One Regret Everyone Has During the Holiday Season—And How to Prevent It

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

Making crafts is not just a fad spawned by the DIY craze. Long before Pinterest enabled long lists of want-to-dos, both serious and casual crafters found joy and even solace in the sheer act of creating something by hand.

The holiday season (from fall through winter) is, for many of us, full of crafty goals. But by the time the season is in full swing, it’s often hard to cram in all our grand plans of hand-made gifts and decorations made with love.

This weekend, we’re going to get a jump start on our holiday craft wish list and say goodbye to ran-out-of-time regrets.

From homemade Halloween costumes to snow scene terrariums and all the handmade gifts in between, choose something on your craft to-do list and use the weekend to get a head start—or finish up an abandoned project you’ve already started.

Here are some ideas, if you need any:

• Get started on (or finish up) your Halloween costumes.
• Start rooting some plants for home grown plant babies you can give as host or teacher gifts.
• Consider reviving an old hobby you used to love to make a gift for someone (or many someones!) For instance, if you used to love embroidery, pick up a fresh pattern, like these needle craft plants or this blooming word art—they would make great gifts for loved ones.
• Instead of buying decor, make it, and enjoy the process. For instance, try your hand at making a fall wreath.
• If this year set a milestone for you or anyone in your community—a new home, new job, new baby, or new marriage—hand make an ornament to memorialize the occasion.
• Gather supplies and do a trial run for home made gifts like this sea salt hand scrub.
• Practice a recipe that you can make in bulk later for a holiday potluck or to give treats as gifts.

You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.