January always brings about a feeling of frugality, don’t you think? After the excess of Christmas, it always seems the case that what follows is about decluttering, reducing food intake and minimizing spending (well, once I’ve hit the sales for my twice a year wardrobe update!). Do you get this feeling too?
So this week’s blog post is about just that – minimizing what we spend, or how to get creative without it costing a fortune in materials. Sometimes we want to try new things and seem to think that we need to buy the right equipment before we can get started, when in some cases, we can make do with stuff we already have at home.
There is also the fact that over the years, products have appeared to make our life easier with every trend. Take pom poms. In my younger days (and still the way I prefer to make them) we would cut a hoop from card and wrap the wool before negotiating the cut between the layers…
These days you can hop on an internet site and order a pom-pom maker and once these products are out there, they become the norm so we assume we have to buy one. And let’s also be a bit environmentally aware here – what happens to the plastic gadget once you have got fed up of making pom poms, or once it is broken?
Made you think? I hope it does, but this post isn’t about making you feel guilty about buying gadgets, it’s about finding alternatives that don’t cost the earth (literally!) This isn’t about replacing what you have but offering ideas of things you can do for yourself or with your children without it costing much (if anything at all!).
Now that they helped us set the scene, let’s start with the humble pom-pom. It has so many uses and you can get really creative with them! You can make pom-pom hoops in any size – I’d love to try a huge one to hang on the ceiling! – and all you need is card. The trusty cereal box is perfect here (if you’ve been reading for a while, you will know how much I love a cereal box!). Just draw round a circular object, then find a smaller one for the centre. You can begin to experiment with length of strands here too! The wider the hoop, the longer the strand of wool. If you are after a short, tidy pom-pom, you can create a narrower hoop - don’t go too short though or you will be struggling to bring the cut bits of wool together.
As far as wool is concerned (because sometimes a ball of wool isn’t cheap!), try charity shops for unused balls of wool or the bargain bucket in your local fabric/wool shop (should you be lucky enough to have one). Buying in bulk with friends can often save you money and think ahead to other projects you could do with the wool rather than waste any left overs.
Weaving is a great way to use different bits of wool up. We held a guest weaving workshop in Feb 2020, where we got to use up some of our wool and turn it into a fabulous bookmark! Who knows, we might even persuade Shannon to present again this year… Let me know if you would be interested in the comments.
For more easy ideas, download our NEW “28 not-so-random acts of creativity” calendar for 2022.
We created this calendar to take away the constant “looking for something to do with my child” (or “getting distracted looking for something on Pinterest and never really getting around to doing it”) feeling. If you are craving ideas that are easy to achieve, simple to do and inexpensive (oh, and give you fun time with your child!) then this 28-day calendar is made for you!
I hope you print off the calendar and discover how easy it is to start the year off creatively. It will mean no more trying to think of ideas or procrastinating, just stick this to your fridge for easy reference and away you go! Your child(ren) will thank you too!
Because this is a super easy way to bring creativity into your days, I want to invite you to share this with anyone else you think would benefit. Simply share this post with friends, family and colleagues, and spread the fun, creative vibes that this is sure to bring!
Have fun!
Debbie x
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