The Unsellables

Every crafter has one. The product that came out a little wonky. Or took twice as long as any other project. Or practically jumped out of your mind in frantic hours in the middle of the night, fueled by almost unnatural  crafting compulsion.

However they got here, every crafter has that one project they simply cannot let go. Perhaps its not their best work, but for whatever reason, it has been dubbed an Unsellable.

Marella DesignsFor me, it’s my Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs wreath, for its story.

When D (who we met in an earlier post and is, in fact, my Significant Other) was a small child, his mother, like countless other across the world, would make him a birthday cake every year. She would always top it with something he really loved at the time. One year it was Sesame Street characters, another it was dinosaurs. And one year it was Snow White and the Seven dwarfs.

I first saw the pieces in a home video of D when he was a little, maybe four or five. Now, I may be biased, but he was the epitome of adorable as a child-pretty blond hair, bright, excited blue eyes and a smile that could melt your heart! When he saw his birthday cake his happiness was almost tangible and my girly heart went tha-thump, tha-thump! And then, his mother said,

“You know, I still have all those little toys. Wouldn’t they be great in a wreath?”

Light bulb!

We scavenged around boxes of old toys until we found all eight pieces. I cleaned them off, repainted a few worn spots and they looked good as new. Never have I crafted a wreath with such care and patience-every piece had to be placed perfectly! Each supporting element was selected with more thought than I put into my SATs. Not only was I creating a wreath, I felt like I was connecting with D in a way I never could before-I got to touch a part of his childhood.

I have taken this wreath to side walk sales, but its always been hidden in the back. I have never been able to post it online. Every time I go to, something inside of me shouts “No!! Maybe tomorrow, but not yet!” Eventually I looked at it and said, “Nope. This wreath is mine!” Perhaps someday I will sell it, or pass it on to a friend. But for now, it has a place of honor in my home, and I smile every time I see it.

What is your Unsellable? What’s its story?