Thursday, May 29, 2008

Pros & Cons of Trying Something Different

Crafting should be a pleasure, something to soothe our souls, to please our senses, and often, to give pleasure to others. But, as in all of life’s activities, we can get into a rut. At those times, it helps to try something different.
“Different” can be as simple as looking for patterns I haven’t tried before. There are tons of free patterns on the Internet.
It can mean making something I do not usually make. If I’ve been making a lot of coasters, slippers, and crosses, maybe I should tackle some head scarves, some baby gifts, some scrap afghans for the needy.
It can also mean trying a new medium or method. I have tried origami (I can do some simple money-origami items), plastic canvas (I can only do one item, a satin ribbon cross), self-adhesive shapes (pins, magnets, bookmarks), and beads (pushing them onto chenille stems for mini-Christmas trees or making patriotic flag pins with seed beads).
Yep, sometimes I fumble around. I stare at what I’ve finished and wonder why it looks nothing like the photo in front of me. I wonder why everyone says a glue-gun is easy to use. I might try a second time. If I still can’t master it, I put it aside and either try later or accept that it’s “not my thing.”
I might not jump deeply into any of these new-to-me crafts, but I have fun trying them and discovering even one new favorite to add to my range of skills and gifts.

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