C.R.A.P.! Confessions of a DIY Blogger

Today I'm sharing on a topic I've thought a lot about. I originally guest posted this for Lauren at A Commoner's Castle. I've added some new pictures and a few new confessions! :) I hope you enjoy!

A Self Diagnosis
Tell me you've had this happen to you. I'm online all day, on Houzz, Pinterest, Craftgawker, and checking out all my favorite creative blogs. They are all so beautiful, creative, and energetic! 


And then something happens.


I look around my house and see my hubby’s dirty socks on the coffee table, my half finished crafts sitting on the dining room table, and the baby smooshing crackers into the tile.

Seeing picture after picture of beautiful homes, flawlessly executed crafts, and overly photogenic children I think, “how can I compete with this?”  

Everybody but me obviously has perfect lives and spends their time smiling and painting chevrons on things all day long!

Via

I have named this feeling. I call it,  Comparison Rage And Preoccupation syndrome. Otherwise known as, feeling like C.R.A.P.

Getting’ Real

What to do? If I plan on spending any more time in blogland or Pinterest, and not eating my entire weight in ice cream to self medicate, I've got to figure another way out of this funk.


The first thing I do when I start feeling this way is to remind myself that, 

beautiful pictures show only one side of the room, er, story.

Here’s a real life example.


I posted about Andrew's newly finished nursery a few months back (you can see the full post here). Before a camera got anywhere near that room,  I dusted, vacuumed, removed half of Andrew’s diaper paraphernalia, I fluffed blankets, and styled stuffed critters.  


Here’s some of the pics I posted-

(if you can SEE the fresh vacuum lines, there's the first clue.)

I was pretty happy with my work and pleased with the results!

Now, here’s the pics I did not show anybody. If you had turned to the right, you’d see why I didn’t show the closet view.

Stunning, I know. Can your eyes handle this magnificence??

We haven’t exactly gotten around to installing closet doors in here. Thankfully Andrew is still too young to know how he’s being neglected by his parents in this way. 

And if you had turned to see the hallway, you’d find even more good stuff. 

Ye Pile O' Mess. Not so pin worthy. I basically scooped up everything that wasn't fit to photograph and dumped it out of view! 


I walked in the nursery right now, without touching anything, to show you what it looks like on a normal, non blanket fluffing day.

Hamper? Who needs a hamper? The night stand works just fine.

Pooped clothes on the chair. I see nothing wrong with this picture.

 My Andrew sign is wilting. I think I have a tape malfunction. 

Ok, here's the same room, same angle on two very different days. Photo shoot day and regular everyday. 


Angel choir sings, dust fears to tread here, even the stuffed animals are smiling...

and then there's-

An aura of poo hangs in the air due to an over filled trash can (t.m.i. sorry), dirty burp cloths and poop clothes grace the furniture, and every nursery needs a random spare fan in it!! (spare fans are the new chevron.)


That's not being sloppy. That's just real life.


Not saying I'm never sloppy, because didn't you know-?

Via

I wish that were a lie. Perhaps I should add, watching hoarders and blog shooting.


I appreciate it sooo much when my favorite blogging ladies show off their behind the scenes pictures! Their houses on a normal day, the untouched rooms with gloriously high stuff piles, even divulging what they tweaked in the "after" pics that made their room look so great! It reminds me that they live real life too, just like me.

You Got This

The second thing I do to alleviate this C.R.A.P. feeling is to remember my triumphs. I definitely don’t always knock it out of the park. Like the time I hung a painting of a turkey butt on the wall.

But sweet comments by family, friends, and you guys remind me that sometimes I do get it right, and you do too!! 

We’re all trying to make our lives a little more awesome, and chances are, we actually succeed from time to time. 

And, more than likely we underestimate how much what we do means to those around us!

Embrace the Fail

When all else fails, I stop blog surfing and type in this website. CraftFail. I discovered this site a while back and somehow always leave feeling better about my artsy endeavors. (I was not paid to say this, I just think they’re awesome!). 


Here you can laugh along with fellow crafters who had their project fail hilariously and miserably. Some of my favorites include the foam pellet Devil Tree, 

and the fail that got me hooked on this site, Cookie Monster Cupcakes.

You can even see one of my very own flops on there, this lovely thing!

Holy Restickable Glue stick Batman. It wasn’t funny at the time, but now it is! : ) 


Sometimes a good laugh is just what I need to remind myself not to take it all too seriously. After all, it's not exactly Middle East peace talks, it's decorating for crying out loud. 

Craftians, Unite!

Nobody paints chevrons all day, not our favorite blogging ladies, and certainly not me. I know that, but sometimes a reminder is good for the soul! My house doesn’t look like a magazine cover 7 days a week, and that’s ok. My crafts sometimes are only fit to amuse. And that's ok too. I’m a real human being with a stuff pile just as big as the one I’m sure my blogging icons have at their house too.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with cleaning up before you show off your space or sweet craft triumphs. We all like pretty pictures! 


BUT-  what I’m saying is this. Let’s not let those glossy, white balanced, staged pictures fool us. Let them inspire and motivate us to be creative, but never make us feel like second class uncraftians. Will you join me in fighting C.R.A.P.?  Pinky swear?

<3 Alyssa

(Sorry for saying C.R.A.P. so much, mom. It had the letters I needed.)

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Sharing this at: My Life And Kids and One Artsy Mama
UPDATE: Thank you Amy for featuring this post on One Artsy Mama!