Happy Autumn, and welcome to my first official post on the Crafty Cove Blog!
I've been a bit hesitant to start this blog because I'm not the next Martha Stewart. I'm not Susie Homemaker (even though I am a stay-at-home Mom for the past few years). I didn't feel like an authority on anything crafty. Then, my best friend told me that I didn't need to be those things. I just needed to be me, and to encourage people who are new to the world of crafts to keep trying, and to share what I'm learning on my own personal journey.
Well, at first that sounded a bit crazy to me. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that so many times I had encountered trouble when trying to learn something creative. The people who wrote blogs weren't coming from my level of experience--or rather inexperience--and there was a gap which usually left me confused and a bit helpless. So many talented blogger and vloggers would assume their audience knew the basics, which is perfect for tons of people. I most definitely did not know the basics.
It took me a while to realize, as I tried to educate myself about creative endeavors, that even people who were seasoned crafters could suffer the same sense of self-defeat when a project "failed" to look like the Martha Stewart result they wanted. There are not many things in life more frustrating than trying to reproduce something from a magazine, blog, or article by following the same steps, and yet producing something that is only a pale resemblance. It can be hard not to feel like a failure. Once I realized that, what I wanted to create in a community became more clear.
So, here I am. There are countless blogs and videos from expert crafters. No matter how doubtful you might be that you have what it takes to be a creator, you can get there. I can help take care of some of those basics (for the crafting noobs out there like myself), but furthermore as you and I learn, I hope that this will be a place of encouragement, and sharing. Crafting your own journey is always more fun with friends!
Let me know if there's a specific creative endeavor you're excited to learn or improve with! Also, do you have plans for a handmade holiday season? Feel free to share your plans (just don't spoil any surprises ;) ).