Is it motherhood, breaking the 30 barrier last year, being stuck indoors because of the “cold” weather…? Whatever the reason, I recently entered a crafty phase in my life. Please, don’t laugh – even though this is coming from the girl who can’t sew a button, tie a decent bow, cut a straight line, etc.

I’ve always looked up to those craftier than myself, which is just about anybody. My mom can sew, paint, make jewelry, marble… My sister Katie definitely inherited the artsy genes out of the three girls – I say that without a hint of jealousy:) My mother-in-law recently started her own custom jewelry business, and her queue remains full. My aunts can turn trash into works of art. My neighbor, Dawn, can wrap a gift that would be fit to give to royalty. I could go on and on.

So this year when my mom asked what I wanted for Christmas for the nth time, I half-jokingly said, “Um, how about a metal jewelry stamping set?” The night before I had been admiring some necklaces on Etsy.com and thought, “How hard could it be? Besides, I’m not paying $30 for that. Maybe $10 or $12…” Yes, I could have just put the necklace on my list. But like I said, something had brought my crafty cells to life.

What the heck was I thinking?!

So on Christmas morning instead of opening a jewelry box containing a necklace with Grayson’s name stamped on it, I received a Rubbermaid plastic bin filled with all the tools needed to make my own bling. Inside was a hammer, steel letters and numbers, BLANK sterling silver, brass discs as well as squares.

With a head full of ideas, names and quotes, I was ready to stamp. WRONG! It’s not as easy as it looks. First, there’s figuring out how to hit the stamp on practice Post-it’s (note: it’s nothing like hammering a nail). Then it’s trying to somewhat align the letters. The good part is that it doesn’t have to be “perfect,” which is part of why this could be the craft for me. Finally, you try not to psyche yourself when the actual metal blank is on the stamping block. My first piece: a nametag for Cohen. Luckily, he’s a dog and doesn’t care how bad it looks. I’ve done a few more, and while I have a ways to go before wearing anything I make, I’m having fun. I’ve also discovered pounding on metal works as a great stress reliever.

I assumed I was a one-craft woman until last weekend. While Grayson and his friend Sophie played, I interrogated Sophie’s mom about how she made the nameplate strung above her little one’s crib. I’ve kept one of Grayson’s walls blank, waiting to buy something to hang, stick, paint, etc. This was it! And Hilary assured me it was easy.

With a list of supplies, I headed to the craft store. I bought everything I needed and then some, coming out a card-carrying A.C. Moore Rewards member. That night I stayed up past 10 p.m. armed with paint, tape, scissors and glue. Success!

What’s next for this aspiring Martha Stewart? Maybe I’ll start a blog called Sarah and Martha that will chronicle my attempt to create my way through Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration. Ha! I know my limitations. I’ll stick with one or two crafty aspirations – at least for now.