We’re pretty lucky to live in a world where almost anything we need is just a few clicks away. Whether we’re looking for a flower vase in the perfect shade of blue or socks covered in tiny frogs, chances are we can find the exact item online. Still, most of what we buy is mass-produced, which makes creating something with your own hands feel especially meaningful.
Below, we gathered some of the most beautiful crafts and DIY projects shared on the Something I Made subreddit. From impressive paintings to clothes that took hours of work to bring to life, these posts show just how much care and talent can go into putting a piece together from scratch. Check them out, and don’t forget to upvote your favorites.
#1 The Beads Bouquet I Made For My Mother
Just finished my first project with beads; I wanted to make something unique and nostalgic for my mother. She loves watching the sun go up in the morning, and I’ve always made her flowers in various forms and materials as the years went by. I wanted to make her the most beautiful bouquet I could, and it just is so beautiful when the sun hits it right! I also made the pot with a mold and some mix2mold casting clay thingy (I’m not sure how it’s called in english, even in my language lol)!
I hope this will inspire you in your projects :)
Image source: moclamine
#2 I Made A Ceramic Incense Holder Where The Incense Stick Becomes The Violin Bow
I’ve been experimenting with small ceramic objects that still feel sculptural when they’re not being used.This one is meant to hold an incense stick so the stick becomes part of the form.
Image source: lightcalm0
#3 Painted Using Bleach (I Am Different)
Image source: CarloEstember13
It makes sense why buying something ready-made feels like the easier route. Sitting down to crochet a sweater or glue together a piece of home decor takes hours of focus.
You could just order what you need, have it show up at your door, then spend your free time relaxing on the couch. There’s real appeal in that. Even so, picking up a hobby comes with a long list of perks that scrolling or shopping can’t really match.
#4 I Made Pressed Flower Frames
Image source: Bohemialife1
#5 A Prom Dress
A Prom Dress Fabric: I tried to create something that feels like movement. somewhere between flames and petals, flowing across the body instead of just sitting on it.
Hand-beaded entirely with glass beads on orange tulle, every line is placed to shape and guide the form.
Image source: Forward_Arm2323
#6 I Made A Journal Cover Out Of Deconstructed Jeans. It Holds Up To 6 Notebooks + My E Reader!
Image source: getmespaghetti
According to Time magazine, there’s nothing wrong with unwinding in front of a screen every now and then.
What researchers who study this stuff tend to point out, though, is that hobbies work differently from passive activities like watching shows or refreshing your feed. A real hobby seems to play a meaningful part in feeling healthy and content.
#7 I Spy Themed Birthday Cake That I Decorated Today
My 32nd birthday cake! It’s a grocery store sheet cake but I got all the decorations to make it an I Spy puzzle. Decorations are a variety of sprinkles, buttercream, pressed sugar, and hard candies.
The items to find:
•2 dinosaurs
•9 pink flowers
•6 citrus slices
•”HAPPY”
•”BIRTHDAY”
•”32”
•12 crayons
•2 curious cats
•4 green lego bricks
•3 autumn leaves
Image source: grackled
#8 Pleased With How This One Came Out
My process is simple, using tape to set up each “line” and a palette knife to push the paint around within the set up area, then peel the tape. It’s the endless repetition that is awfully long process that makes me question my own existence and everything else lol. Still, after about 2 to 4 months, I’m just in awe and glad to see these paintings before my eyes.
Image source: Emptyhandedpain-ter
#9 A Little Free Ceramic Library
Got ahold of an old newspaper box and painted it then filled it with leftover ceramics I’ve made over the years and never sold.
Image source: gooddyeyoung
A 2023 study published in Nature Medicine backs this up. The researchers looked at data pulled from five large studies, covering over 93,000 people spread across 16 countries, from the U.S. and Japan to China and much of Europe.
Every participant was at least 65 years old, and more than 6 in 10 were dealing with ongoing mental or physical health conditions.
#10 I Made This Cutie Butter Lamb To Bring Some Levity To Our Easter Table
Image source: 0bamacares
#11 I Make Little Vintage Robots
Image source: eyecarrumba
#12 Spent Weeks Making This Custom Dog Car Emblem
Image source: Baldein_
What they found was pretty telling. Folks who spent time on hobbies said they felt healthier, happier, and more satisfied with life overall, and they had fewer signs of depression than those who didn’t. The pattern showed up in every country involved.
The study can’t prove that hobbies directly caused those outcomes, but the researchers noted that they involve creativity, self-expression, and mental engagement, all of which tend to go hand in hand with feeling good.
#13 I Made A New Bookshelf, Designed By My Fiancée And Myself!
A while back I posted on r/woodworking asking for feedback on a bookshelf design. Well, here it is all complete! Took longer than I would’ve liked, but I really like the result. I love unique furniture, and it makes it more special that we designed it together! Really, the idea was all hers, I just did the CAD and the building :)
Image source: figure–it–out
#14 I Made This Leather Backpack Called “Toshiro” Using A Pattern My Dad Created
I recently finished this handmade leather backpack called Toshiro. It’s crafted from veg tan leather, hand-dyed, and lined with pigskin.
The design comes from a pattern my dad created years ago, and I took it on as a project to build it myself and bring it to life.
Pretty proud of how it turned out and wanted to share it here. Let me know what you think or if you’d like to see more of the process!
Image source: Pavelcraftleather
#15 Got My Heart Broken And Made A Painting
Image source: breanmayer16
Time magazine also spoke with Daisy Fancourt, a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London, who broke down what makes a hobby different from other ways of spending your time.
“One thing that separates a hobby from other kinds of leisure is that it involves the acquisition of skills, or learning,” she said. “Hobbies provide a sense of accumulation and growth—of stretching ourselves to improve or to meet new goals—and that can help us fulfill our needs for meaning and purpose.”
#16 Lost My Job Last Year, Flourished With Watercolor In My Free Time!
Image source: kiwisorare
#17 I Made An Ornamental Key Head For My House Key
Posting as im super proud of myself. Ive been wanting this ornamental key design for my house key after seeing a US based company do them.
Could not find anyone in the UK, so as you do, decided late last year that im going to make one for myself.
After multiple rounds of 3D modelling and moulds, ive managed to make this gold plated version that im happy with.
The blade isnt done yet, but the hard part is definitely over!
Image source: creative_lost
#18 I Built A Custom Hand-Carved Alien-Themed Guitar From Scratch By Hand (Before → After)
Image source: Good_Travel_307
Well-being research also tends to split happiness into two flavors. One is called hedonic, and it covers the quick hits of joy you get from things like a tasty snack or a good laugh.
The other is eudaimonic, which has more staying power and shows up when you feel genuinely accomplished or fulfilled.
#19 Butterfly Sword(S)
Image source: Beldaru
#20 I Decorated The Side Of My New Shed With Trees Made From Old Fence Boards
Image source: ribbitmaker
#21 I Spent 6 Weeks Growing This Cluster Of Crystals From A Common Fertilizer Called Monoammonium Phosphate. Looks Like A Starburst!
Image source: crystalchase21
Hobbies, sometimes labeled “serious leisure pursuits” by academics, seem to fit squarely in that second category. Yazdan Mansourian, a senior lecturer and leisure researcher at Charles Sturt University in Australia, told Time that hobbies “support the more authentic dimensions of life and create conditions for self-actualization.”
As he put it, “People are not only doing what they enjoy, but becoming who they really want to be.”
#22 Maple Leaf Bowl I Carved From Walnut
Image source: Noah_RBK
#23 I Walked In Half Of My Porch End With A Giant Suncatcher!
Image source: MarbleTheShoulderCat
#24 Was 6 Hours And A Bloody Finger Worth It? Hell Yeah!
Image source: Medium-Party459
If you need a nudge to get started, the Crafty Angels blog has a handful of suggestions worth considering. Origami is a low-cost way to work on your focus and coordination, and you can build up from basic paper cranes to some pretty detailed designs over time.
Brush pen calligraphy is another solid pick if you like the idea of making your own greeting cards or wall art, with a modern feel to the lettering. Candle making, for instance, lets you mess around with waxes, wicks, and molds to come up with your own scents and shapes at home.
#25 My First LEGO Wreath!
Image source: southernfriedmexican
#26 A Ceramic Lion Lamp I Made While Serving In Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps
Image source: KUSTceramics
#27 A Hand Carved Jewelery Box
Image source: guntherlovesrachel_
Hopefully some of the projects in this list gave you a spark of inspiration to try something new. It doesn’t really matter what you pick, as long as it feels like something you’d enjoy sinking time into.
Let us know in the comments which crafts caught your eye and what you might be tempted to try yourself.
#28 I Started Painting On Real Fallen Leaves While Recovering From Brain Surgery
Image source: apaintedleaf_
#29 I Made This Dress For A Customer Who Is Eloping In Spain Next Month
Image source: ReclamationDress
#30 I Made A Frog Box For A Friend (There Are Also Frog Earrings Inside)
Image source: Inked-Wolfie-1979
#31 Kitty Hidout
Image source: Key_Ad_6
#32 Girly Heart Guillotine Mirror
Image source: spookywonton
#33 I’m Making Some More Cute Kitties
Image source: Rushsculpture
#34 Fruit Earrings That I Made Out Of Air Dry Clay
Image source: VarietyObvious7768
#35 My New Craft: I Create Designs And Foil-Stamp Them Onto Pencils
Image source: penchishop
#36 Empty Bed. Original Charcoal And Pastel Art By Me
Image source: Rusty-willy
#37 Finished This Needle Felted Goose Today
Image source: tender_creatures
#38 My Cat Stayed When Everything Else Felt Gone My Recently Printed Linoprints
Image source: thewildprintstudio
#39 Can I Post For My Partner Who Doesn’t Use Reddit? He Makes These Little Animals Sometimes And I Think They’re So Cute
Image source: unicornhornporn0554
#40 Made Something For The First Time In A Decade Because I Was Told I’m Terrible At Art By Someone I Looked Up To
Image source: Pretty_Scars
#41 Tote Bag I Made At Our Agency Luncheon
Image source: ToBoldlyHoe
#42 I Made This Fire Hydrant Look Like It Is Tied Into A Knot
Image source: pyrometal16
#43 Frog Bags With Tiny Roses
Image source: kaeruhoshi
#44 As Promised – Here Is The Update Of My Flower Blanket!
Image source: a_lisek
#45 Embroidered Fruit Brooch
Image source: PsychologicalArm723
#46 I Have Made A Funny Squirrel Of Wool And Selfmade Eyes
Image source: Puntikva
#47 A 3ft Fuzzy Red Panda Plushie I Crocheted And Designed The Pattern For!
Image source: QuantumCrochet
#48 I Made This Floral Landscape Using Clay
Image source: liskaflower
#49 A Cardboard Fish Head And Jacket
Image source: Raffe1911
#50 Drowning. I Used Magnifying Glasses For This Drawing. It Has Over 12,000 Tiny Faces In It
Image source: AnthonyChristopher
#51 I Like To Paint Waves.. Curious Which Of These You All Prefer?
Image source: Annual_Blackberry486
#52 Presenting The Legendary Charles De Mills Rose, Handcrafted By Me In Full Scale With Meticulous Detail. What Do You Think Of This Project?
Image source: CynicOwl1
#53 Forged A Silver Spoon For My New Nephew
Image source: TheReal_Taylor_Swift
#54 Mural I Painted For A Nursery
Image source: Freespyryt5
#55 This Girl Has Never Recieved Flowers So I Planned To Give This To Her. Does It Look That Bad?
Image source: TemporaryAd498
#56 Iud Ballista
Image source: Available_Buyer_7047
#57 Just Finished My Patchwork Sweater
Image source: Responsible-Papaya55
#58 I Made A Stained Glass Mirror
Image source: assortedolives
#59 Hand-Felted A Wool Portrait Of My Friend’s 17-Year-Old Cat. Learned A Lot From This One
Image source: stanley1129
#60 Manta Ray Ceramic Sconce I Made
Image source: KUSTceramics
#61 Tiny Flowers On Buttons
Image source: slowlivingnotes
#62 I Turn Real Flowers Into Hairpins
Image source: SylliaArt
#63 I Turned Flat Fuse Beads Into 3D Lilies
Image source: Plenty-Insurance-543
#64 Just Saw Someone Else Posted Their Painted Hat!
Image source: Minimum-Amount-1894
#65 I Made My Childhood Goldfish Out Of Beads! :d
Image source: Friendly-Introvert
#66 My Magnets Made From Paint Skins. Not Sure I Have Enough Yet
Image source: sad_poet_1378
#67 Handmade Home Decor Lamps
Image source: Level_Town_4813
#68 A No Soliciting Sign I Made
Image source: josefugly
#69 I Renew My Old Shirt By Hand Embroidery. What Do You Think? Thank You
Image source: Most_Big_7521
#70 I’ve Used The Exact Same Bookmark For Every Single Book In My Life, And Today I Finally Gave It A Frame
Image source: derChopsuey
#71 Handmade Italian Leather Cat Coin Purse
Image source: WhaleyAtelier
#72 I Made This Oil Painting And I’m Really Proud Of It
Image source: myriyevskyy
#73 Stained Glass Book Ends With Lotus
Image source: jelly_unicorn_
#74 I Made My Daughters Prom Dress With No Sewing Experience
Image source: Ok_Chip_1077
#75 I Wanted Cat Furniture I’d Actually Want To Display In My Living Room
Image source: Diyes
#76 You’ve Got Mail
Image source: chutneystain800
#77 I Know It’s Not Much, But Here’s All My Paintings I Made In March
Image source: CallisCove
#78 I Found A Painted Rock In The Park The Other Day And It Made Me Happy. Apparently People Hide Painted Rocks All Around The World. So I Painted Some Of My Own For Others To Find
Image source: jennifer_jellyfish
#79 The Chair Covers I Made For My Daughter And Son-In-Law
Image source: the_couch_monster
#80 Been Painting Weird Houses
Image source: soupkiddd
#81 Funny Display I Made For My Bathroom
Image source: cymrugirl79
#82 You Still Walk With Me. Original Wet Charcoal And Pastel Art By Me
Image source: Rusty-willy
#83 Rishi, My Hand Sculpted Balljointed Doll
Image source: earwig_art
#84 Collage Quilt House Portrait For A Friend
Image source: IndicationRelevant59
#85 Which Dress Suits The Doll Better? Terracotta Or Pistachio?
Image source: PuppetStory
#86 Paintings Of My Cat, Noodle
Image source: Rich-Commercial-6373
#87 I Made An Edible Candle. How Do You Like It?
Image source: iCANDLEIA
#88 My Husband And I Made Square Tube Pans, Then I Made This Cake In One!
Image source: oldcountrykitchen
#89 Even Though This Was The Most Emotional Project I’ve Ever Worked On, I Wanted To Share
🫀🎨 I lost my niece to a genetic disorder this past year and I made some memorial jewelry for her mom & closest family members recently. This is my first time doing anything like this and I’m proud I was able to help my sister continue to move with her grief and make a tangible way for her to remember her by. 🦋 art: her hair with real flowers in resin
Image source: UnravelImaginationUT
#90 Pigeons On A T-Shirt
Image source: improbablewhale
#91 Handcrafted Clay Lily Of The Valley
Image source: emily3289
#92 My Watercolor Pigment Cabinet! 168 Hours Later, She’s Finally Done
Image source: emmalian
#93 Giant Deviled Egg
Image source: astrossloth
#94 I Made An Everlasting Wish Jar
Image source: Love_Child420
#95 I Crocheted My Own Wedding Top
Image source: Imaginary_Divide3375
#96 I Made A Little Backpack For My Beanie Lobster To Try And Make It Easier For Me To Find My Remote
Image source: ambahjay
#97 What If Not All Unicorns Are Optimistic?
Image source: mojoartglass
#98 Acrylic Painting
Image source: senseance
#99 Made These Custom Matted Frames For My Art With Shirts From Goodwill
Image source: MillsLeeArt
#100 The Most Dramatic Role Of The Possum
Image source: mojoartglass
#101 Optical Illusion Rug – Princess Donut
Image source: isthistaken_it_is
#102 I Made My Own Pens (To Solve My Callus Problem)
Image source: ArtChillTect
#103 Acrylic Paintings
Image source: senseance
#104 This Magritte’s Son Of Man Lives In The Shadows — I Made This From 2,000 Wooden Tiles, Visible Only With The Light Source On. Glad How It Came
Image source: Sea-Imagination-6878
#105 I Made Cherry Candles. How Do You Like Them?
Image source: iCANDLEIA
#106 A Wooden Piano To Store My Keys With A Latching Mechanism Inside Each Note
Image source: robinhartleywillows
#107 I Call It The “Peacocking Shawl”—crocheted W A Lot Of Blood Swears And Tears
Image source: psychso86
#108 Some Ocean Themed Clothes I Made :)
Image source: Indo1405
#109 My Little Free Library
Image source: Noodle-Mama
#110 Conch Shell Bags
Image source: SRB032
#111 I Presented My Mosaics At My First Art Fair!
Image source: FortressOfPotatoes
#112 Slightly Colorblind But Here’s A Strawberry I Drew Years Ago
Image source: BensDrawings
#113 I Made A Mural For My Local Park
Image source: Spooky_Gecko
#114 I Surprised My Daughter With A Bag She Can Use For Cheer, Dance, And Choir. She’s 9 And Accomplishing So Much For Age. She Is In Love!
Image source: hunni93
#115 I Made A Stained Glass Bouquet Of Sunflowers
Image source: NaSKLI
#116 Nobody Asked For A Winged Tiger Brush Holder, But Here We Are
Image source: grooshenka
Follow Us
