Tarkheena Crafts: My Quick and Dirty Philosophy

Do you ever get Pinterest envy? I do. All those beautiful photos of adorable children playing with spectacular home-made toys, instruments, games, and sensory bins... it's not just intimidating, it's discouraging!
Let me share my own developing DIY philosophy with you

Honestly, in my life there actually seems to be an inverse relationship between "time spent on project" and "enjoyment of end product by children." Sew an adorable stuffed elephant? Crochet and hand-stitch a perfect age-appropriate butterfly toy? Meh. Throw some beans and rice in an empty pill bottle and give it to the kids as a percussion instrument? Cool!

And guess what? I didn't paint the pill bottle bright red with orange and green detailing and turn the whole experience into a lesson on maracas and other important South American instruments. I didn't even remove the Label. If I'd waited until I had the time and energy to do that... well, obviously they'd never have gotten their shaker.

Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't do your best, or that making things beautiful is pointless. That would be a bit much coming from a serial crafter such as myself. But sometimes it's OK to step back from the Pinterest window, take a deep breath, and just Make that toy or item you've been putting off because you know darn well you don't have time, energy, or skill to do it "right." Just focus on making it functional and fun. The kids will do the rest.

Oh, and another benefit of quick and dirty homemade toys? When you're so darned tired of that rattling you want to throw the thing out of the window... you *can!* It's just a pill bottle, not a miniature work of art you slaved over after the kids were in bed for the better part of a week. How delightfully freeing!

Does this philosophy sound like something you can get behind? Great! Here's a list of the Quick and Dirty toys, games, and baby items I've featured here on Tarkheena Crafts. (You can also select "Quick-n-Dirty" from the tag cloud.) Jump in and make something for your kids!