Are you ready to get your DIY crafting on? It’s hard to believe it’s almost the holidays. While I’m 100% ready for this year to be over, it’s also been very easy to lose track of time. My 23-year-old has spent his time in the Xbox world playing with friends, new and old, from all over the world. As for me, I’ve tried all kinds of ways to pass the time. Starting this website was one, but there have also been crafts… so many crafts.

There is a little bit of a stereotype that sober people all knit, something you might commonly see in a church basement if you attend 12-step meetings. There is nothing wrong with you knitters! We need you for our scarves, mittens, hats, blankets, catnip toys, and potholders. As for me, the knitting thing never really clicked. I once tried to do arm knitting and make a blanket. It was a disaster. My dogs didn’t even want to sleep with it.

Passing time in a pandemic

When I’m not working from my dining room table for my usual 9 to 5, you will find me walking our dogs, Roxie and Bella, cleaning or organizing my closets and drawers (thanks for the new obsession ladies at The Home Edit), and binge-watch shows on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, DisneyPlus, Amazon Prime, and Masterclass. That said, I’ve also spent my time playing with Friends, the TV show legos, reading books, writing, and, you guessed it – crafting.

It’s time to get your craft on.

I recently took an online, virtual collage class with fellow Sober Curator Contributor Lisa C. She lives in Dallas. One of the upsides of quarantine life is that it’s normalized virtual meetings with friends and family around the country. This social distancing lockdown has opened up the possibility of doing things together online that we might not have ever considered before 2020 happened.

The theme of the class was “Wizard of Oz.” As I gathered supplies from around my house, I went onto Amazon and found a cool children’s book with unique illustrations of this iconic story. (Please don’t be mad at me for cutting up a book. I tried to find one at the thrift store and was unsuccessful) I was like Edward Scissorhands, cutting pages out of the book, magazine images, and quotes as I prepared for the class. You could say I tend to overdo things, and that was the case when it came to my pile of supplies. One can never have too many stickers. (I may still be a 13-year-old girl on the inside.)

I over-do everything

While I may not be overdoing my drinking anymore, I still overdo everything else. If I like something, I like it…A LOT.

Supplies needed:

Please note: You do not need to get every single item on this supply list as some people do, ahem. I think you can probably figure out the essentials on your own.

Magazines, old books, newspapers, junk mail, flyers, brochures
Old memorabilia (sportballs tickets, movie tickets, theater tickets, airplane tickets)
Decorative scrapbooking paper
Gift wrapping paper
photographs
Stickers
Whatever you want to use for your “Base” (examples: canvas, poster board, storage box, shoe box, hat box, basically any kind of box)
Scissors
Glue stick, rubber cement (do you like the smell as much as I do?)
Mod Podge
Small sponge paintbrushes
glitter (aka the herpes of crafts)
paint
An open mind and a positive attitude (aka, stop telling yourself you aren’t creative)

The virtual collage class

At the start of the class, the teacher asked us to “bring our whole selves” to the project. She emphasized the importance of being fully engaged at the moment. “Be present,” she said firmly. Maybe it was because I’d already had one too many whiffs of the rubber cement, or perhaps it’s been a while since I’d played with stickers, but I was 100% ready to throw myself into cutting, arranging, and gluing. I selected storage boxes that I had found at the clearance rack at Michaels for $0.99/each as my canvas and got to work.

Sober Curator Pro Tip: You can find all types of art classes online these days. Many are free, and others have minimal fees. Check out Eventbrite. They have an entire Do-It-Yourself: Online Arts and Crafts Workshops, Classes, and Events section.

Vaguely, I remember the teacher telling us that “less is more.” In my mind, what I heard was “more is more.” It was pretty peaceful cutting, snipping, and arranging paper with strangers around the country. As the class went on, she asked a few of us to share our work. Holding my first piece up to the camera with pride, I vividly recall the teacher leaning in closely, like real close ya’ll, and letting out what sounded like a heavy sigh. “Mmmmm…that is … very interesting”. I’m not for everyone, and that’s okay.

I’d forgotten how much I loved playing with pictures, using my hands to merge images in ways that are pleasing to my eye. It had been years since I’d attempted a collage Mod Podge project. My scrapbooking days ended when phones started having great cameras and social media took over the scene. Before that, however, I was the scrapbooking queen.

Hours flew by as I mod-podged my little heart out, jamming to hip-hop tunes with a steady beat in the background. When I finished gluing everything down and was content with my pieces, I realized my face was sore from smiling nonstop. I’d just spent hours “being in the moment”, being “fully present” and not thinking about work or the global pandemic or any of the political craziness that takes over my Facebook feed. I was one with the rubber cement and glue sticks. I felt at peace.

Directions

Want to get started on a piece of your own? It’s pretty simple. Get your supplies ready and clear a space where you can freely create. Light a candle and turn on your favorite happy playlist. I choose storage boxes as my canvas, but you can use any canvas, poster board, or even a sheet of paper. Start by cutting out images, words, and quotes that bring joy from the magazines, books, or other paper products you have collected into your pile of crafting treasures.

Next… play. Arrange and rearrange until you like the way things look. I save gluing things toward the end when I’m ready to commit to placing the images and stickers. Finally, paint an even coat of Mod Podge across your canvas and let it air dry for a few hours. Add a second coat if you think it needs it. Viola! You’re an artist!

Do you need ideas for what to college?

Here are some ideas to consider:

Pick a theme (in my case, I was doing Wizard of Oz, but there are 1,000s of themes you could go with)
Make a vision board
In rehab, I made a board that was my old me on one side and what I wanted my new me to be on the other.
Make something for someone else – there’s nothing better than giving a friend or family member your DIY treasure and hearing them say, “Oh my, you really shouldn’t have.” LOL

Do you have a fun craft you’ve found you love doing in your sober life? We want to hear about it! Email us at thesobercurator@gmail.com.

Resources Are Available

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.