I definitely have an addiction to being inspired by all of these clever crafting projects I see on Pinterest or Etsy. I usually buy the supplies and put them on my craft table. And that’s where they sit, collecting dust and taunting me. Kind of like the laundry but it usually doesn’t collect dust. Especially if it is leggings or hoodies, but I digress.

Let’s talk about some of my ‘projects,’ AKA money sucking unrealistic aspirations.

Metal stamping. Seriously, how do people get those letters to be straight? The bookmarks, the jewelry, the useless spoons with cute sayings. The possibilities are endless. Unless you’re me and expect perfection from the start. I did make my kid a bracelet with his name that I promptly found discarded on the floor. Clearly, metal stamping was not going to be my Etsy niche.

Sewing. This is hilarious! I can barely thread and set the bobbin let alone sew some curtains. Don’t worry though, I have PLENTY of fabric to not sew and sit in the closet. This includes the large amount of terry cloth I bought 10 years ago when my husband was in Afghanistan to make hooded towels for Sophie and Cole. I bought so much fabric I could have made a charming towel for a baby elephant. My baby elephants are now 14 and 12 and probably aren’t really into a cute hooded towel for the pool. I have fabric to re-cover our dining room chairs, make pillows, make fabric covered cork boards, baby blankets, and last but not least, fabric to make curtains for a house we don’t even live in anymore. So many cute things to make and not nearly enough patience.

Jewelry. In my 20’s (which was a couple of decades ago) I was pretty decent at making bracelets and necklaces. I even went to a class. Well, fast forward to today and I’m doing well if I can keep my kid from putting beads in his mouth. Not to mention my eyesight was a little keener back then to do the fancy work to secure the clasp on the wire. Should I Pinterest to death some amazing bracelets and earrings to recreate, I’ll still just have a bin full of supplies and a jewelry box filled with random necklaces in knots and pairs of earrings that are single now.

Cricut. The world of vinyl. So many projects to pick from. Stickers, shirts, and signs, oh my! So many colors and patterns too. Oh, but the trial and error can be brutal and discouraging. You don’t want to mess up weeding an intricate piece and have to start over. I’ve been there all too often. Uniqueness as a result of failure is okay until that ‘e’ looks like a ‘c.’ But hey, at least it isn’t a misspelled tattoo. Just a $10-ish ‘Oops’ and you try again.

With all that said, thus far on my journey of pretending to be crafty and have an imaginary farmers market where I sell my creations, vinyl seems to be where I’ve been the most successful. In other words, I haven’t given up on this challenge.

So, please read below my How To Guide in creating an amazing shirt to show off to your family and friends. The excited presentation to said family is the equivalent of a 2nd grader’s clay bear that looks like a buffalo.

Step 1: Select vinyl and t-shirt on a random trip to the local craft store. Set on top of craft table lying to yourself about when you’ll start (and finish) this epic shirt.

Step 2: Get up the nerve to make your first shirt and finally being okay with a potential failure. I would recommend focusing on the beauty that is going to unfold before you in the shape of a shirt. (I’m still working on this).

Step 3: Create your masterpiece on your Cricut. YouTube and Google as many things as possible in the hopes of avoiding any errors.

Step 4: Take a deep breath followed by a heavy sigh. It’s ‘Go’ time. Cut the appropriate size vinyl and put it on your mat. I use the green one. Put the mat in the Cricut and be patient.

Step 5: Freakout momentarily wondering if you selected ‘mirror’ before cutting.

Step 5: It’s time to weed. Watch those e’s and b’s. Those can be tricky. I have figured out if you have decent vinyl weeding isn’t really that bad.

Step 6: Get ready to heat press your masterpiece. Recommendation—>Do not eyeball your alignment. Again, Google ideal placement based on the type of garment. Place shirt on press at 305-310 degrees and heat for about 15 to 20 seconds.

Step 7: Lift press and inspect shirt. Press for a few more seconds ‘just to be sure’ the vinyl is nice and snug. Lift press again and revel in your expertise. I mean, you couldn’t even buy a shirt that looks this good.

Step 8: Start researching what it takes to start an Etsy shop now that you are a t-shirt designer.

Step 9: Leave all Cricuting supplies right where they are until the next Pinterest project is born…in about 6 months.

That’s it people. Simple. Now get to creating. Be okay with failure, don’t give up, use your resources and most of all have fun. It’s taken me a long time to accept progress over perfection.

Sincerely,

Crafter Wannabe Extraordinaire