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“I could make that” our take on DIY


We’ve all been there, you go to a craft fair, money in hand only to hem and haw over an item and ultimately put it down saying “I could just make that”

It seems so simple, that looks easy to make but the reality is, it never is.

I myself recently did this, I saw a beautiful wreath at a local Christmas fair and went back THREE TIMES to purchase it, ultimately deciding the colours just weren’t going to go in my house.

“I can just make that”

I said it

What I should have said was

“Do you do custom orders?”

I stopped by Michaels on black Friday week and took advantage of their 50% off sales,

Purchased myself:

  • A hoop $5

  • Some yarn $9

  • A flower, $15 50% off $7.50

  • Two sprigs, $30 50% off $15

Then I had to go to the dollar store and purchase some wire $1.25 and hot glue $1.25.

TOTAL : $39.00

Guess what, we are now above the cost of the wreath I saw at the craft fair, even with the 50% off items.

Also, I’ve already put in an hour of my time purchasing supplies.

On Friday night I got together with some friends for a craft night, I made the wreath and it took about an hour bringing total time spent on this project to 2 hours. I did enjoy making this and I am happy with how it turned out however I realize that this is not always the case, I think for the most part we end up with “Pinterest Fails”

The people who make the items you see at expos, markets and fairs put A LOT of time and effort into making them and are much more talented than myself. There are hours of work that go into each handmade item and lots of cost as well. Do yourself a favour and support local artisans, buy their products, for the most part YOU WON’T MAKE THAT, you will forget about it or not have time or realize it’s going to cost you more in the end. When you buy from local merchants you are supporting real people, helping artists flourish and investing in your community.

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