A Wednesday Afternoon at the Craft Store and Some Project Fails

Hey everyone, I hope your week is going well. Mine has been a bit of a mixed bag with work deadlines piling up, but I managed to carve out a little time yesterday for something fun. I made a quick trip to Michaels after lunch to grab some supplies for a client’s mood board. Of course, I couldn’t resist wandering the aisles for a personal project or two. I’m not exactly a crafting pro, but I love the idea of making something with my hands, even if the results are usually a hot mess.

The store was pretty quiet for a Wednesday afternoon, which was nice. I didn’t have to elbow my way through crowds to get to the yarn section. I ended up with a couple of skeins of this soft lavender wool for a scarf I’m attempting to knit. Ren keeps teasing me about how it’s going to end up looking like a lumpy potholder, and honestly, they’re probably right. I also grabbed some decorative paper and a new set of brushes for a scrapbook idea I’ve been tossing around. Oh, and a pack of those little glass beads that are apparently called “star dusted gems” on the label. I have no clue what I’ll use them for, but they were on clearance, and I’m a sucker for shiny things.

When I got home, I figured I’d start with the knitting since it seemed like the easiest way to unwind after a long morning of emails. Big mistake. I watched a YouTube tutorial for like the fifth time this month, and I still can’t get the hang of casting on properly. My stitches kept slipping off the needle, and at one point, I accidentally unraveled half a row. It’s sitting in a sad little pile on the coffee table now, mocking me. I might just give up and turn it into a weird cat toy for Lissa’s kitten. At least someone would get some use out of it.

Switching gears, I decided to mess around with the scrapbook stuff instead. I had this vision of creating a cute memory page from our trip to Henswick last fall, that little town just past Columbus where they have the annual cider pressing festival. I printed out a few photos from my phone, ones of Ren holding up a ridiculously oversized apple and me spilling cider down my shirt. But the adhesive I bought was apparently made of pure evil. It wouldn’t stick to anything except my fingers. I ended up with bits of paper everywhere but the page, and one of the corners of a photo ripped when I tried to peel it off. So much for a relaxing creative outlet.

By the time Ren got home, I was surrounded by a mess of yarn, torn paper, and a glue stick that had somehow rolled under the couch. They just laughed and suggested we order pizza instead of dealing with any more of my “artistic endeavors” for the night. We ended up getting a large pepperoni from Domino’s and binge-watching a few episodes of The Office on Netflix. It wasn’t the productive evening I’d planned, but sometimes a lazy night is exactly what you need.

I’m not giving up on the crafting just yet, though. I’ve got a long weekend coming up, and I’m determined to at least finish one row of that scarf before I throw in the towel. Maybe I’ll swing by the library tomorrow and see if they’ve got any beginner knitting books. Or maybe I’ll just stick to mood boards for work, where I can at least pretend I know what I’m doing.

Anyway, I’d love to hear if any of you have crafting tips or epic project fails of your own. I could use the moral support. For now, I’ve got to tackle some laundry before bed, and I’m already dreading the pile of socks that somehow never match up. Talk to you soon!