New Year's Resolutions & 2013 Shared Build

[If you are finding your way here from a Facebook status update or other social media thing, why don't you head over to our Facebook page and Like us? It's the best way to keep up with the DIY nerdcraft of With Our Powers Combined.]

Good year, everybody. We got a lot done, didn't we? But there's always more to do. To that end, we've got some New Year's Promises we're going to make. And we'll offer some Resolutions for you to play along at home. Accept if you like, sneer if you must, but we're just trying to help. In the end, we made this blog to keep ourselves working and to help you make the stuff you want in your lives. Together, we're crafting a lifestyle.

So, let's get to the fun stuff.

With Our Powers Combined 2013 New Year's Promises

1. We will offer you at least two posts a week right here on the blog. Our midweek post will be techniques, materials, reviews, discussions of trends, challenges, etc. They're the Lifestyle posts. Every weekend, we'll offer up the Craft posts. These are more like what you've come to expect from us: posts of step-by-step progress on our projects. Outside of special times of year, we might not do the "full project" posts for a little while.
2. We will offer our projects in our Etsy shop. You want to make this stuff. We know that. But sometimes it just isn't possible because of time/materials/tools/what-have-you. And if you really like the one you saw here, we can make that happen for you. The only ones we can't offer for sale are one-offs. We can't make Challenge projects available, because they're one-time-only things on purpose. If we build a found-object piece, we can't be sure we'll find that object again.
3. This site will not become more about the shop than the information we offer you for free. Sell a person a TARDIS, they'll have a TARDIS. Teach a person to build a TARDIS, they can make whatever they want. We aren't experts. We got to where we are over years of practice, trial, error, confusion, small fires, and gluing ourselves to things/stabbing ourselves. If we can help you avoid some of that hardship (and small fires), we will, but there's no substitute for experience. We are here to help you make the things you want in the world. That's more important than $10 coasters.
4. We will be open to your comments, questions, and concerns. "Why did you make it at 3.5" instead of 3.25"?"  "Why that glue?" "Why did mine wrinkle like that and yours didn't?" (Hint: It probably did. At least at first.) "Why is the blog so much more about X than it used to be?" We're doing this thing in public because we want to talk about it with you. Otherwise we'd talk about it when you came to visit or sell you a book of pictures and never leave contact info. We really like helping. It's literally why we're here.

So, that's exciting. Much of it doesn't change life here at WOPC outside of our posting schedule. But transparency is kind of a thing for us. And yet, this New Year's post isn't all about us. It's about you. So we invite you to embrace some of these Resolutions this year:


The Crafter's Resolutions

1. I resolve to make something for myself or my loved ones in the coming year. It doesn't have to be big. But come the end of 2013, wouldn't it be cool if there was something in the world that wasn't there before? Who knows better than you what you need? Once you get started, maybe you'll be excited about what you can do.
2. I resolve never to pay full price for my materials. Outside of emergencies (and man, do those happen), there's no reason for you to shell out the full number of dollars for anything. Craigslist has tools, craft stores offer weekly coupons, go in on an expensive thing with a friend and share it. With proper planning, you can make things cheaper on yourself than you thought possible.
3. I resolve to be inspired by other makers. Pinterest is only as good as what it gets you to make. It can be easy to look at what other people make and say "Well, mine won't be as good" or "I could never do that." No. Try "My first one might not be like that" or "I can't make that yet." Never let the achievements of other makers and artists bring you down. Instead, take what you can from their work and try to see how it can improve your own. After all, only you can see it your way.

2013 Shared Build
To this end, we want folks to step up to the plate on the craft front. So, here's our next Craft Challenge. For every comment on this blog, for every share it gets on social media (we'll see the Facebook ones. If you tweet, try #WOPC), for every Like or new follower to the blog, you get entered in a drawing for the five slots of our 2013 Shared Build. After 48 hours, we'll compile the list of folks who've participated and draw fives names. We'll contact those folks and find out what they're into and at some point in the coming year they'll get a free custom something from us. All we ask is that if you are one of the recipients of our Build, you post to your preferred social media the following:

"I'm participating in the 'With Our Powers Combined' 2013 Shared Build. I'll pick five names from the list of people who Liked (or Shared) this status in the next 24 hours and make them something in 2013. All they have to do is copy this post and promise to their Wall. http://tinyurl.com/aug73v2"

Or a Twitter version: "I'm part of the #WOPC 2013 Shared Build. Re-tweet for a chance at custom things! More info at http://tinyurl.com/aug73v2"

Recipients will be announced here on the blog and the Facebook page after the drawing. Let's make 2013 something special.