Main Street DIY
A crafting blog and Instagram that features projects inspired by Disney and the Disneyland Resort.
Main Street DIY came about after losing confidence in my art Instagram. I didn't feel good about what I was putting out on that account.
I knew I loved crafting and I had experience making Disney-based projects before for Halloween decorations and for displaying my collection of Disney pins and art prints.
Something just clicked and I thought, "Yes, I should make a Disney crafting blog".
And I did. Here are my initial notes:
The Logo
I wanted something with the "Main Street USA feel". Something old timey with filigree and muted colors.
I found the font called "Rye" that perfectly fit the aesthetic I was going for. At first, I was going to have "Main Street DIY" stack normally, but the spacing left many awkward gaps. The final version was made by modifying the shape of the 'M' so it fit snuggly and shrinking the tracking a bit.
I also created the 3D effect by hand, connecting the back layer of the words to the front. To add a bit more dimension and whimsy, I made the letters have a subtle gradient.
The filigree was drawn with the brush tool.
Promotional Material
I started planning everything one month in advanced. I posted my flyer and video one week before launching on the first day of Spring. By the end of my first month posting 3-4 times a week, I had a whopping 26 followers on Instagram. 2 were me, 1 was my mom. Gotta hustle, right?
Planning Projects
Sticky notes for the win!
I checked out my calendar and saw that each season has 13 fridays. I plan out a majority of my projects in advanced so I can gather supplies (if necessary) and match projects to certain anniversaries or holidays. 13 is a lot to do, so I quickly decided 12 per season so I can have a week to either catch up or rest up.
Sketching projects ideas on sticky notes makes it easier for me to focus on the bigger picture and allows me to be flexible. Knowing I have the ability to just scratch a project or redo the sketch on a separate sticky note relieves a lot of anxiety.
Finished Projects
Here are some projects I've made so far. These ideas vary from planned to impromptu. Some easy, some difficult. All can be found with progress pictures and written instructions on the Main Street DIY website.
I was able to quickly adapt projects that didn't quite turn out how I sketched them on the sticky notes. For example. the mirror was originally going to be a rectangle, but the mirror I found worked out much nicer for the dragon to drape on top.
Another example is the coasters I made inspired by Star Wars. I had planned on making a coaster using balsa wood to create a 3D version of the Galaxy's Edge logo (seen in the sketch above). I did make that, but it was very difficult and didn't have polish. The solution was to use foiled paper and a simpler design. They turned out pretty cool.
There's still much more to come for Main Street DIY! Thanks for checking out how I started this whole thing.
