We’ve all had a Pinterest craft fail, here’s what to do with a total craft fail and how to redeem yourself afterwards!
We have all been there. You’re working on a craft project and whether it happens slowly, or all of a sudden. it turns into a craft fail. And I don’t mean that feeling of “I don’t know how this is going to turn out” we all get in the middle of a project, I’m talking about a complete and total craft fail where it’s just not redeemable. You hate it. You can’t figure out how to fix it. It’s just not good.
The first important thing to remind yourself is that this happens to EVERYONE. From novice crafters to crafting experts. And my best advice in this situation is:
Mistakes are how we learn things.
It’s really really true. I tell my kids this a lot. You may end up with a craft fail but I bet I can say with almost 100% certainty that you learned at least one thing about your craft supplies or your crafting method or your tools or something else. And as long as you learn from those mistakes, is it truly a craft fail?
How to Learn from a Craft Fail?
- Take a break – step back, take a breather. Maybe you won’t actually think it’s a fail after a little rest. And if you still do see it as a fail, you’ll be able to assess it better when you’re no longer as frustrated. (Also, occasionally, things that look bad, look a lot better when they fully dry, so sleep on it!)
- Decide if it’s REALLY a fail – Sometimes after a little break you may end up liking something you weren’t sure about. You can also ask a friend or loved one what they think.
- Figure out what went wrong – was it the materials, the tool you used, the technique? Was it user error, do you need more practice? If you’re not sure, try some of the materials of steps again as a test.
- Take a picture, make a note in a sketchbook, write about it on your craft blog, or in some other way, memorialize what you learned. Maybe you even stick a sticky note on your sewing machine reminding yourself what you learned about thread tension or whatever. Just make sure that you don’t loose what you learned on the journey!
That is, of course, my motivational pep talk for this article, but I know you’re here for more practical ideas as well. Because after a craft fail, the real question that no one talks about is, What do I do with my craft fail? Literally, what do I DO with it? So let’s get down to it!
What To Do with a Total Craft Fail and How To Redeem Yourself
- Use it anyway – Consider whether the craft fail is actually just a craft fail TO YOU. Will anyone else notice? Maybe it just didn’t quite turn out how you wanted, but no one else will ever know. If that’s the case, use it anyway! It’s ok if things aren’t perfect. I tried glass etching on a soap dispenser once and it was a fail. It was still a cute soap dispenser so I just turned it around backwards and used it anyway.
- Gift it – Ok, if it’s truly ugly, don’t gift it. But if your project just isn’t to your liking. Maybe the color isn’t what you wanted or something, think about if someone else would enjoy it?
- Donate it – This is the same principle as “gift it”, but of course please only do this with things that are actually useful. A good example of a craft fail that I might donate is that if I knit a cabled hat with speckled colorful yarn, maybe it’s a total craft fail to me because you can’t see the cable pattern with that yarn. But it’s still a perfectly good hat that can keep someone warm!
- Transform it – Can you take your craft fail and turn it into something else? Think outside the box a little bit.
- Use it for parts – Are any parts of the craft fail salvageable? Craft supplies are expensive, if you can remove/take apart any parts of the project and use them again later, do it! Can you cut it up? Can you disassemble it?
- Give it to your kids – Seriously, give it to your kids and let them either use it or take it apart or transform it. My kids love playing with empty cardboard boxes, kids can find uses for almost anything!
- Recycle it – If you absolutely don’t want to keep it, see if there are parts that can be recycled, it’s best for the Earth.
- Trash it – There’s is nothing wrong with this option. If your craft fail is so egregious there’s nothing redeemable with it and it is not recyclable, it’s ok to just get rid of it. Seriously. Don’t feel guilty. As I mentioned, surely you learned something from the failure and that’s valuable too.
- Smash it – Honestly, sometimes craft projects just go SO wrong that smashing it really just feels cathartic. Sort of like the printer smashing scene in Office Space. Just, please, do it safely, if you must!
- Try again – Don’t let a total craft fail get you down, get back on that horse and try again! Don’t forget that part of the point of artistic and creative pursuits is the importance of the process. We express ourselves, have fun and learn things AS we make things. The end result is not always the most important part!!
If you liked this, you may also like some of my other posts…
- Learn to Knit – p3tog (Purl 3 Together) - September 12, 2024
- Alternating Rib Hat Knitting Pattern - September 10, 2024
- Learn to Knit – How To Use a Pom Pom Maker - August 29, 2024
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