10 Ways Crafting Reduces Stress

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

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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.

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37 Ways To Share Crafts With Kids

If you love crafting, chances are good you want to share that love with your children. Here are some easy (and frugal) ways to help your child also develop an interest in crafting. Pick one option or several…whatever you have time for.

Books (mostly available at the library)

You Can Draw Marvel Characters by Dan Jurgens
Draw Your Own Manga by Haruno Nagatoma
How To Draw People by Susie Hodge
Landscapes by Ian Sidaway
Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book of Weirdos by Ed Emberley
How To Draw Animals by Susie Hodge
Oodles of Doodles by Mike Artell
Kids Draw Dinosaurs by Christopher Hart
10 Experiments With Impressionism by Betty Billups
Priscilla Hauser’s Decorative Painting Workshop by Priscilla Hauser
Let’s Rock! Rock Painting for Kids by Linda Kranz
Pablo Picasso by Andrew Langley
Pastels by John Blockley
You Can Paint Pastels by Marie Blake
Edgar Degas by Mike Venezia
Painting With Tempera by Paige Henson
Easy Origami by Didier Boursin
Under The Sea Origami by Duy Nguyen
Step by Step Origami by Clive Stevens
Origami Toys by Florence Temko
Crochet by Jane Davis
The Busy Mom’s Book of Quick Crafts for Kids by Judith Logan Lehne
Little Hands Create! by Mary Dall
Big Book of Kids Crafts by BHG

Community Resources

Art and Craft Badges from Scouts
Free Days at Museums
4H Sewing Project

At Home Projects

Study Cartooning
Learn Origami
Build With Scrap Materials
Learn to Sew
Practice Cake Decorating
Learn to Paint With Watercolors
Make Handmade Paper
Create Paper Mache bowls from old newspapers

Online

Craft for Kids – Hundreds of crafts organized by topic or by material
Familyfun.com – Very well done collection of crafts for all ages

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How To Make Homemade Plastic

Description : Homemade plastic can be shaped into jewelry, accents for scrapbooking, parts for dolls, etc.

Craft Link : How To Make Homemade Plastic

Source : Instructables

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Mother-Daughter Craft Projects

The summer provides a wonderful opportunity to have some 1-on-1 time with your daughter. What better way to spend that time than crafting?

Here are some fun and easy craft projects that will be sure to interest children of a variety of ages!

Paper Bead Jewelry

Computer Crafts

Paper Models

Polymer Clay

Pressed Flower Notecards

Quilling

Cardboard Dollhouse

Dough Crafts

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Is Crafting A Frugal Hobby?

The Complete Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn, is my personal finance bible. So, when Amy advised switching to frugal hobbies, she got me thinking. Is crafting a frugal hobby?

The answer is a loud and resounding…maybe.

Here’s why -

- An everyday sweater, made from yard sale wool, is thrfty. A cashmere sweater, that was never finished, is not.

- Homemade orange peel candies are thrifty. Homemade chocolate truffles are not.

- Quilts made from fabric found in your scrap bag are thrifty. Quilts made from fabric bought at an upscale specialty store are not.

- Scrapbooking with acid-free paper and a lot of imagination, is thrifty. Scrapbooking with acid-free paper and store-bought embellishment kits is not.

- Creating mosaics from chipped Salvation Army dishes is thrifty. Creating mosaics from glass tiles purchased at the craft store is not.

Here are a couple of tips to ensure that your next craft project is thrifty…

Use free materials whenever possible. Outgrown clothing, discarded linens, or donations from friends can be made into wonderful finished projects.

Never buy full price. If you must pay for craft materials, try hard to save money. Check out your local thrift shop and yard sales. Shop ebay and Craig’s list. Comparison shop at online craft shops.

Make sure your crafts have a purpose. Before you start a new project decide what you will do with the finished product. Will it be a holiday gift? A knick knack for your living room? Will it actually be used?

Don’t take on more than you can chew. Unfinished projects are a waste of money. Be sure, before starting a new needlepoint, outfit or craft kit, that you actually have the time and skill to complete it.

In general, like most of life, crafting is what you make it. You can make the kind of decisions that make crafting an expensive and frustrating activity. Or, you can make choices that make crafting economical and enjoyable. You decide.

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20 Ways To Make Crafts Pay – Part 4

This is part three of the series 20 Ways To Make Crafts Pay.

Providing Services

17. I have a friend who made a decent income crocheting replacement hair into high quality wigs that were starting to bald. She went on to travel all over the world giving classes on the process.

18. My old next door neighbors used to make baked goods for special occasions and events. They rented commercial equipment and worked out of the house.

19. My great aunt did mending from her home. Some of my earliest and most comforting childhood memories are coming into the house each day after school and seeing ladies being pinned in the living room.

20. A friend of my husband used to do bookbinding during college to earn extra money. His work was not the fine sort, that museums and collectors require. Instead, it was the strong and efficient kind of binding that students need for their books.

These 20 craft business ideas are just a sample of the hundreds of categories of businesses that crafters participate in. I picked these 20, not because they are the easiest to duplicate, but because they are the ones I have personal experience with. I hope, after reading this list, that you’re inspired to at least consider, starting a craft business of your own.

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