30 Days of Blogging: Day 13
Let’s be honest. As popular as DIY is right now, it can be a little daunting to get started with if you haven’t done it before. There’s also a huge range of things that fall under DIY. It’s a big world!
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines DIY as “The activity of decorating, building, and making repairs at home by oneself rather than employing a professional.”
DIY requires creativity, skill, and determination. If you’re thinking “that’s not me!” and are getting ready to exit out, hang with me just a little longer!
That’s exactly what I thought, too. My husband is an architect – instant creativity, he can weld and build with any tool – lots of skill, and he can work on projects for hours and hours – determination. But that’s not me. I’m an office manager – spreadsheets isn’t exactly creative. I can cook just fine but anything with tools beyond a hammer, no thanks. Ability and desire to work with raw materials for more than 10 minutes – nope.
BUT – I have learned…a little at least. And I’ve explored and found DIY that I’ve actually had fun doing. And when I get into it I get into it!
So while some of us are born with the innate abilities for things like DIY, some of us are not. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it! These things can be learned, practiced, and enjoyed.
The beauty of DIY is there’s such a wide range of things you can do, so you can do the ones that suit you best. And in doing those projects, you can learn the creativity and skills and determination that will eventually widen the scope of the projects you can do and enjoy. Promise. 🙂
So if you’re ready to jump in, here are a few simple DIY projects of different types to get your creative juices flowing!
1. Handmade Soaps
These are a fun easy DIY that is more like crafting than anything else. If working in the kitchen sounds more appealing than working in the garage, this is for you!
These are a great place to start DIY. Soaps are simple and fun, and you can be creative with the scents, colors, and shapes. That’s not too daunting right? And using a premade soap base keeps this project simple – you won’t need to go on a hunt for lye and figure out what the heck to do with it.
And not to mention they turn out beautifully (very satisfying) and can be used in your home or given as a gift! Give it a try!
2. 4th of July Serving Tray
Hand soaps not your thing? Head out to the garage to build this simple woodworking project!
This type of project used to be – and still is to an extent – daunting to me. But once you get started and begin recognizing that you CAN do it – it’s really quite satisfying and empowering.
This build can be done with simple tools that you can get a your local hardware store without spending a lot. You can do it!
3. Easy Paper Flowers
Feeling something more crafty? Give these fun coffee filter flowers a try! They really are very fun to make, they don’t take long, and you can make as few or as many as you want. Another project to get your creativity flowing by experimenting with different colors and color combinations to make some lovely arrangements.
To make the paper flowers, see Part 1 Here
To add a stem, see part 2 here
4. Easy Blanket Ladder
Trendy, practical, pretty, and deceptively simple. Another build that you – yes, really – can do. We love this build because it’s a popular home item that you can save money on and customize to your style by making it yourself.
You can leave it a natural wood, stain it, or paint it. There are a lot of fun options out there, and I got way too excited when I found a copper colored spray paint that looks just like the trendy copper pipes we see in home decor everywhere.
5. Kitchen Spice Jar Organizer
If you’re an organizer this one’s for you! The beauty of this project is once you figure out how to make one organizer drawer, the rest comes easily and it can be slightly addicting!
And once your organizer is made and finished however you like it (natural, stained, painted, wallpapered, etc), you also get the satisfaction of lining up all your little spices into neat, space-saving categories. Aren’t the little drawers adorable?
We freed up a whole shelf in the cabinet once we got our spices in the organizer, and it’s much easier to find what we’re looking for! This organizer fits most standard spice jars, but you can also splurge and get some cute jars and labels for the ultimate clean look and feel!
You Can Do It!
We hope you give DIY a chance and that these projects can help you get started. And what’s the worst that can happen? You don’t enjoy it? And that’s okay. At least you gave it a shot! The best that can happen? You have fun. You learn new skills. You open up the door to the endless possibilities of DIY!
Enjoy these projects and looking for more? Or need some other options? Check out our other projects: