Making junk out of other junk

Finger puppets of dogs paired with T-bones. Quilted "Just Married" signs. Evening bags made of painted cardboard. Wall hangings made from forty dollars worth of material to commemorate a five-year-0ld's birthday. Amigurumi made of every possible character from Star Wars, classic arcade gaming, Jane Austin...It's hip! It's handmade! Crafts are green! It's....utter crap.

Walking through Michael's, I'm struck with all the stuff sold to people to make other stuff. Not just raw materials, like paper, clay and cloth, or even the semi-obscure bits of Obtainium such as raffia, peacock feathers, and googly eyes, but...

Scrapbook supplies....Let's face it, how many pairs of edging scissors does a person need? Paper punches in shapes you'll likely use for only one occasion. Seasonal items that will only take up storage space for most of the year. More wedding knickknacks than you can shake a stick at. Tiny cozies for tiny toilet seats.

Make Magazine's blog entries aren't much better. After awhile, seeing 80's cartoon characters as cross-stitched samplers and other "ironic" bits of hipster craft fails to make me think "how clever!" and makes me think "...future landfill." Let's face it: how many bleach bottles made into vases (with paint and papier-mache) can one house use?

Why is it that simplifying your life makes it more complex?

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