she is getting a PhD in German, which is one of the coolest languages around, but I think you'll agree with me when you read her crafting tricks.  She recently moved to DC with her husband and baby girl Penelope, and she's expecting her second baby (boy) any day now!  I love how she makes crafting a stress-relieving activity rather than another item on the to-do list.  That's the way it should be!  If it doesn't make you happier, then why waste the time and money?  Here's what she has to say:

My Approach to Being Crafty

I grew up with a very typical "Mormon" mom.  She cooks, sews, crochets, quilts, sings well, raised 8 righteous kids, and is still at it with almost 16 grandkids!  It was great to have so many resources at my disposal as I was growing up.  As a teenager, I picked and chose what kind of "homemaking" skills I wanted to learn, and now that I'm a mom of a  15 month old "boddler" (baby + toddler) who is still learning to walk and LOVES to spend time with me, I'm adjusting my priorities and slowly finding what works for me, just like I did growing up.  Good thing I spent the last 7 years in grad school with a busy schedule!  I had to learn to do only the important things, because as a crazy grad student I didn't have time for much other than studying, yet I needed to keep my sanity!  So I found simple crafts and sewing projects that kept me sane in grad school,  but didn't distract too much from my coursework.  I still use the same approach as a new mom.  I do enough so that I feel like myself, and that I have my own identity, but I don't do too much to where I am ignoring little Miss P (who will be joined any day now by a little brother).

I wanted to share my approach/philosophy of crafting, and then share with you a few crafts I have done recently: 

·       Know yourself and know what you like to do.  If you hate crafts, don't feel like you have to do them!  I learned after scrapbooking my whole mission (it took 3 months straight), I hate scrapbooking.  Haven't touched it since!  I can also only crochet one stitch, so I avoid crocheting, for now!  I like to embroider, sew and make simple cards; these are things I've been doing for a while, so I can do them fairly quickly.  Do what you know you can handle and are comfortable tackling, and be OK with it if you can't.  Just find something else that you do like!

·       Know how much time you have.  I used to voraciously sew for 2-3 days straight, but can't do that anymore (not since before grad school and parenthood, anyway). I sat in my basement for the first three months home from my mission and did nothing but scrapbook, watch movies and go to Institute.  I can't do anything like that now!  Now I know I have to choose something simple, or something that can be broken down into manageable chunks.  I also choose not to work on projects once my husband is home from work or late into the night, because I like to spend time with my husband, and I like my sleep!

·       Use your resources!  I regularly outsource portions of my projects to my sisters or mom or dad who have supplies or skills I need. 

·       Stick to what you have on hand. I stick with projects that I already have most of the supplies for, and only every once in a while start something totally new.  That helps keep the craft budget (yes, that's a category in our monthly budget) in check.  I also live in a tiny apartment with no space for a craft room, or even a craft closet!  My supplies have to remain minimal.

·       Only make what you really need.  I don't just craft/sew for the sake of crafting--unless I really need some stress relief.  I don't have a pinterest account, and I don't really troll blogs for new projects.  I usually am crafting/sewing because of some sort of need, be it gifts, clothes for my daughter, new baby supplies, Halloween costumes or holiday decorations.  Yes, you need holiday decorations.  Or, at least I do.  They make me happy.

·       Don't be afraid to buy something instead.  Sometimes I want to make something so badly, but in the end it's cheaper just to buy it, or I find a good substitute on sale.  I'm OK if everything isn't homemade, and honestly, it's not always cheaper to make it myself.  Not like when my mom made EVERYTHING for us!

Here are a few projects that I've done recently.  If you want to know how I did them,  I can do some detailed tutorials.

Embroidery:

I have found that simple embroidery is a quick and easy project.   I have a bunch of embroidery patterns that I've accumulated from Mormon Handicraft and craft stores.  I've embroidered quotes and scriptures for new convert baptism gifts.   I have holiday embroidery patterns.  I make up patterns sometimes.  I tend to stick the finished product  in picture frames.  When I was invited to a baby shower last year, our budget was tight, and I couldn't afford to buy a typical gift.  So, I found an extra picture frame, and embroidered a stick-person family to give to my friend.  I sketched out the family to look like each of the family members, including the new baby, mom with long brown hair and green eyes, and dad, who is a big BYU fan, and finished it in a few hours.  I don't have a picture of the finished product, but this is the pattern I sketched:

Wall Art:

When my daughter, Miss P, was born, I wanted to put "I am a Child of God" signs in her room in multiple foreign languages.  I'm getting a PhD in German, so I'm a bit of a language dork.  This craft was a perfect example of using my resources.  I was in Nebraska visiting my family, so I went to the hardware store with my dad, bought a bunch of  1x4s and asked him to use his tools (which I don't have at all!) to cut down the boards and route the edges (is that the verb, since my dad used his router to round the edge!?!).  Then, I used my mom's stash of acrylic paints to paint the boards the colors I wanted.  I brought my painted boards back to Illinois with me, and when my sister came to visit me after Miss P was born, I asked her to bring her Cricut so we could make vinyl stickers.  In an afternoon we had all the vinyl cut and adhered.  Then, I used Command picture hanging strips to stick them on the wall.  The command strips were so much easier than trying to adhere some sort of picture hanging hardware to the back of the boards and then nailing a level and perfectly spaced configuration to the wall!  Here is the finished project on the wall above P's crib:  http://whitneylovesgerman.blogspot.com/2011/11/flat-stanley-and-penelopes-room.html

Birthday Wreath:

I have a stash of wreaths to put on my door for every month.  I wanted one for birthdays.  I really do want to sew a "Happy Birthday" banner at some point, but this was not that time.   Like I said, I don't have a pinterest account, but that doesn't mean I don't see what other people pin there thanks to Facebook.  One of my friends pinned a simple wreath idea from Our Best Bites, and, after reading the instructions on the blog, I thought I could handle it.  It was cheap enough to fit in my craft budget that month, and I could finish it during my daughter's nap.  DONE and DONE!! I found my supplies at Michael's (always using a coupon) and bought the balloons at Target.  Here is a link to the tutorial:

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/03/celebration-balloon-wreath/ 

This is my finished product, albeit in need of some fluffing.  Every time we walk past the wreath I let Penelope touch it, so it's a little disheveled by now :

Janey Pie

Jane is a busy mother of two living and working as a freelance photographer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  She calls her business JaneyPie Photography.  With 2 kids under three and a thriving business to manage, you can bet she's one busy woman!  And she is good at what she does.  One of my favorite things about Jane is that she stays cool when life is chaos.  She's good at saying "It's no big deal" -- a phrase I need to use more often, especially in parenting.

Here are some of her favorite tricks:

1. Creating simple Photoshop Actions to make blogging faster and easier.
2. Running in the morning before the day starts
3. Only planning 1-2 activities per day for me & the kids so that I have more free time for them. So that when Halle says, "Will you read this book?" I can drop everything and say "YES!"
4. Having art/crafty projects at the ready to entertain my two-year-old during down time. 
5. Instead of letting myself get mad when Halle is whiny/tired/irritable, I try to take a deep breath and just redirect her attention. Usually if she's upset or getting into trouble, it's because she's bored, not because she's trying to be a bad girl.
6. Using the same bedtime routine every night to help my toddler recognize it's time to calm down and go to bed. For example:  Making up stories at bedtime that always end with, "And then she got soooo tired and her mommy tucked her into bed and said, 'goodnight - I love you'. " which my two-year-old can relate to. It helps her realize she's tired and that it's bedtime.
7. Bedtime is always easier if I wear out my toddler during the day. That means LESS TV and more PLAY TIME. So I try to go outside with her every day. Hopefully we make it to the park or to the swimming pool. Sometimes it's just chalk on the driveway and watering the garden.
8. When we're out on a walk, I let my toddler run next to me until she gets tired. Then she's more willing to sit in the stroller to relax. 
9. Having certain foods on hand for quick easy dinners. For example: I like to always have chicken, black beans, enchilada sauce, and green chiles on hand so that we can have easy soft tacos in a jiffy. Other quick and easy meals include Pancakes & Eggs, Spaghetti & Meat Sauce, Baked BBQ Chicken with instant mashed potatoes, Roast & Vegetables in the crockpot, and Bagel & Egg sandwiches.
10. Purchasing several of the same girly gift items at once for future birthday gifts at the ready. 
11. Making sure that everything in my house has a "place" so that when it's time for cleanup, we can avoid collecting clutter! (Still working on this one)
12. Photographing the 'non-smile' moments that communicate kid's personality instead of waiting for the smile.