Beat the Winter Blues: Get Crafty
If you’ve been reading along you will have seen both Smalerie, and The Red Menace give their tips for beating the winter blues; coping mechanisms are so important y'all! Now it’s my turn. Those who know me IRL know that my crafting obsession almost borders on manic. If it’s crafty, I want to try it. Yarn, glue, paper, wood, beads, it’s all my jam. For me crafting can really hits my goal oriented brain center, plus then you have a cool thing to show for your work. That sense of accomplishment can be critical when you are cooped up inside feeling like you may never get outside again. Because the general realm of crafting is so vast and wide there are thousands of options, and price points. You don’t need to drop a mint at Michael’s or some other craft store to take on projects. One of my favorite things to do is to comb thrift stores or dig around though what I already have and then re-purpose it into something better.
Knitting- Ah, my old standby. When I was little, my grandmother tried to teach me to knit. It’s didn’t go well. But I picked it up again in college and things really clicked. Knitting has a relatively low start-up cost, especially if you can get your hands on some used needles and sale yarn (it’s always on sale). Knitting has also become much more popular so chances are you know someone who knits and can teach you, otherwise, YouTube. I’ve learned many new stitches and refreshed myself on some basics via the internet. All you need to know is the basic knit stitch and you can make a scarf. I personally find the repetitive action of knitting soothing and a bit meditative, maybe you will find it the same.
Gluing things to things- Oh yeah! This is probably my favorite type of craft because it’s the broadest and I think most fun. Get yourself some good glue (I like e-6000), some found objects and go to town! Cover old containers with buttons or rhinestones, decorate a lampshade, make magnets...below are two of my favorite gluing projects. I wanted a 3 tier plate for a Downton Abbey themed tea party I was hosting, however I did not want to spend the money on one. Take one trip to a thrift store, plus one thing of glue, et voila, a 3 tiered plate that cost less than $7! The “bug” is the result of a broken clock I bought at a yard sale, dismantled, and then spent a very focused afternoon turning the pieces into some sort of sculpture. Again, super affordable and very rewarding!
Paper crafts- I can’t draw, at all. But I can cut, glue, arrange, and stamp. Plus, making your own cards is much more fun and flexible than ones you get at the drugstore. If you've ever even walked past a Paper Source you can see how vast and varied the things you can do with paper are. I also think paper crafting lends itself to being social and sharing supplies really well....(prepare for shameless plug), and that's why we are hosting a Collage Card Workshop at Comicazi on February 10.
If paper crafts are something you are interested in join us at our Collage Card event! We bring the supplies, you bring the creativity.
General craft resources- Ready to dive into the sea of crafting? There are tons of resources out there but here are 2 of my favorites.
Craftster- The Old Dame of craft resources! I think every craft possible exists here. From knitting, to food, to soap, to cross stitch this bulletin board community give tutorials, help, discussion and general encouragement about crafts. Possibility of falling down a craft based rabbit hole for the rest of the winter: HIGH
Pinterest- If you aren’t quite sure of the project you want to tackle, go to Pinterest and search “crafts”. You will get an amazing array of option, all visually lovely. So yeah, there are lots of pictures of possible crafts on Pinterest, but the directions and links are not always super reliable (see Pinterest Fails). I like to cruise the pics for ideas but then maybe head to another resource for a second opinion on reliable directions. Pinterest is a particular danger zone because it doesn’t just have crafts...it has everything! You could start looking at it at the start of the next snow storm and not come up for air till the plows are done.
Possibility of not emerging until the hibernating bears do too: HIGH