If you know me at all, you know I love a good project to dive into. Case in point: The 100 Day Project (and here). (I’ve done it for like eight years running.) Before that, I ran several iterations of something I lovingly called Project: Miracles (all about the power of gratitude journaling based on the book Make Miracles in Forty Days* by Melodie Beattie) and Project: Food Budget (tracking food spending for a specific period of time).
So it came as no surprise to me, the husband, my mom, and the rest of my family when I told them I would be embarking on something I dubbed Project: 52.
What is Project: 52, you ask?
It’s a year-long project where I get to experiment with one new creative endeavor that tickles my fancy each week for an entire year. And omgimsoexcitedicantstandit.
You mai get be thinking … Isn’t that what you already do?
And to that I say, sort of.
And not really.
I feel like I have found myself in a really big rut. Creatively. Personally. Emotionally. And am really looking to shake things up and do things that feel exciting or interesting instead of doing the things that I feel like I’m supposed to because I decided a long time ago that it was something I just did. Like drawing every night on the iPad (which I love, but sometimes get really bored with) or doing the same three things with my kids every day.
So I’ve scoured Pinterest, explored a whole bunch of different projects, and made up a list of 52 different projects or types of crafts that I want to explore and will be working my way through them over the next 52 weeks. Some projects may take a few hours to finish and others may take a few months. There may even be a few that take me the entire year to complete. And that feels THRILLING. There are also a bunch that my kiddos want to do with me and I’m really looking forward to that.
Here is what I plan to be doing (of course, this list is subject to change):
- Punch Needle
- Embroidery (on hoops)
- Embroidery (on clothing)
- Water color play
- Sewing some clothing items (like this square top or something yet TBD )
- Stuffed Animals (there are so many adorable ones to choose from, but I’m sure my girls would love these cats.)
- Resin
- Bead Embroidery (making evil eyes and other fun abstract pieces)
Gummy candy(02)- DIY Flower Crowns
Soap — cold and hot process(03)- Crochet something (like this retro flower pillow)
- Nature bookmarks
- Felt mushrooms / mushroom house
- Nail polish paintings
- Button Bouquet
- Crafts with wooden beads
- Fairy Dolls
- Scrap journals
Dot notecards with scrap paper(01)- Nail art
- Knitting a Loghan Hat
- Knit a sweater
- Make a rag doll for each kid
- Macrame keychain (like this mermaid tail one)
- Macrame rainbow
- Rope Tassel DIY (like this Hula Tassel)
- Tassel and beaded bookmark
- Zipper Pouch
- House Pillows (04)
- Portrait Diorama
- Cardboard animals
- Egg carton bunny portraits
- Acrylic painting (on a canvas or elsewhere)
- Cardboard birds
- Rainbow paper mache vase
- Paper clay!
- Fabric Bowls
- Paper mache decorative pieces
- Felt (or fabric) crowns for the girls
- Felt moth or dragonfly (or something like this)
- Bean art
- Felt fairy house
- Felt earbud holder
- Felt coin purse
- Wood bead tassel earrings
- Fabric Bookmarks
- Pressed flower lanterns
- Fabric covered tin cans (or other crafts with recycled materials)
- Candlemaking
- Crochet granny squares
- Hand bound books!
I feel like I’m forcing myself to sit on my hands until 2023 hits, which is kind of fun and utterly frustrating at times. The good news is, I’m raring to go and have done a LOT of the groundwork already. Now that the researching and project gathering is done, the hardest thing left to do is actually choose what I want to start with.
Want to join me on this creative journey? I’d love to have your company. Feel free to choose from my list above or, better yet, create your own with projects that YOU are excited about and/or have always wanted to try. And then come back here and tell me all about it. Or tag me over on Instagram (@thenaptimecreative). I’ll also be using the hashtag #project52 if you’d like to follow along that way.