I don't really know what it is with the holiday season, but my "craftiness" usually kicks in whenever Christmas is fast approaching. It all started about a year ago when I decided to make personalized cards and gifts for my friends, family members, and colleagues. My Mom is really crafty, but I wasn't really interested in making projects when I was a lot younger, 'coz I'm just too lazy to even think about a concept. Our house in the Philippines will always be festive by October 'coz my Mom will decorate the entire place with so much attention to every detail, so that her holiday theme will flow all throughout our house. Meanwhile, I will just sit on the couch and watch TV and lounge like there's no tomorrow. I showed no interest at all, as everything was just too much for my brain cells to handle.
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| Mom's pink-themed Christmas tree (2013) |
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| One of the decorated areas in our house |
Then, I discovered Pinterest. Ohhh... Pinterest. For some reason, that site brings out the creativity in every individual - even if you don't really consider yourself very creative. I was a little bit surprised myself when I was able to make my first DIY jewelry by getting the idea from Pinterest and following the tutorial on Youtube. I started with just a little pack of beads and ended up with an entire collection.
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| October 21, 2013 - the very first pair of earrings that I have put together |
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| I ended up making all of these and more... |
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| wine glass charms |
My jewelry-making phase was short-lived, as I have a very short attention span and when boredom hits me, the creative side of my brain also shuts down. Besides, that hobby was getting a little bit expensive, as I wasn't planning on selling the stuff that I already made.
A year later, here I am doing some crafts again and this time, my goal is to keep it really affordable, but chic. As I was browsing through Pinterest, I stumbled across a collection of hurricane and Apothecary jars with the use of jars and candle stick holders from the Dollar Tree or store, or whatever you want to call it. The Apothecary and hurricane jars from the department store, would usually cost you more than $20, so just imagine putting one together for less than $5?Who wouldn't want to do that?! So I made a quick trip to our nearest Dollar Tree and I'm glad that I was able to find the tall jars and candle stick holders. I also went to Walmart to get the E6000 glue, as most people who already made the project, recommended it over the regular glue stick.
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Left: candle stick holder, vase, and E6000 glue
Right: finished product with ornaments, also from the Dollar store
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The project was so easy and affordable, that it triggered the crafty side of me. I ended up making more than one and I'm quite pleased with the results. I still have to make one of those Apothecary jars, but I'm just not getting lucky in finding the right jar to add a cover on top of it.
Here are some of the products that I've completed in a span of 3 days.
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| My holiday centerpiece |
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| Bracelet holder (plate+candle stick holder) |
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| Thanksgiving centerpiece |
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| Sephora-inspired brush holder |
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| Small vase as a q-tip holder |
I also made a shadow box display using affordable materials:
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| Shadow box frame (thrifted 0.99 cents), background (holiday wrapping paper), bells (dollar store), letters (Michael's) |
Thank you, Pinterest and Youtube for unleashing the craft monster inside of me, but I have no regrets in making all of these projects, as the results help our place look a lot more festive and I was able to organize our stuff in a simple, yet elegant way.
You're welcome. :)
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