Never before have I been so grateful to have a grandmother with a craft room.
Marnie, as my family calls her, has graciously allowed us to live in her house for the last three months, and because of our own house’s all-consuming renovations, we were incredibly grateful. At the beginning of February, my mother informed us that we would be moving in on Valentine’s Day. Lucky me, I didn’t have anything to do anyway.
As the day drew nearer, I realized that, once again, I would be moving into my own room. Thus would have the opportunity to maximize my whimsy, as all the young people say. With just a week till move-in, I invaded Marnie’s craft room for anything I could get my hands on, spending zero American dollars on supplies but probably 20 hours of my time. Despite these long hours, I definitely think the whole affair was worth it. Whether or not you or your grandma have a craft room, here are four different whimsical crafts that you can (most likely) make for 15 dollars or less.
1. Paper chains
This was the first craft I came across on my Pinterest feed, therefore making me the luckiest person alive when I stumbled upon Marnie’s stash of assorted cardstock paper. First, I made a more traditional paper chain you might see at Christmas, using a rainbow of pastels. Then I created a blue-green color scheme using thicker paper strands, which gave it a more chic look. After a while, I started to feel like I was taking too much of Marnie’s precious crafting paper and thus decided to use an old copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. I got this from my English teacher’s stash of torn-up copies—otherwise, I wouldn’t have dismembered such a classic novel. You can find discarded or cheap books just about anywhere, whether it be the library, the dollar store, or a thrift store, but make sure you drench newer books with coffee or tea for a more weathered vibe. Another alternative is using discarded newspaper.
2. Paper shape garlands
This idea came to me through an Instagram Reel that incredulously declared one could use a sewing machine to make paper garlands. The individual in the video used a star-shaped paper punch and a sewing machine to create a paper star garland, made with multicolored construction paper. My grandmother’s craft drawers didn’t have star-shaped punchers—only squares, circles, and itty-bitty butterflies—but she did have a sewing machine. Plus, I had already used a truckload of her scrapbooking paper, so I settled for square and circular clippings from To Kill a Mockingbird.
One downside to this craft is that you definitely need a sewing machine. If you or your grandma doesn’t already own one of these, buying one is a huge investment, especially if you’re not actually trying to sew clothing. On the other hand, if you have access to a sewing machine, this craft only requires paper and thread for the garlands. Both of which, in Marnie’s craft room, were plentiful.
This probably took me about an hour and a half to make two long garlands, but be warned: these tangle really easily. It took me 45 extra minutes to hang this up just because of how sick and twisted the knots were.
3. Magazine clipping wall art
This is something that really isn’t going to cost you a lot if you’re starting your crafting journey from scratch. I discovered it through my area of expertise: scrapbooking. Usually, when I scrapbook, I spend one day collecting clippings of things I might like—sunsets, flowers, birds—and another actually making a scrapbook page. One issue of National Geographic gave me a wide assortment of monarchs and bumblebees to choose from, but I couldn’t waste all of them on a single scrapbook page. Why not let them accompany the butterflies on my Burnout Days poster?
I found this magazine for free right outside the Kent District Library (KDL). I often stop by there to hunt for scrapbooking gems, and you can find other magazines at second-hand stores, either in person or online. Still, most of my scrapbooking supplies come from my mother’s subscriptions and KDL.
4. Hanging star garlands
This craft is adapted from a Pinterest find in which the creator used construction paper and red-striped twine to make a garland. Since I already had enough paper decor to cover my walls and ceiling horizontally, I decided to adapt it into vertical hanging star garlands—or, as I like to call it, hanging starlands. The stars were connected to the string with glue and a small circle of the same paper, but I found it easier to use a couple of pieces of double-sided tape instead. To add some variety, I used different-colored strings of varying lengths and placed them in a corner of my room. I’ll probably add more later, but frankly, all this crafting has made me a little burnt out.
Aside from a sewing machine, most of these crafts might cost you less than ten dollars in supplies, making them very accessible. On the other hand, each craft took at least two hours to complete. I am inclined to believe the adage that “time is money”—thus, these crafts might not be worth it. Personally, I made the process more rewarding by rewatching some of my favorite TV shows throughout it.
Good luck, and happy crafting!
