MOMoirs

(Originally written on December 30, 2011)

Did It Myself: For the Neophyte Crafter with Below Average Art Skills


I adore DIY stuff. I frequently drool over several nicely and carefully crafted projects which I made numerous attempts to re-do. My Pinterest account is already crowded with too much craft to dos. Unfortunately, all the pins there are wait-listed and I wonder if I will ever get to start doing any of them.

The thing is, I usually don't have the luxury of time to carry out or sustain a craft project. I go to the office everyday so my free time is usually after work and on weekends which are entirely spent with Pio. Now look, I am really pressuring myself to produce projects, itching to make something sort-of-cool (ha!). The persistent self keeps on whispering that I should start on something. Now.

I figured its best to keep my projects really simple and less complicated. More like a 15-minute-basic-gluing-minimal-sewing simple.  I am still hopeful though that I would get to do some really huge projects (yes huge ;p) in the future but for now I am taking baby steps and will be focusing on stuff I can do without formal arts training or that which won't require days and months to put up. Ergo, the projects I will be posting here would pose no challenge to the craftier people out there but would delight people with average to below average level of craftiness.

Now to keep the ball rolling, I thought a birthday crown for Pio' would be a good start. Here's a quick rundown of the procedure:

Materials: Foam paper or felt paper, scissors, needle and thread
Total Project time: 15-20 minutes

Follow these simple steps:  

Step 1. Measure the circumference of your child's head.  
Tip: Make sure to add at least 1-2 inches on original measurement to allow for adjustment. I lost my tape measure I had to use a scratch paper as an improvise. Don't worry, you'll figure out how to do it!

Step 2. I first imagined what a crown should look like in my head and then drew it directly to the foam paper. You see how impatient I can become about drawing I didn't even use a  paper to make a pattern. Then I cut out the crown (I almost stopped after Step 1, really!) You can opt to permanently sew both ends of the base or sew a button to lock the crown.

Step 3. You can now decorate the front of your crown. This is the part where you can think of anything creative. My creative level is just up to cutting out number 1 using a different colored foam paper. Since I have the concept of accent (ahem), I superimposed this number to another differently colored paper. (See picture below) Paste it over the crown. And you are done. 

Isn't that simple?
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Dear Pio,

We are recycling this crown for next year. Did you like this baby? Mommy is semi-crafty  and most of all non-perfectionist about anything artsy but this is sooo cool, I need to make one for you. Besides, you look so darn cute with anything, never mind the uneven cuts.

With unending kisses, cuddles and tickles,

Mom

Ummm, you liked the crown, right? or the cake? :x