I’ve been fascinated by all sorts of crafts and DIY stuff for a while now as the DIY movement itself has gained momentum in the last few years. Especially now, with the economy in crisis, I’m sure many more people will be drawn to the idea of trying to produce things themselves instead of buying them. This year I want to put my effort into container gardening, cooking&baking, knitting and very basic sewing. I sort of see blogging also as a DIY effort, because its all about creating something yourself.

My motivation for becoming all crafty is as follows:

• Results: First and foremost, I enjoy seeing tangible, wearable and eatable results of my efforts. I’m far from being an expert in any of the crafts I’m doing, but I indulge in the creative process.
• Balance: My other interest and occupations involve almost exclusively brain activity. I’m a student and a human resources manager who spends a huge amount of her spare time reading etc. DIY is my attempt to balance that.
• Environment: DIY is a very green thing. I try to use as many recycled things as possible for my projects and am always on the lookout for things to save for future endeavors. Additionally, I value self-made stuff much more and am less likely to throw it away just like that.
• Therapy, sort of: It’s an almost meditative thing. When I come home from work after a long day of typical office fighting, the best I can do to get my mind off things is to cook a meal and knit a little. I have to be fully concentrated in order to get good results, so there is no place and time to worry about deadlines etc. Sort of like occupational therapy.
• Thrift: I want to spend less. While I have a real job, unlike many students, I still have to mind tuition fees and the generally high costs of life in Munich. Plus, saving a penny or two never hurts. The big problem with DIY is that you will have to invest first in equipment and materials. Additionally, if you compare the price for a scarf at, say, H&M to a homemade one, the latter option will certainly be much more expensive. You have to consider long-term value development, though. In many cases, the quality of homemade stuff is so much better and the pieces will last so much longer, so it will eventually pay off to have chosen the path of DIY enlightenment. If it’s gardening you’re interested in, well, harvesting your own vegetables and fruits will be the reward. No need to worry about the price for tomatoes anymore if you have them on your balcony or in your garden. As for cooking and baking, just calculate the price of cheese on an average pizza. There you go.
• Creative freedom: I now exactly what I want and I am able to create it myself. I have been wanting a snug, purple scarf with an interesting, sort of geometrical pattern for a while now. Couldn’t find what I was looking for in any of the big shops here, so I’m doing it myself now. Needles crossed, it will work out exactly as I image.

In this new category section, I want to document my projects and share them with you. Enjoy!