Crafting is my Therapy #11 and Giveaway

Welcome to the eleventh “Crafting is my Therapy” monthly blog link-up.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful month of making and creating.

December will be the last time we host the “Crafting is my Therapy” linky for a little while. I am currently spinning lots of plates at the moment. I started my ‘Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools’ training course in September and it takes up lots of my time. Bearing in mind I haven’t written an essay for over twenty years, starting this course has been a shock to the system. I feel like I’m drowning in coursework! Alongside working part time and life in general, something has to give. Unfortunately, I have to cut back on the time I spend on my blog. Hopefully this is just a pause for ‘Crafting is my Therapy’ and not a final goodbye :)

I’ve enjoyed seeing all your crafty posts and I’ve discovered some amazing new blogs over the past few months of hosting the linky. A big thank you to Elsie Pop, Relentlessly Purple, Zeens and Roger, Growing Family, The Messy Brunette, Hillview Embroidery and Suzy Homemaker for linking up last month. A big thank you to all of you for supporting our linky in 2016, we appreciate each and every one of your retweets and link-backs!

Because we love seeing the projects you are working on, Jennifer and myself would love to keep our little community connected. We’ve decided to launch an Instagram hashtag. Each month it will change to reflect the month we’re in. This month it will be - #craftingismytherapy_december

I know lots of you have beautiful Instagram accounts and I love the supportive nature of the creative community over there. Please feel free to tag as many crafty images with #craftingismytherapy_december throughout the month. At the end of the month, Jennifer and I will choose our favourite images and put together a round-up post over on Instagram. You can find my Instagram here

As a farewell treat for you all, we are hosting a giveaway. We have put together a bundle of craft supplies, including: a small box canvas, wooden hearts to decorate, coloured sheets of felt, sea shells, wooden frame to decorate, heart buttons, Bostik Glu Pen, Bostik Glu Dots, Blu Tack, two rolls of patterned tape and a glitter Pritt stick.

To be in with a chance of winning, please link up with your creative blog posts below…

Have you created anything crafty this month? Sewing, knitting, crochet, painting or pottery…please join in and share your blog posts.

The focus of our blog link-up is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

Grab the Crafting is my Therapy badge:

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.meyouandmagoo.co.uk" rel="nofollow" title="Me You and Magoo"><img src="http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/pouchbags/crafting_is_my_therapy_blog_badge_ONE_zpszefd7734.jpg" alt="Me You and Magoo" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I co-host Crafting is my Therapy with Jennifer Jain. She writes the popular craft blog Jennifers Little World
Jennifer hosts our Pinterest group board. Would you like your blog posts to be seen by over 700K followers? Craft Bloggers linking to #craftingismytherapy are welcome to join our board. It's a great way for your posts to reach a wider audience...

The “Crafting is my Therapy” linky will open on 2nd December at 7.30pm (GMT) and stay open for the whole month – giving you plenty of time to get involved.
– You can link up with maximum of three posts per month, old or new.
– The focus of the linky is crafting for pleasure, so please don’t link up with posts promoting handmade items for sale.
– Grab the linky badge or link back to our blogs on your post.
– Please share the love and comment on other people’s posts.
– If you could share your post and the linky (using the hashtag #craftingismytherapy) on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

An InLinkz Link-up

Giveaway Entry Rules:
– One winner will receive the bundle of craft prizes described above.
– The winner will be chosen at random from eligible entries to the linky this month.
– This giveaway is only open to residents of the United Kingdom.
– In order for an entry to be eligible it must be a relevant post, it must mention the "Crafting is my Therapy" linky either by text link or using the badge. It must link back to one of the hosts. The linky will remain open until 11.55pm (GMT) on Friday 30th December 2016.
– If the winner does not respond within 28 days we will redraw and reallocate the prize. There is no cash alternative. Invalid entries will be discounted.

Crafting is my Therapy #7

Welcome to the Seventh “Crafting is my Therapy” blog link-up.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful month or making and creating.

It was nice to see new craft bloggers getting involved in July. We loved seeing everything you’ve created. I particularly liked Deborah Champion’s post about sewing a tiny suit for her doll. Plus it was her first time linking up to Crafting is my Therapy.

This month I have linked up with my latest hand sewn hoop featuring a pretty butterfly motif. I attempted Satin Stitch for the first time in many years...

I also wanted to mention it's National Stitch Day on 6th August. The National Celebration of Stitch is designed to raise awareness of the Embroiderers’ Guild, demonstrating the delights of stitching, textiles and embroidery. Events will be taking place across the country and this event at Bristol Museum sounds particularly lovely and I'm going to try and go along...

Last month we also held a Sugru giveaway. There were 6 posts (not including the hosts) added to our link-up in July. Using the random number generator, I can tell you that the winner is…Zeens and Roger! A selection of Sugru packs will be heading her way shortly.

Have you created anything crafty this month? If you sew, knit, crochet, paint, work with ceramics…please join in and share your blog posts.

The focus of this blog link-up is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

Grab the Crafting is my Therapy badge:

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.meyouandmagoo.co.uk" rel="nofollow" title="Me You and Magoo"><img src="http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/pouchbags/crafting_is_my_therapy_blog_badge_ONE_zpszefd7734.jpg" alt="Me You and Magoo" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I co-host Crafting is my Therapy with Jennifer Jain. She writes the popular craft blog Jennifers Little World

Jennifer hosts our Pinterest group board. Would you like your blog posts to be seen by over 700K followers? Craft Bloggers linking to #craftingismytherapy are welcome to join our board. It's a great way for your posts to reach a wider audience...

The “Crafting is my Therapy” link-up will open on 1st August and stay open for the whole month – giving you plenty of time to get involved.
* You can link up with maximum of three posts per month, old or new.
* Grab the link-up badge or link back to our blogs on your post.
* Please share the love and comment on other people’s posts.
* If you could share your post and the link-up (using the hashtag #craftingismytherapy) on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
* And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

An InLinkz Link-up

Crafting is my Therapy #6 + Sugru giveaway

Welcome to the Sixth “Crafting is my Therapy” blog link-up.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful month or making and creating.

- June has been a hectic month for me. I have so many things I want to make and not enough time. I’m really grateful I started the Crafting is my Therapy project because it does spur me on to sit down and create. Even if it is just for half an hour. It doesn't have to be a perfectly finished piece of craft, just tapping into your creativity for a few minutes can help with your wellbeing. I did manage to sew this little “Crafting is my Therapy” hoop. It’s embellished with vintage buttons that belonged to my late-grandmother. I am hoping to make a start on a piece of embroidery featuring a butterfly motif in July.

In June we had a lovely selection of crafts added to our link-up.
It was nice to see new craft bloggers getting involved with our crafting community.
We loved seeing everything you’ve created.

This month we are holding another giveaway. The lovely people at Sugru have donated a fab prize. One lucky winner will win:
Sugru Starter Kit
Sugru Magnet Kit
Sugru 8 Pack in a range of bright colours

Never heard of Sugru?

“Sugru is the world’s first mouldable glue that sticks to almost anything and turns into a strong flexible rubber overnight. Invented for people looking to repair and improve stuff, it’s used by people in over 160 countries - from homeowners planning DIY projects through to people making small improvements to gadgets, appliances and even toys.”

Sugru is amazing stuff. Jennifer, my co-host, has used it many times and is a big fan. You can see her crafty Sugru makes here. Sugru actively welcome customers to share ideas with others. You can see tons of ideas on their website...I particularly love their “Craft & Making” section

You can find the Sugru giveaway rules at the bottom of this post...good luck!

Last month we also held a colouring book giveaway. There were 10 posts (not including the hosts) added to our link-up in June. Using the random number generator, I can tell you that the winner is…A Saucy Stitch! Two colouring books will be heading your way shortly.

Have you created anything crafty this month? If you sew, knit, crochet, paint, work with ceramics…please join in and share your blog posts.

The focus of this linky is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

Grab the Crafting is my Therapy badge:

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.meyouandmagoo.co.uk" rel="nofollow" title="Me You and Magoo"><img src="http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/pouchbags/crafting_is_my_therapy_blog_badge_ONE_zpszefd7734.jpg" alt="Me You and Magoo" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I co-host Crafting is my Therapy with Jennifer Jain. She writes the popular craft blog Jennifers Little World

Jennifer hosts our Pinterest group board. Would you like your blog posts to be seen by over 700K followers? Craft Bloggers linking to #craftingismytherapy are welcome to join our board. It's a great way for your posts to reach a wider audience...

The “Crafting is my Therapy” linky will open on 02/07/2016 and stay open for the whole month – giving you plenty of time to get involved.

–You can link up with maximum of three posts per month, old or new.
–Grab the linky badge or link back to our blogs on your post.
–Please share the love and comment on other people’s posts.
–If you could share your post and the linky (using the hashtag #craftingismytherapy) on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
–And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

An InLinkz Link-up

Giveaway Entry Rules:
– One winner will receive the Sugru kits described above.
– The winner will be chosen at random from eligible entries to the linky this month.
– In order for an entry to be eligible it must be a relevant post, it must mention the "Crafting is my Therapy" linky either by text link or using the badge. It must link back to one of the hosts. The linky will remain open until 11.55pm (GMT) on the 31st July 2016.
– If the winner does not respond within 28 days we will redraw and reallocate the prize. There is no cash alternative. Invalid entries will be discounted.

Crafting is my Therapy #1

Welcome to the launch of the Crafting is my Therapy linky!

Designing and making have been a big part of my life for nearly a decade. I opened my Etsy shop back in 2007 and I have been a features writer for UK Handmade Magazine since 2008.
I love all crafts, but for me, sewing is my therapy. Making stuff has helped me through some tough times in my life, it has given me something positive to focus on. From the very beginning I got a buzz from running my online shop. I loved the fact my handmade items were winging their way across the planet. It’s a lovely feeling to know that someone likes your work.

Over the past year I have been working part-time as a Shared Lives Carer supporting adults with learning disabilities. It’s work that I enjoy, but it does take me away from the crafting side of things.
Sewing relaxes me and makes me happy. But, I don’t make the time to do any sewing. I prioritise housework, paperwork, food shopping and zoning out in front of the television over my creative life. Over the past year or so, I’ve felt disheartened and became disinterested in my own making. It felt like my crafting mojo deserted me for a while...
I decided at the start of this year to change that.
This Anne Lamott quote struck a chord and it has inspired me to get creative.

With encouragement from online friends, particularly from the Story of Mum community, I have started to stitch again.
I have wanted to start a linky for a while now, but felt slightly nervous about hosting on my own. Luckily I met a like-minded crafter via Twitter and we have decided to take the plunge together. I am delighted to say that I will be co-hosting this Linky with Jennifer Jain. She writes the popular craft blog Jennifers Little World.
I want to try and complete a sewing or crafting project each month. It would be also wonderful to encourage others to make time to be creative. That is why we decided to create the “Crafting is my Therapy” linky. I love seeing other people’s creations. So if you sew, knit, crochet, paint, work with ceramics…please join in and share your work.
The focus of this linky is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, I love seeing work in progress photos or tutorial posts too.

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.meyouandmagoo.co.uk" rel="nofollow" title="Me You and Magoo"><img src="http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/pouchbags/crafting_is_my_therapy_blog_badge_ONE_zpszefd7734.jpg" alt="Me You and Magoo" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

The “Crafting is my Therapy” linky will open on the first Friday of each month and stay open for the whole month – giving you plenty of time to get involved.
– You can link up with maximum of three posts per month, old or new.
– Grab the linky badge or link back to our blogs on your post.
– Please share the love and comment on other people’s posts.
– If you could share your post and the linky (using the hashtag #craftingismytherapy) on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy New Year? Not sure about that one...

Another year rolls around again...I'm staring at the start of 2014 and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. 2013 was an eventful and at times very sad year for me and I'm still feeling the repercussions of events that took place. I also think this mid-winter time of year can make many people feel low. There's the lull after Christmas when all the decorations have gone and the bank account looks a bit bare. I'm not one to let myself get too down, but at the at the start of 2014, I do feel incredibly flat and unmotivated. It's really not like me, I like to press on with things and aim for goals. My crafting mojo seems to have deserted me at the moment and I'm really looking for something new to inspire and invigorate me.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, and despite feeling a bit glum, I do have some ideas for 2014...

* I've got a new found love of yoga and I like to follow my DVD once or twice a week. As a busy parent, I find just taking some time out for myself has a huge impact on my wellbeing. Plus I feel stretched, refreshed and relaxed after completing a session of yoga.

* I'm also toying with the idea of meditation. I know very little about it, but I've been reading a lot about "mindfulness" recently and I think meditation could help me with that. I'm often my own worst enemy, too hard on myself, too quick to criticse what I'm doing. Sometimes I just want the internal monologue to shut the heck up! So, meditation and lots of walks outdoors are on the list for 2014.

* I'm also really keen to keep up with my writing. I'm considering writing more parenting-based blog posts and may even start a new blog so that I can keep my crafting and parenting ideas separate. I feel the need to vent some stuff and I need a space separate from "Pouch" to achieve that.

* I've signed up for an online course in creative writing and I haven't had the time to embark on the course yet. 2014 is the year I *make* time to look at it! If writing is a dream of mine, then I'm the only one who can make it a reality. I need to stop procrastinating and get on with it.

* On the crafting front, I'm considering launching a range of personalised cushions. I've made hand embroidered wedding and children's birthday cushions for friends...but I'm not sure I want to leap into selling them. Making them has been a labour of love and something I've enjoyed making just 'for the fun of it'. I've been contacted by a wedding website about selling my cushions, so I know there's a market for it. But I feel like I need a break from sewing at the moment, like I say, my crafting mojo has done a runner at this present time, but we'll see...

* 2014 brings the year my daughter starts school. In nine months she will be in full-time education. I can't say that the thought of it doesn't break my heart, because it does. We've had such a blast over past few years and I'm going to miss her terribly in the daytime. But children grow up and it's the next phase of her life. And the next phase of mine and I need to find a focus for my time. So I'm going to be dusting off my CV, signing up for more voluntary work and maybe even embarking on some training.

So, onwards and upwards into the New Year!