When does it make sense to Do-it-Yourself?

I buy furnishings from sources around the world. However, I am an advocate for encouraging everyone to take on their own creative projects when it makes sense to do so. For various reasons, I suggest you start with projects you never thought you could do on your own. Usually they require a certain leap of creative faith and may also include paint, brushes, fabric, embellishments and an eye for detail. But be reasonable about what you can tackle.

Case in point - before my son was born I bought a stepstool and custom painted it for him. It has his name dead center. It also has pictures of a wizard, a bee, sailboat, bunny and a scruffy dog. It is not what I consider my best work technically or artistically. However, it became a conversation starter with my son, a game of naming objects, and a useful piece of furniture. It's also destined to be with him for the better part of his life just because of the sentimental value. So this project - decidedly worth it! These types of projects build what I call your "creative confidence." For some of us, this is so important!

Once the creative confidence is firmly established, it sometimes makes better sense to buy rather than "build."

Mainstream retailers such as Home Goods, Target, Marshalls, and others offer some fairly creative ideas for your home at reasonable prices. Target in fact, runs an annual sale with global furnishings. These are fun, and rather inexpensive furnishings. A bit more creative than the standard fare. Take a look at the Target stuff. Insider secret: Some designers shop retail - especially the redesigners!
So at a high level, when trying to decide whether to do it yourself. The first question I ask is whether it's worth my creative time and investment in the work vs. the cost and function - (e.g. can I find it elsewhere at a better price) - OR will I gain such happiness from doing it myself at maybe even a higher cost? Then of course there's the other option of buying another artisan's work! But more on that later...

Send me pictures of your projects that have been worth doing yourself.


Creatively yours,

Lise
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Hailstorm