“Gimme Crafts” & Frosted Glass

Hope everyone had as great a weekend as I did.  Got to see some of my favorite people and got a very official invitation to Thanksgiving (right), courtesy of my 5 year-old nephew.  (He is learning to read and write, and he gave me a pretty awesome presentation of his phonics skills Friday night)

While at my sister’s Friday, she and I discussed our upcoming Crafts & Champagne party (more on that next week), and the subject of “gimme crafts” came up.  “Gimme crafts” are those crafts that are so easy, they are hardly blog-worthy.  They are usually appropriate for kids (see Paulie’s hand outline turkey), but they are certainly not challenging for most adults.

I am writing today in defense of the gimmes.  Here are 5 reasons why I think gimme crafts are some of the best:

1. They make you feel good
•  Rarely does a gimme craft turn out so horrendously that it will make you want to quit, cry, or throw something.  Sometimes, that in itself is a crafting victory.
2. They bring back childhood memories (if not in content, in muscle memory)
• If it’s something like weaving a Thanksgiving placemat or making an Indian headdress (now called Native American headwear, no doubt), the act of crafting might take you straight back to elementary school.  If it’s a little more sophisticated (like today’s craft), the mere act of placing stickers will make you feel like a kid again.
3. They make you take stock of what you have and what you need.
• Today’s craft was made of a few things I randomly had lying around the house, but one of the best parts about gimme crafts is that you don’t usually need super specialized materials to make them.  A lot of the time, you can make them simply by using what you already have.  If not, they let you know that a trip to Joann is in order (which it almost always is anyway…)
4. Sometimes, they evolve.
• They may begin as things that are way too easy, but gimme crafts can evolve into something much bigger.  When I finished today’s craft, I realized it was just the beginning (keep reading, and you’ll understand).
5. They are just plain fun!
•  (did I mention that there are often stickers?)

So, on to the craft:

I had originally intended to use
ribbon for this project, but I soon
realized that it would not look right.

Being a new-ish homeowner (we moved in winter of 2013), I have been slowly building up my holiday décor.  We are pretty covered for Christmas, and our annual Halloween party has us well-stocked with ghoulish furnishings.  But, what about that holiday in between?  What to do for Thanksgiving?

Compared to all the other holidays, Thanksgiving seems to get the short end of the decoration stick.  I vividly remember a stuffed turkey my mom used to put at the top of the stairs and some beautiful wooden pilgrims who later joined, but other than that, Thanksgiving is living in the shadow of its surrounding holidays.

With that in mind, I pulled together three items I had on hand:

• Thanksgiving stickers from the Dollar Tree (who doesn't love turkeys with googly eyes?)
• a square glass candle holder (also from the Dollar Tree)
• Elmer’s glue (possibly also from the Dollar Tree (could be I have a DT problem)).

The first part of this project is so simple it could be a crime: peel off the stickers and put them on the candle holder in a way that you deem pretty.  Ta-da, instant décor.  (This could be the reason my sister was so critical of gimme crafts).

 

I could have stopped there, but then everyone would have thought that this blog is super lame, and we can’t have that.  Instead, I looked up a few ways to frost the inside of the glass, and the general consensus I found on Pinterest is that all you have to do is mix some Elmer’s glue or Mod Podge together with water and—voila—instant frost.

As you can see, I followed the instructions and got a relatively adorable result.  However, it’s been three days, and my glue is still wet.  Several sources suggested giving several coats, but at this rate, Thanksgiving would be over by then.  I think that next time I try, I will experiment with the Mod Podge and see if there is a better result.

So, what do you think?  Are gimme crafts worth it or totally lame?

(post your comments below)