The secret to unique trinkets and clothing is here, and it’s to DIY (do it yourself)! It’s time to stop over consuming overpriced products online and start using your creativity to make things more personalized to you. Everything doesn’t have to be so defined by perfection. Rather, imperfection can actually add a lot and display some of the unique, homemade values that standardized products lack. It can be comforting to be sure that nobody else possesses whatever you made. It’s such a purely satisfying feeling one only gets when they are creating something they love, and it can produce such great pieces that will bring you joy whenever you see them in your room. And you save so much money and get to enjoy the process of creating art!
1. Patchwork Shirts
I’ve not been able to get these off my mind since the original design was first released by the brand Oddli, where you can get a custom shirt with your name in patchwork letters. They’re so fun and have this youthful quality that’s so refreshing. Unfortunately, the price is also $80, which in my opinion, is a little high for some scraps of fabric sewn onto a crop top. The DIY option requires no money and has limitless options of customization for this top. All you need is a t-shirt of any color and scrap fabric, anything from old clothes, blankets, or sheets. Then, cut out the letters and sew them onto the shirt in any manner you like. Personally, I like the eclectic look with clashing patterns like polka dot, gingham, and plaid but any pattern or color palette is up to the individual and their own aesthetic.
Although this is definitely one of the more time consuming crafts on this list, it’s very worth it to make such an original and adorable top for everyday wear, and it doesn’t have to be perfectly sewn by any means! I think the original with its straight letters and perfect spacing is cute, but messiness, uneven stitches, and different sized letters would make it all the more personal to you and bring out the youthful joy of it more. As you can see, someone made such a cute martini top with scraps of fabric, so you can literally make anything beyond just words, and that’s the magic of making this top yourself.
2. Altoid Wallets
This is one of my favorite trends circulating on Tiktok right now. It’s so easy and simple to recreate, and I’m so excited to make one for myself and all of my friends. Whether it’s for yourself, or it’s a gift for someone else, it’s such a cute and personalized way to display your style and the things that are meaningful, or just useful to you. It doesn’t have to have a large meaning behind it, but it can just be something that fits your aesthetic and is fun to decorate and look at. The steps to create this will really vary depending on how you want yours to look, but all you need is an empty Altoid tin and things that are either important to you or that you always carry around. You don’t need to spend a bunch of money on the decorations. Just find things lying around like old ribbons from a present or stickers you never used! I recommend utilizing your printer because if you don’t have something you want; you can always just print out an image from Pinterest! The things you can put in it vary a lot, but some examples are chapstick, makeup products, money, jewelry, perfume, crystals, and anything else that is smaller than three inches.
3. Homemade Cards
This is your sign to start hand making cards for your friends! They’ll appreciate it so much more because of how personal they are. They have tons more heart and character than ones you can get from a store. Trust me, it makes the words in them more special and meaningful, and there’s so much variety in what you can do with cards. Here are two examples of cards I made to my friends for special events, but there are endless possibilities of what you can create. I love using mediums like stickers, ribbon, and magazine clippings for a collage, or drawing and painting. You can make the cards different shapes, include pictures of your friend, or put fabric, buttons, and embroidery. I’d recommend looking on Pinterest or TikTok for more inspiration for these cards, but also just really think about things that are unique to your friend like their style, aesthetic, passions, favorite color, and incorporate that and make it as personal and creative as possible.
I hope I’ve inspired you to start your own crafting journey and make your our own stuff. Have fun with it and enjoy!