Delightful Findings: the makings of a flower headband

I love arts and crafts.

I’m lucky and blessed to work in a company that showcases talented artists in the crafting community (http://www.stampington.com/). From cards to handbags to even themed parties, I’m constantly in awe of how the artists create these ideas. As I peruse through each magazine I always tell myself, “I want to make that when I go home.” It’s been a year and a half since I started working there. And I have yet to create something artsy other than crocheting, my go-to craft. In my art bins, I have paint, yarn, tulle, Mod Podge, canvas boards, Walnut Ink, adhesives—just sitting there.

But today’s conversation would change all that. I was talking with one of the other editor’s this morning. We were talking about how creative and innovative artists can be in this industry. I knew she had created previous works, so we talked about her artful journey. But then she asked me if I had created anything since being here. Shaking my head, she asked me, “Why?” As much as I tried to answer the question with “Well I’m not that talented,” “I can’t compete with these artists,” and even “I’m afraid to mess up,” I knew that deep down I had no real answer. She gave me the best advice anyone can give: Just do it. I know it’s a bit chessy, but it’s the truth. Why not just do it instead of making up reasons not to? It was the push I needed to start crafting.

Of course, I went on Pinterest to find some inspiration. I clicked on my “Crafties” board to see what project I would focus on tonight. At first, I wanted to paint something onto my canvas boards that I just bought. I looked through all the canvases and collages I had pinned, and nothing really stood out. Disappointed, I looked at other crafts hoping that something else would pop out. My eyes drew on a picture of hair pins made out of felt material. When I clicked on the image, it opened into a blog dated a couple of years ago. There, I found a step-by-step of how to create this adorable flower head pin. I love hair accessories, so it was an obvious choice to pick this project.

When looked at my finished piece, I was quite happy with the results, and I couldn’t wait to show it to someone (95% of the time it’s my husband). Even though it was simple and had been done before, I did it. I created something. And I even added my own personality to it by creating it into a headband instead of a hair pin.