Friday, December 20, 2013

The Tale of the Sharpie Plates: Learning to Let Go of "Pinterest Perfection"

When I first began crafting it was a way to spend quality time with my children and help with their sensory processing disorder. I discovered how much I loved making things and decided to blog my creations. They weren't always perfect or ingenious, but they were fun and they came from the heart. I adored my little Rapunzel tower made from a Pringles can and margarine tub. I felt so much pride in my chalkboard painted kitchen table. I was proud of what I was making and of the few hundred views my little blog had. Then came Pinterest.

It was an addictive collection of all things perfect. I had only seen such things on Martha Stewart, and suddenly regular moms like me were making works of art that made my upcycled Rapunzel tower look like a joke. At least to me. I wanted everything I made to be Pinterest perfect, and in the process crafting and blogging slowly became a chore and a frustration. I never felt like my projects or my blog posts were good enough.

For the past 2 years I insisted on making the gifts for my daughter's teachers so they would look Pinterest perfect. Heaven forbid a gift from a Kindergartener look like it was actually made by a Kindergartener. Then, a funny thing happened. I made a super-cute Accio Cookie plate for Dax's teacher with Sharpie. I spent an hour getting the lettering perfect and it was exactly how I wanted it. I left it out on the kitchen table and later discovered Dax scribbling hearts and rainbows on it with the Sharpie I had carelessly left on the counter. My reaction to this surprised me. Instead of being angry at him for not asking, or for "ruining" my hard work, I saw how much more beautiful it was with a child's touch. I dug through my supplies and gave him all of my colored Sharpies. I told him to decorate it however he wanted. When it was finished it was better than anything I could have made, and the look of pride on his face was priceless. When Samantha came home from school I let her go to town on her own plate. After, we baked the plates in the oven and made chocolate chip cookies to go with them.



Yesterday they proudly presented the plates to their teachers, and of course they loved them. The plates weren't "Pinterest Perfect", but they were better than that. They came from a place of love and creativity and that is what is really important. I'm grateful to my children for helping me let go of the search for perfection and for reminding me why I started crafting in the first place. I'm looking forward to future projects with that spirit in mind.

Happy Imperfect Crafting!

6 comments:

  1. Couldn't agree more. Great post.

    ReplyDelete

  2. Buy fake designer bags of unbelievably fake Handbags superiority in the-bags.com. Apart using this, it's usually vital to select any reputed artist when getting designer carrier models. There are lots of well identified handbag designers for instance Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, Mentor, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Kate Spade etc you can aquire. Moreover, should you be hoping on the internet to your particular handbag published by these developers, you have to be capable of finding the actual a huge number of models.Firstly, when you find yourself thinking about designer palm bag designs, itrrrs fairly imperative to find out the various designs and styles you can buy. Once you may be buying somebody bag merely by spending pricey prices, you'll want to attend get yourself a model that's multi useful and sensible. If you're conducting a appropriate research online, you might really find any designer bag model by which suits your preferences and budget. Designer carrier models are usually best regarding trendy females. Consequently, selecting the choice that match your wallet can be simple with internet.There are a number of imtation bags from modern designer tags like Prada, Tory Burch, Louis vuitton Fake Handbags,Coach plus more.Within shoulder carriers, you could check available different places you Hermes Replica handbags could potentially shop numerous from on-line. Most in the websites supply you generous reductions, if it style of is actually a inventory-clearance sale prepare yourself to get ones dream handbag to get a really reduced price.

    ReplyDelete
  3. أكثر أهمية الخطوات التى تحمي وتحفظ الأثاث من الكسور والخدوش خلال نقل أثاث البيت لهذا يلزم الإهتمام بهذه الخطوة جيداً لحماية وحفظ عفش , وتستخدم فيها مواد من النايلون والبلاستيك الذى يحتوى على فقاعات هوائية والكرتون المقوى وبطانيات خفيفة تستخدم لتغليف عفش البيت خصيصاً , وكل نوع منهم له إستخداماته فى التغليف فالنايلون يستعمل لتغليف الأخشاب والأجهزة الكهربائية والفرش والستائر وأغلب عناصر عفش البيت , أما البلاستيك الفقاعى فله نفس الإستعمال ولكن مع الأجسام الناعمة التى يخشى عليها من الخدوش , وتستخدم الكراتين للأدوات القابلة للكسر مثل الأطباق والزجاج والشاشات وغيرها , والبطانيات للأخشاب والكنب والأنتريهات والأدوات الكهربائية أيضاًً . وتتشابه أساليب التغليف وفق نوع العفش الذى يتم تغليفه فالأخشاب مثلا تغلف بالبطانيات لحمايتها وتثبت باللاصق وبعدها طبقة من النايلون استعداداً لوجود أى مياه ويحدث ضد العمليه ذاتها مع الكنب والأنتريهات والصالونات بحيث يتم عمل طبقة النايلون أولاً ثم طبقة البطاطين التى تلصق بالأشرطة اللاصقة , أما الأجهزة الإلكترونية والتى تكون أكثر حساسية من غيرها مقابل الخدوش فيتم عمل طبقة من البلاستيك الفقاعى أولاً ثم وضعها داخل الكرتون المقوى لازدياد درجات الحمايه وأيضاً الوضع للمطبخ والأطباق والصحون وغيرها فيتم إستعمال الورق المقوى فى التغليف مع الكرتون الذى يضيف إلى درجات الحراسة ..
    شركة نقل عفش و اثاث بالسعودية
    شركة نقل عفش من الرياض الى الامارات
    شركة نقل اثاث من الرياض الى الامارات

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's so cool! If some of you really necessity assistance with essay or homework, you can ask this guys for help! They really know how to do it, and you'll be so pleased about it! Just write to them write thesis for me So do not be shy top ghostwriters and text to them! God for it! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Embracing the tale of the Sharpie plates, the author shares their journey from chasing "Pinterest perfection" to finding joy in imperfect, heartfelt creations. Frustrations melted away when they realized the beauty of a child's contribution, turning a meticulously crafted plate into a canvas for creativity. The experience taught the valuable lesson of letting go and savoring the unique charm that comes from embracing imperfections in crafting and blogging. I thoroughly enjoy reading it. As someone involved in education, I was exploring the topic of "reflect on how learning activities have affected practice," and I stumbled upon this blog that resonated well with me.

    ReplyDelete