It’s a curse.
An effing CURSE!
I, and quite frankly, we, as a familial group, suck at crafting.
I’ve said it before; I’m not of the creative sort when it comes to doing stuff with the hands.
But from time to time I get inspired (or desperate, as the case may be, to find some way to make it through the dog days of summer without losing a limb at the hands of a remarkably realistic ninja star thrown with accuracy by one of my evil geniuses).
A beautiful website is stumbled upon (seriously, I am head over heels for this site despite my perpetual inability to recreate anything presented here: The Crafty Crow) and I quickly delude myself into thinking a) The Dudes and I will want to do this, and b)The Dudes and I will even be able to do this.
Occasionally, some lovely company aka Glue Dots)* sends us a dummy proof crafting product to try and I get all excited. As though lack of useful and ingenious crafting products is to blame for my inability to ever, even once, create a gorgeous project my neighbors envy and The Dudes enjoy.
But, alas, the products (or lack thereof) are so not to blame.
It’s me. The one and only failing I will gladly admit to is that my hands are filled with thumbs; not an agile finger in the bunch.
Add to my fist-hands the fact that The Dudes name naked wrestling, open-hand slapping each other in the face, and playing rock ball as the best ways to spend an afternoon, and you have the makings of a Dumb Family Crafting #FAIL.
It was supposed to look more like this…
Can’t say we didn’t try.
But, about half way through the production-of-the-worst-craft-stick-house-ever, The Dudes realized the futility of the whole thing and abandoned ship.
They ignored it for a day or so.
And then this happened….
I spied them out in the yard with their ugly-as-all-get-out contraption.
Oh, and it’s a fort by the way.
For action figures and what not.
You know. In case you couldn’t tell.
They played with it (although I found it broken under the front steps just this morning) so I guess it wasn’t a complete failure.
But, I still moved the craft sticks from the “craft” box into the kitchen (hopefully we can use them for like popsicles or something).
Not to be beaten by the Evil Craft Demon, we tried again.
With something basic and really-I-swear-this-time Dummy proof: templates.
I put up some paper and encouraged them to go to town on it (they only colored on the wall like once!)…
It’s supposed to be like a medieval scene (apparently suck-at-art apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree).
Then I gave them these to color (thank you Internet!)…
And we used our handy dandy mess free Glue Dots to stick them onto cardstock (just so they’d last a bit longer).
Voila!
Finally. A semi-rewarding Crafting Success!
They even play with the things. Nicely. Without a lot of fighting
Cool right?
Next week, I think we need to add a princess or two (for Mommy’s pleasure, of course!).
It may be low on the crafting-things-that-are-gorgeous scale, but it’s high on the crafting things that look like they are supposed to and can be used for something fun scale.
Summer doesn’t suck completely just mostly when it’s scorching hot or pouring rain does it?!
Check out more pics of our craft-fail-tivities on my flickr photostream you know, if you want to laugh:)
*pBd Admits it’s Free Disclaimer: We received a bunch of Glue Dots from Glue Dots and Twittermoms for the purpose of completing a summer bonding project. We were not told what to say or otherwise compensated for being nice to the peeps from Glue Dots. Wouldn’t have worked anyway, ‘cause you know that’s just not how the dummy rolls!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Glue Dots blogging contest to be eligible to receive a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
it looks like fun even though it didn’t look like the picture.
I think they turned out pretty good!! Even if it did end up broken under the porch!
Awww, at least they gave it a shot and they made great use out of it.
Thank you so much. I am so bad at crafts. And yet, I want to be good. We made some tote bags once. Once.
In their defense, figures with shields and swords, do look sort of purposed for fighting a little.
LOL!! That looks like something I might create. In my mind, as I’m setting out to make it, it’s beautiful. But when I finish it, total crap. LOL
Is the gift card for more craft supplies? (smirk) Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I think crafting should be called messing because that is all that happens. The kids have fun coloring all over themselves and gluing stuff everywhere and I get to clean it all up. Not so fun for me. I prefer to do my crafts when the kids are at Nana’s or asleep.
Leave it to boys to think of it as a fort!! Very cool imaginations!!!
And by the way, I’m terrible at crafts too!
It was great just to make it and finding another use is priceless.
My WW link for you
I love the fort. Looks like something my boys would make.
it is so funny to see the difference between boys and girls. If my girls were to make the cabin it would be painted pink and would have flowers adorning it. love that the dudes made it a fort.
Just wanted you to know that you are in good company. I too lack the crafting gene.
For not being crafty, you pulled off some fun stuff!
lol, that is what worries me about when broxton gets older…
i know my crafting ability isnt that great
Looks like they still had a blast with it! Happy WW! http://weloveiowa.blogspot.com/2010/07/wordless-wednesday-boy-and-his-frog.html
I love their creativity! Just because there is a cabin picture doesn’t mean they have to make it exactly that way! and they used their fort besides, they knew what they were doing all along… just fooled mom!
they may be budding genius in the making,, I don’t think many of them stayed in the lines to well.. I didn’t either, but I somehow didn’t get the genius gene either?? thanks for stopping & linking up! I had fun reading your adventure!