When Pinterest hit browsers everywhere, finding a new DIY project became laughably easy. But seriously, where are these DIY projects coming from? And how, before Pinterest, did one even get started?
More often than not, the popular DIY kits you see floating around Instagram today were dreamed up by Erica Domesek, the anointed queen of the DIY movement and the founder of P.S. – I Made This…. The pioneer launched her popular DIY brand before Pinterest came onto the scene and for nearly a decade she has inspired many to get crafty and creative. Not only does Erica consult with major brands, blog, and take care of her nearly nine-month-old Wylie, she has also published two best-selling books: P.S. – I Made This… and P.S. – You’re Invited.
It’s no surprise that Erica’s been compared to Martha Stewart, but we think she’s also a MacGyver. DIY-ing requires her to be pretty inventive, and her resourcefulness has naturally influenced her parenting style. “I cut corners. I love a hack. . . I joke that my parenting style is easy, efficient, and fun.”
You Have Permission To Fall Apart
Erica’s built a career out of making beautiful things, but becoming a mom wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. After Wylie’s birth, Erica faced a number of challenges and a sense of postpartum anxiety—she felt like everything was out of her control.
She attests, “I think it’s okay to fall apart. Actually, I don’t think, I know. It’s not about comparing your struggle to another person’s, but knowing that your problems are valid and warrant attention. It’s OK if your problems make it hard to be positive.”
“You’ll get back on your feet and hopefully you’ll use your experience to maybe help someone else. Personally, I had a really rough time. It’s true that everything can be bliss and happy and wonderful, but that’s not everybody’s life.”
Kick The Blame Out
Being a parent is a lot of new normals. Sometimes it feels like the adjustment period never ends. So many of the things we were able to do pre-parenthood seem like another lifetime ago.
Erica was very used to traveling light: keys, wallet, phone—nothing more nothing less. After having Wylie, her ‘less is more’ mantra transformed into a ‘more and more.’ And as a mom, there’s an added pressure to always be put together.
She confides, “A lot falls on the mom. You know? The lot falls on mom.” Moms are human, and humans make mistakes! In her household, Erica has had conversations about the impact of blame and how to move away from a place of fault. She stresses, “Any type of blame or shame should not exist because it’s hard. It takes a village, not just one mom.”
Find You Tribe
There’s so much pressure on new moms to be positive and radiant and to refrain from showing any type of pain or fragileness. It leaves a lot of people suffering in silence. In a time when she felt like she desperately needed a space to be vulnerable, Erica experienced friendships fading when everything wasn’t all butterflies. “I had friends who weren’t there for me and that was the worst. They just didn’t want to be there because they thought it was too hard. They didn’t want to hear me complaining,” she says.
Though she lost some of her support system, she gained an even stronger one. She now surrounds herself with a great community, and shares that it’s really helped make parenthood better. She advises, “Find your people. Being around people with like minds and the same sensibility is just a really healthy way to live.”
We’re All Someone’s Daughter, We’re All Someone’s Son
There’s so much pressure on new moms to be positive and radiant and to refrain from showing any type of pain or fragileness. It leaves a lot of people suffering in silence. In a time when she felt like she desperately needed a space to be vulnerable, Erica experienced friendships fading when everything wasn’t all butterflies. “I had friends who weren’t there for me and that was the worst. They just didn’t want to be there because they thought it was too hard. They didn’t want to hear me complaining,” she says.
Though she lost some of her support system, she gained an even stronger one. She now surrounds herself with a great community, and shares that it’s really helped make parenthood better. She advises, “Find your people. Being around people with like minds and the same sensibility is just a really healthy way to live.”
