10 Ways Crafting Reduces Stress

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In today’s  bustling world, taking the time for deliberate  relaxation has become a modern day necessity.  Between work, family life, and other responsibilities,  the average person spends his day going from difficult situation to even more difficult situation. Crafting  provides  a great way to break out from this routine and de-stress for a little while. 

Here are 10 reasons crafting is good for your mental health:

1. Crafting focuses our minds on a productive activity.

2. Crafting allows  our stressful energy to be released through our hands in creative ways.

3. Crafting provides  an outlet for creative problem solving, which creates the  flexibility that is an essential element of stress  reduction

4. Crafting, like any  focused activity, creates a mild trance state which is
highly conducive to relaxation and letting go of  stress.

5. Crafting gives us  time in our busy lives in which we can reconnect with ourselves.

6. Crafting is fun; and fun  things reduce  stress.

7. Crafting creates  a time in which we are free from worries (about time, money,  relationships, and the many other things we tend to worry
about).

8. Crafting keeps us  productive and when we’re productive we stress
less.

9. Crafting is a great get-a-way without having to go  anywhere.

10. Crafting is something we can do for ourselves (a self-care activity),
and doing for ourselves (self-care activities) reduces  stress.

So, the next time the stress becomes overwhelming, consider skipping the beer and chocolate, and reaching for the knitting instead!

 Ben Klempner, LMSW, founder and  editor of Effective Family Communication,  is a trained social worker. Please visit  his blog at: http://www.EffectiveFamilyCommunication.com



Shrink Plastic Embellishments

shrink plastic embellishments

 

 

Description : These easy-to-make Shrink Plastic Embellishments can be used to enhance scrapbook pages, altered books and cards. They can even be crafted into lightweight magnets!

Craft Link : Shrink Plastic Embellishments

Source : Lucky Squirrel

Read More : This And That



Tie Dye Tutorial

Description : Travel back to the 60’s with this Tie Dye Tutorial.

Craft Link : Tie Dye Tutorial

Source : Instructables

Read More : This And That



Pretty Little Purses And Pouches

 Jam packed with 29 projects, Pretty Little Purses And Pouches, is a delicious treat for anyone who loves to sew. Each of the projects in the book is a delight to look at and practical to use.  The projects run the gamut from very easy to slightly complicated, making this book perfect for both serious and casual crafters.

Pretty Little Purses and Pouches is a group effort. The book has projects from 19 different designers. Each of the designers has made a real effort to contribute a truely superb project to this book.

My favorite?

I love dainty little bags (though I usually lug around too much stuff to use them) so I’d have to pick Pocket This by Wendy Gratz. This delicate little purse is constructed from crinkly cotton fabric and heavy satin. It goes around the neck and shoulder and is only about 6 inches wide. Yum!

There is only one drawback to Pretty Little Purses And Pouches. Each of the patterns in the book need to be enlarged before being used. However, with today’s technology even this glitch isn’t much of problem.

Pretty Little Purses And Pouches is part of a new series from Lark Books. Other titles in the series are Pretty Little Patchwork, Pretty Little Cozies and Pretty Little Potholders. I highly recommend the entire series.

Read More : This And That



The Shop On Blossom Street

As a devoted crafter, I love to read novels about other crafters.  I enjoy stories in which the creative process is an integral part of the plot.  The Shop On Blossom Street, by Debbie Macomber, is one such novel.

The Shop On Blossom Street is a novel about the lives and romances of four knitters. Lydia Hoffman, the owner of a yarn shop and cancer survivor, learns to let go of her illness and learn to love again.  Alix Townsend, a troubled young woman, discovers that she is a good enough person to deserve a good man.  Carol Girard, and her husband, suffer though the pains of infertility.  And Jacqueline Donovan, a women emotionally separated from her husband, reconnects with both him and her family.

The yarn shop offers a common meeting ground for these four, very different women. Through knitting, they begin to reflect on and share their lives with one another. By the time they have finished working their way through a simple baby blanket, the crafters have all made important strides in both their relationships and their goals.

As usual, Debbie Macomber tells a wonderful story, full of life, personal growth and love.

Read More : This And That