Is This Why I'm Not on Pinterest?

People tell me all the time I should be on Pinterest. And I confess, I browse from time to time, but most of the time I just look at all the cute crafty projects and think, "I could never do that." Which, of course, prompts the response, "Sure you could, you're so crafty!"

I don't know where this myth that I'm the next Martha Stewart came from. Maybe from being the person always designated as writer whenever working on anything that required good handwriting--posters, pep rally signs, Homecoming t-shirts, you get the idea. And yes, I dabble in painting, but I don't do anything out of my own imagination. I copy images from online. So I've never thought of myself as a particularly crafty, Pinterest-y person.

But now that I'm knee-deep in baby shower planning and execution, I've decided to put some of these supposed craft skills to work. I found a seller on Etsy who made decorative toothpicks in conveniently the style of my (secret--from Christy, anyway) shower theme. But then after a while, I thought to myself, I could do that. How hard could it be?

So I found this paper punch online, and after careful comparison, realized it was exactly the same shape as those toothpicks. So I ordered it. Imagine what I could do with it myself! Not only toothpicks, but I could make my own confetti, decorate cards, whatever I needed to do. I got a bunch of paper and finally, today, sat down with all that paper and my brand new paper punch--Martha Stewart, no less.

Things were going quite swimmingly for a while. The paper I bought was just slightly too thick to do two pieces at once, but once I got into a rhythm, it was going pretty quickly anyway. And then I picked up a different sheet. A little thicker, but certainly no worse than two sheets of the other paper. Or I didn't think so. But as it turns out, this paper was quite a bit worse than the first stuff. Because it completely jammed up my paper punch, or got it out of alignment, or something, so that now I have to spend half a second making a punch and then a good four or five seconds prying the punch back apart with a pair of scissors. Not very time efficient. But I want this homemade confetti really badly, so I press on. (Save this little jaunt into the blogosphere; my hand needed a break.)

Seriously, only I could be SO un-crafty as to counteract the craftiness of Martha Stewart and her (apparently not-that-well-made) paper punch. Some instinct must be responsible for my aversion to joining Pinterest--"don't do it, you know you're not one of them!" But alas, Pinterest or no Pinterest, my illusion of craftiness has brought me to this point. Maybe it's time to reconsider store-bought decorations. Or maybe my paper punch will have magically healed itself with a bit of rest. Here's hoping!