Craft For Health

How Crafting Enhances & Renews The Mind, Body and Spirit by Marisa Pawelko

The act of crafting offers a multitude of health benefits for people of all ages and walks of life. Besides being a fun way to pass the time, crafting can have a tremendous positive impact on your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing! Keep reading to find out how!

Physical Health Benefits

We’ve all heard the saying, “Use It or Lose It!” Doing crafts keeps the body moving and exercises the brain. Crafting enhances hand-eye coordination in children, and can be physically therapeutic for people with special needs or mobility issues due to aging or injury. Keeping the body and mind active in adulthood and old age is the key to retaining muscle tone, physical dexterity and mental clarity!

 

Mental Health Benefits 

Crafting positively benefits mental health, while promoting self-confidence and providing a sense of accomplishment no matter what your age. It keeps the mind sharp by building technical and problem solving skills. Being self sufficient causes us to develop a positive “I Can Do It!” attitude and gives us the confidence to face up to life’s challenges. Many people are using crafts as a way to relieve stress, or temporarily escape from the travails of life in a positive and constructive manner. Psychologically, crafting can pull you out of a depressive slump, rather than turning to drugs or alcohol. In fact, many smokers have found success in kicking the habit by picking up knitting! When faced with particularly trying times, expressing and processing your emotions through your crafts can help with healing emotional pain and releasing anger, grief or anxiety. Next time you feel like screaming into or beating up your pillow, try picking up a hot glue gun instead! You’ll be glad you did!

 

Spiritual Health Benefits

Bonding with friends, family and loved ones is one of life’s greatest pleasures. What better way to bond than through crafts? Lovingly hand-made gifts show “you care” about the person you made them for. Scrapbooks and memory-keeping crafts honor meaningful relationships and experiences. Vision boards are becoming a popular craft project to assist visualizing your life’s dreams and desires. People looking to discover their true identity can facilitate the journey of self discovery through crafts. Free yourself, find yourself and express that which is within you by building on your ideas, and identifying the themes that resonate with your soul. Engage in the creative craft community and empower others by sharing techniques and ideas! It builds good karma!

 

 Marisa Pawelko, winner of the Craft & Hobby Association's 2009 Indie Craft Contest.  She is the founder of  Modern Surrealist LLC,  Marisa enjoys inspiring crafters with her thrifty project ideas for "upcycling" ordinary household objects, into extraordinary custom creations!

Crafting Helped me Overcome Rejection and Criticism by Iris

I have been always attracted to art and art supplies even at a young age. But I have always been afraid to try creating art because I was afraid that I was not going to be able to make something that is acceptable. I just kept ignoring that need to create. Until, I had my first baby. I had so many memories that I wanted to document them and it was at that time that scrapbooking was introduced to me.

Through this craft I was able to paint, stamp, stitch, hand-cut, emboss... the list is endless. What I am trying to say is that I found an outlet for my desire to create through this craft - without any fear of being rejected or criticized. Sure, people will have good and bad things to say about my work, but the important thing is that I created my pages out of love for my family. It makes me and my family happy and that is what is most important to me. If in the sharing of my pages I am able to inspire other people then that makes the craft even more worth it.

My name is Iris Babao Uy and I am currently designing for Prima Marketing, Webster's Pages, and October Afternoon. I have also recently joined Creative Therapy and I was among the Memory Makers Masters of 2008. I am thankful for all the opportunities I have been blessed with through this craft. You can find out more about me and my pages at : My Blog

 

 

Coming Full Circle while Crafting for Health by Dawn Montgomery

I have always loved art and the creative process. My mother was a graphic artist and encouraged my painting letting me spend my afternoons taking classes at an artist's workshop. However, when I was looking at colleges, my parents did not want me to attend art school because they thought it was important to get a practical degree. They were concerned that I would be unable to support myself with a fine art degree. I attended Architecture School at University because it was a professional degree and I could still be creative. While in architecture I took a class in City Planning and fell in love. After six years I ended up with two City Planning degrees and a minor in fine art.

I worked for seven years as a city planner and then decided to stay at home with my young children. I had three children in three and a half years and felt like I was getting lost in the craziness of life. Then my church offered a class in stained glass. I signed up immediately because free child care was offered, I could be creative, and have adults to talk to. I fell in love with the medium of glass and soon filled my house and my family’s houses with stained glass. Several years ago I took a class in fused glass and was hooked on this new creative process. I soon had a glass kiln and home studio. Working with fused glass feels like I am painting. When I enter my studio I focus on my art and leave the stresses of life outside.

In 2008 I decided to turn my love of glass into a business. I attend art festivals and have my glass in local shops and on the internet. I choose the name First Light Glass because my name Dawn means morning or first light. I feel like I have come full circle to a place that I dreamed of as a child.

www.FirstLightGlass.etsy.com  www.FirstLightGlass.artfire.com  www.facebook.com/First.Light.Glass

http://twitter.com/FirstLightGlass

My Heavy Heart from Job loss and Crocheting

 

This story is from Em who used crocheting to cope with her job loss.

  

Dec 9 of each year is a day of celebration for my family; it’s my twin brothers’ birthday.  On that same day in 2008 I was laid off from work.  While the company was experiencing some difficulties we had been assured by management that all was well and that the company would whether the storm and come through it better for it.  At 5 PM that day I got a phone call telling me that my position had been eliminated and that my services were no longer needed.  I was devastated.  I had worked there for 5 years and had been a loyal employee.  I went to my family’s dinner celebration with a heavy heart and didn’t say anything for fear of ruining everyone’s evening. 

The next day I informed them of my situation and just cried.  I didn’t understand why I had been so carelessly cast aside.  For the last 6 months I’ve looked for work and I have yet to find anything, and finances have been difficult.  The stress at times has been unbelievable.  The one thing that keeps me going though is my crocheting and tapestry beading.  

When I crochet or bead I find a solace that brings peace to my soul and allows me to relax.  I get lost counting the stitches or beads and all the days troubles just fall off my shoulders for at least a short period of time. 

 

Crocheting also brings back memories of my Italian grandmother.  She taught me how to crochet when I was 7 years old, and I always get a warm feeling when I pick up a crochet hook.  I can feel her love wash over me as if she were sitting right beside me.  It’s at those times that I know that she’s watching over me and that everything will be alright. 

In the mean time I continue to crochet and bead, and create what I love best.  You can find some of my creations at www.nothingbutstring.etsy.com  and as the name of my Etsy shop implies, it’s the thread of life that holds us all together.  

Let’s turn the chaos into harmony.

Accelerated Race from Crisis to Crisis by Gail Green

I'm amazed how time can actually stand still while simultaneously disappearing during an accelerated race from crisis to crisis. The last thing I remember clearly was the day before Father's Day 2009...and now, like a time traveler, I'm catapulted forward to right before Memorial Day weekend 2010.  This past year has been filled with one disaster and emergency after another as my elderly father's failing health continues to advance.  Life threatening cardiac events, serious infections out of nowhere, bi-monthly trips to the ER, hospital stays, surgeries, sudden moves from one level of assisted living to another…it’s been endless.  Add in multiple irons in the fire with a new licensing agent and promising contacts, deadlines, projects, collections to create,trade show follow-ups and submissions....and it’s obvious why things like my blog or socializing with friends have been so sadly neglected.  I also stopped phoning or emailing friends, tweeting, checking facebook or even reading Linked-In updates for months as my "free" time dwindled to nothing.  When the phone rang, I’d cringe, expecting it to be yet another emergency that would devour my week and leave me working into the night and all weekend (again) to meet a deadline.  In reality, each day's "surprises" and steep learning curve navigating our very flawed medical system came too frequently & too fast to document, much less process.  All stress, all the time.  

My husband & I managed to leave town for a few days to escape the never-ending winter and visit our son & daughter-in-law in Miami.  Miraculously, nothing bad happened with my dad that week.  I returned 5 days later totally relaxed, able to concentrate and feeling recharged.  And ready to embrace an opportunity to propose, coordinate and teach workshops at the upcoming CHA (Craft Hobby Association) Consumer SuperShow in Chicago (Rosemont Convention Center) the end of July. 

Following directly after the Craft & Hobby industry’s mid-year trade show, this consumer show was first introduced last year in Orlando....and was a smashing success!  Now that the trade show is back in the Midwest, people will be traveling here from everywhere by the busload to attend this 2 day consumer event.  Instead of feeling stressed with my dad’s continuing saga, I’m really looking forward to teaching 2 Workshops at the Consumer SuperShow, as well as working with younger crafters in the KidsZone. 

I absolutely love inspiring people to discover their creative selves and explore crafty possibilities! Developing these workshops has also given me a fantastic opportunity to focus on something wonderful—crafts!  “Playing” with craft materials is a great way to de-stress.  Plus, I have something really, really fun to look forward to when the trade and consumer shows roll into town--reconnecting with long-time friends and business associates, demoing my new line of Sweet PETatoes rubber stamps with Impression Obsession and escaping for just a little while.

Don’t worry about my dad…he won’t be neglected. My brother promised he’d be available for anything that may occur during that time…

 

And here is the link to the CHA Consumer SuperShow….. www.craftsupershow.com  and link to my blog….  www.gailgreen.blogspot.com I also have a banner and a flyer that include info plus a discount coupon for the show.  Let me know if I can email it to you as an attachment and you can post that on your blog as well.  My workshops are going to be SO incredibly fun….one is Rubber Stamping Techniques and Beyond with my new line of Sweet PETatoes stamps (kittens and puppies….all the pet lovers will go wild…) and the second is From Trash to Treasure....reusing, recycling, repurposing everyday “throw-away” items into amazing usable treasures by adding environmentally safe and sustainable craft materials … (including EarthSafe paints, Glue Dots, Strathmore’s bamboo and hemp sustainable cardstock…and more!) 

 

This Ain't Your Grandma's Embroidery by Jenny Hart

 

I did not grow up doing needlework or sewing, despite my mother’s encouragement. Crafting was just about the most uncool thing you could be doing when I was a teenager in the 80’s. But it was in my 20’s that I began to appreciate the look of colorful hand-embroidery on vintage linens. But, I didn’t know how to do it, and didn’t really know anyone who could teach me. It looked very tedious and difficult to me, and books and patterns spoke to another generation, certainly, not my own.

I didn’t know anybody who did needlework and it was looked on as an arcane and outdated hobby, only enjoyed by truly die-hard stitchers. It would be years before I finally gave embroidery a try, and it’s therapeutic benefits revealed to me.

My father was very sick for much of my life and constantly in and out of hospitals, where my mother and I would always spend the night with him, taking turns. My life would keep me in hospitals with family members for many consecutive years: my mother-in-law being diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer three months after my marriage, and my own mother’s diagnosis of breast cancer a year later. 

I simply began to lose my ability to cope. Being faced for the first time with the possibility of losing my mother, I was inspired to finally ask her to teach me how to embroider. Thinking needlework would require patience from me, I learned quickly what every addicted needleworker knows: Needlework instills calm and patience in you. 

I felt my blood pressure drop. I was calmed and soothed with my first stitches, a portrait of my mother. I had never seen portraits in embroidery and wanted to adopt embroidery as a medium for my artwork. The effect on me was so great, the quelling of my anxiety, depression and despair led me to embroider for 3-4 hours every day for the next five years when I would produce the majority of my portraits. Embroidering carried me through it all.

 

Sublime Stitching became the only thing in my life that brought me complete joy in the face of dying parents, loss of my job and a marriage that began falling apart under the weight of it all. Embroidering and sharing my newfound love of stitching with others and carried me through a very difficult time in my life that would last for several years. Getting emails from complete strangers excitedly telling me about their projects and learning to embroider for the first time was an emotional source that I thrived and survived on. And, while things have come a long way since then, I can honestly stay it is still these things: embroidering and the kindness of strangers that carry me through all the challenges life brings.

Jenny Hart is the founder of Sublime Stitching, the first embroidery design company to bring tattoos, robots, and pinups to needlework patterns. She is also the author of several titles on embroidery for Chronicle Books and an internationally exhibited fine artist. Jenny lives and works in Austin, Texas, where she is a founding member of the infamous Austin Craft Mafia.

Jenny’s newest book Sublime Stitching: Embroidered Effects (Chronicle Books) will be out this fall 2009.

Mapping My Way through Life by Dana

 

For me crafting is a break from my stay at home mom duties, as well as, a way to bring joy & connect with others.

I adore hearing the thoughts behind a purchase.  For me, emailing a photo of a map that one of my customers has requested is so exciting.  I get joy by cutting the map snippet from one of my vintage atlas's.  The artsy part of my work, is in the way I choose to capture a particular city. 

I love to hear the stories from people about why they are making a purchase.  I recently had a young lady who purchased a Paris map sterling silver necklace for her mother who has been going through cancer treatment.  She stated in her request that her mother & mother's sister, her Aunt had both been going through Chemo together & once both of their treatments were complete they were planning a once in a lifetime trip to Paris, France.

  

So for me, it is a way to travel around the world within my own home & dream about places I can not wait to visit someday.

Dana of DLKDesigns has a BA in Communications/Advertising, but never had her dream job...until now. I hope that you gain inspiration from browsing my shop & please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like something special made that has important meaning for you!
 

Heartfelt Creativity Healed Me Through Joblessness and Infertility by Fiona

I have been creative from a very early age, growing up with a Grandfather and Uncle who were painters, and a very artistic Mum. I started sewing at Primary School, making my first needle case when I was about 6 years old!

  

Lately as well, my creating has been an even bigger help to my sanity. We found out recently that we are unable to have children, something which is devastating to us. But again, losing myself in my work has been hugely beneficial in helping me to come to terms with the pain this has caused. They say that time is a great healer, but for me, creativity too is an even greater one.

 

Last year I was made redundant due to the current economic situation so I decided to turn my creating into a full time occupation. Working in my studio, radio on, creating my pretty things has been a huge help in combating the stress of being jobless and hopefully in time.

 

My name is Fiona and I live in Oxfordshire, Uk with my Husband. I'm a blogger and  trained as an Interior Designer but I'm now working as a designer/maker of individual accessories and gifts for the home. I am inspired by vintage textiles and create my items using a mixture of machine and hand sewing as well as embroidery.

 

Back 2 School & Crafting

Recently, Kathy & I were in Orlando, Florida participating in a Back 2 School / Back 2 Health event that drew over 3,500 families.  There are many events like this going on around the country, as organizers find ways to help parents prepare for the new school year. With the economy in the slumps, and rising unemployment, many parents aren't able to afford the school supplies that their children need.

The kids could also get their school physicals and any vaccinations that they needed. The kids weren't exactly thrilled about the vaccinations, but it was one more thing parents could do to protect their little ones. 

The Craft Practitioners were there too in our white lab coats, and quite a few people came in to our room where we were building our Craft Wall of Health to ask if we were also doing vaccinations?  

Thankfully, for me, those days of giving children vaccinations are over.  I get to craft with them now.  Yea!

At this event, each child was given a brand new backpack filled with school supplies and something else that was sure to brighten up their day:  Stickers! Every kid loves a new backpack for school and they love Stickers! These stickers were donated by the wonderful folks at FibreCraft.

FibreCraft is committed to creativity, crafting and to Kids, they are also big donors to Kids In Need.

As the Craft Practitioners, our message to parents is simple, Working on a Craft Project, shoulder to shoulder with your kids is a great way to stay connected. 

Happy Crafting

The Power of Crafting in Company by Diane Gilleland

In my experience, there is nothing more healing than crafting in a group of people. The beauty of this is, they can be old friends or complete strangers - the craft bridges any gap and creates connection. 

When you're making things, that connection between your mind and hands quiets your anxieties and opens your heart. This works when you're crafting alone, too, of course, but it's especially powerful in the presence of other people. Let's face it, most of us harbor a little social anxiety when we're in a group. But when we're crafting, that mind-hands connection gives the anxious energies a channel, leaving us more relaxed and open to sharing of ourselves. It's a fast track past the small talk and into deeper bonds.

 

I experienced this transformation every month for over six years when I organized a local chapter of the Church of Craft (http:/www.churchofcraft.org). At every meeting, people would arrive, sit down at a big table with strangers, and begin crafting. Two hours later, they looked like a group of lifelong friends.

 

I think local crafting groups can be very powerful in this age of economic and social turmoil. No matter what our differences are, we need each other - we need to cooperate and trade with each other in order to withstand tough times. And we need to better understand one another in order to move forward as a society.

 

And all this powerful change can begin with a circle of chairs, a few cups of tea, and acts of making.