Share your craft projects on Instagram with our May hashtag

It's the first of May and the sun is out...for now! I hope you've all had a creative April. Do you have a craft project of two planned for May? If you enjoy sharing your creative life on Instagram, then please feel free to tag as many crafty images with #craftingismytherapy_may throughout the month. All crafts more than welcome. At the end of the month, I will choose some of my favourite images and put together a round-up post over on Instagram and here on my blog. You can find my Instagram here

Looking back over the previous few weeks, #craftingismytherapy_april turned out to be another busy month. So many beautiful craft projects in our feed, I really enjoy seeing the wide variety of crafts tagged. Up to now, nearly 4000 images have been added to our monthly feeds. I love being part of this creative community and thank you to everyone who joins in each month.

Below is a small selection of the creative images tagged throughout #craftingismytherapy_april.

You can find out who the makers are behind the images by following this link

This month I would like to welcome @sunna_crochet as our guest co-host for May. Check out her Instagram feed to see her pretty crochet projects and her new obsession - embroidery stitches.

– Please share the love and comment on images added to the #craftingismytherapy_may feed.
– If you tag your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_may on any social media channels that would be great. This will help me to grow the community. I will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention me @pouchvintage
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!

Follow me on Pinterest to see blog posts, tutorials and much more...

Join our creative instagram community in April

I'm a little late posting my March round-up. We've been busy enjoying ourselves over the Easter holidays. The Spring Term started yesterday, so I'm catching up with my blog.

Have you any crafty plans for April? If you share your creative projects over on Instagram, simple add the #craftingismytherapy_april hashtag to join our creative community. All crafts welcome.

Looking back over the previous few weeks, #craftingismytherapy_march turned out to be one of our busiest months. So many beautiful craft projects in our feed, it is always a real struggle to narrow it down to nine images for the grid. I love being part of this creative community and thank you to everyone who joins in each month.

Below is a small selection of the creative images tagged throughout March.

You can find out who the makers are behind the images by following this link

If you enjoy sharing creative images on Instagram, then please feel free to tag as many crafty images with #craftingismytherapy_april throughout the month. At the end of the month, I will choose some of my favourite images and put together a round-up post over on Instagram and here on my blog. You can find my Instagram here

– Please share the love and comment on images added to the #craftingismytherapy_april feed.
– If you tag your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_april on any social media channels that would be great. This will help me to grow the community. I will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention me @pouchvintage
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!

Follow me on Pinterest to see blog posts, tutorials and much more...

Join our Instagram crafting community in November

A new month means a new hashtag for our creative Instagram community. We'd love to see your crafty makes throughout November over on Instagram. Just add the tag #craftingismytherapy_november to include your images in our gallery.

I'd also like to introduce our new co-host for November - Sarah from Yarn and Blarney. Sarah is a regular contributor to our Instagram community. Head over to her Instagram feed to see more of her crafty makes.

The grid below shows just a small selection of my favourite images from October’s hashtag. It’s getting harder and harder each month to whittle it down to nine images for my grid. I love seeing all your photos and the wide variety of crafts...thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous images with us. Click here to see the October gallery in full…

Top row, left to right: @yarnistheanswer, @itsauburnnotginger, @claregetscrafty

Middle row, left to right: @zeensandroger , @amylovestosew , @shirleyrainbow_tb

Bottom row, left to right: @ella_makes , @tossedwave, @themessybrunette

October was a busy month for our Instagram community, we welcomed lots of new faces and I’m constantly inspired by all your creativity.

I know lots of you have beautiful, crafty 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_november 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. The focus of our hashtag 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.

* Please share the love and comment on other people’s images added to the gallery.
* If you share your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_november 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.

I also have a Pinterest board for my blog and I'd love to connect with you on there

Join our Instagram crafting community in August + Posca Pen Giveaway

August is here - doesn’t the Summer seem to be flying by? A new month means a new hashtag for our creative Instagram community. We'd love to see your crafty makes throughout August - just add the tag #craftingismytherapy_august to include your images in our gallery.

This month we are collaborating with Posca Pens to giveaway a ‘uni-Posca Pastel Packs’, which includes a set of Signo Pastel Ink pens and a pack of Pastel Posca PC-5M pens. These pastel pens are perfect for summer crafting. Posca pens work brilliantly on all sorts of surfaces so you could use them for decorating stones and shells from the beach. Why not try drawing some summery designs on your windows (it washes off!). The Pastel Ink Pens would be perfect for writing those holiday postcards or filling out a holiday journal or scrapbook.

I wrote a blog post last Summer when Posca kindly sent me a set of their pens to review. I absolutely love these pens, click here if you’d like to take a look at my review from 2016.

I'd also like to introduce our new co-host for August - Teresa from @shirleyrainbow_tb. Teresa is a regular contributor to our Instagram community. Here Instagram feed is full of crochet and embroidery projects and I always love the colour palette she uses within her work. You can see more of Teresa’s creative exploits over on her blog. We also have to say a big ‘thank you’ to July’s’s co-host, Jen from Crafticland, we’ve loved having her on board!.

In July we welcomed lots of new faces and I’m constantly inspired by all the images added to our gallery. The grid below shows just a small selection of images from July’s hashtag. We’ve had another busy month again with over 300 images tagged with #craftingismytherapy_july. Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous pictures with us. Click here to see the gallery in full…so many amazing crafts to look at

Top row, left to right: @makingpolly, @a_saucy_stitch, @themessybrunette

Middle row, left to right: @jellybean_junction, @craftpod_, @sumoftheirstories

Bottom row, left to right: @zeensandroger, @shirleyrainbow_tb, @sunna_crochet

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_august 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

The focus of our hashtag 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.

– Please share the love and comment on other people’s images added to the gallery.
– If you share your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_august 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.

Giveaway terms and conditions
The prize is a set of Pastel Posca and Signo Pastel Ink pens.
To enter the giveaway you must tag at least one relevant photograph on Instagram with the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_august.
At the end of the month we will pick a winner at random from everyone that has used the hashtag.
The winner will be contacted by direct message on Instagram.
Giveaway is only open to residents of the United Kingdom
If the winner does not respond within 28 days then we reserve the right to reallocate the prize.
The prize will be provided and dispatched by uni-ball
The giveaway will remain open until 11.55pm (GMT) on Thursday 31st August 2017.

Join our Instagram crafting community in July

I can’t believe we’re into July already, June seemed to fly by. A new month means a new hashtag for our creative Instagram community. We'd love to see your crafty makes throughout July over on Instagram. Just add the tag #craftingismytherapy_july to include your images in our gallery.

This month we are delighted to announce we are working in partnership with Sugru to host a giveaway. One lucky person will be able to win a Sugru Create and Craft Kit. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is to share a crafty photograph on Instagram using the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_july (please see full terms and conditions below).

Sugru is a mouldable glue and a brilliant product for crafters. The Craft and Create kit will help you to discover new techniques to fix, craft, emboss, texturise, design and upcycle. If you are looking for inspiration, head over to Sugru’s ‘Craft and Design’ gallery. I particularly love the idea of creating hand stamps, which you can see below...

I'd also like to introduce our new co-host for July - Jen from Crafticland. Jen is a regular contributor to our Instagram community. Jen’s website is full of tutorials designed to encourage you to get making. The idea behind Crafticland is think about the crafty supplies you may have sitting unloved in a cupboard somewhere & matching them up with a tutorial from Jen’s website. It’s a great idea and Jen is big part of the creative community over on Instagram.

June was a busy month for our Instagram community, we welcomed lots of new faces and I’m constantly inspired by all your creativity. We also have to say a big ‘thank you’ to June’s co-host, Rosina from Zeens and Roger. She did a sterling job of spreading the word about our community. Head over to her Instagram feed to see more of her colourful crochet creations.

The grid below shows just a small selection of images from June’s hashtag. I love seeing the wide variety of crafts...thank you so much for sharing your beautiful images with us. Click here to see the gallery in full…

Top row, left to right: @crafticland, @themessybrunette, @sewpopby
Middle row, left to right: @shirleyrainbow_tb, @sfmgs, @iamtheodoragoeswild
Bottom row, left to right: @sumoftheirstories, @jellybean_junction, @ella_makes

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_july 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

The focus of our hashtag 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 to display on your blog:

<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>

– Please share the love and comment on other people’s images added to the gallery.

– If you share your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_july 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.

Giveaway terms and conditions
The prize is a Sugru Create and Craft Kit.
To enter the giveaway you must tag at least one relevant photograph on Instagram with the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_july.
At the end of the month we will pick a winner at random from everyone that has used the hashtag.
The winner will be contacted by direct message on Instagram. If the winner does not respond within 14 days then we reserve the right to reallocate the prize.
This giveaway is open to international entries.
The prize will be provided and dispatched by Sugru.
The giveaway will remain open until 11.55pm (GMT) on Monday 31st July 2017.

Join our Instagram crafting community in June

I'm a little late with writing a post for June's hashtag due to the half term holiday.

We'd love to see your crafty makes throughout June over on Instagram.

Just add the tag #craftingismytherapy_june to include your images in our gallery.

We will pick a selection of our favourite images throughout the month.

I'd also like to introduce our new co-host for June - Rosina from Zeens and Roger. Rosina supported our craft-related linky from the beginning and is now a regular contributor to our Instagram community. I'm a big fan of her colourful crochet projects, head over to her Instagram feed to see more...

May was our busiest month yet and our gallery was chock full of gorgeous creative projects.

The grid below shows just a small selection of images from May's hashtag.

I love seeing the wide variety of crafts...so much creativity!

Top row, left to right: Zeens and Roger, The Messy Brunette, shirleyrainbow_tb

Middle row, left to right: Cherry Peg, Crafticland, Making Polly

Bottom row, left to right: Rainbow Vintage Home, ella_makes, Yarn and Blarney

Last month our guest co-host was Maura from The Messy Brunette. She has written a lovely round-up of her time as co-host, head over to her blog to find out more.

The focus of our hashtag 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.

Don't forget to add the #craftingismytherapy_june hashtag to your creative images over the next few weeks, all crafts welcome...

Join our Instagram crafting community in May

A new month means a new hashtag for our Instagram crafting community. The focus of our hashtag 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.

I'm delighted to announce that Maura from The Messy Brunette is joining us as guest co-host in May. I've long admired Maura's blog and love seeing the creative projects she works on each month. I think there aren't many crafts she can't turn her hand to! If you love crochet and embroidery, then do head over to her Instagram feed...because you're in for a treat.

Join Jennifer Jain, Maura and I over on Instagram by tagging your images with #craftingismytherapy_may.

If you'd like to see last month's gallery in full, you can head over to Instagram by following this link

Below is a grid of a selection of images added using the #craftingismytherapy_april hashtag...

Each month the hashtag will change to reflect the month we are currently in. At the end of the month Jennifer Jain and I will feature a selection of our favourite images...

What are you making at the moment? In April I completed my 'Helping' embroidery hoop.
Even though it has taken me a while to finish, I'm really pleased with the way it has turned out.
I'm going to stretch the finished piece onto a canvas to hang on our wall.

If you'd like to see more, head over to the Me, You and Magoo Instagram account to see more of my craft projects.

– Please share the love and comment on other people who join in with the hashtag.
– If you share an image please use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_may on any social media channels, this will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us @pouchvintage, @JenniferJain or @messymaura
– 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. And here's Maura's: Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Join our new Instagram crafting community

We're currently taking a break from hosting the "Crafting is my Therapy" blog link-up.

But we're still keeping the creative vibe alive over on Instagram.

Join Jennifer Jain and I over there by tagging your images with #craftingismytherapy_january.

The focus of our new hashtag 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.

Each month the hashtag will change to reflect the month we are currently in. At the end of the month Jennifer Jain and I will feature a selection of our favourite images...

What are you making at the moment? I am currently a bit obsessed with making pom poms. I haven't made one using two pieces of cardboard since I was a child. I had forgotten how much fun they are to make. I love winding the wool around and around and then cutting the yarn to reveal the fluffy pom pom.

Making pom poms is a great way of using up all those spare bits of yarn you may have hanging around. You can experiment with mixing colours, they look great with clashing shades, anything goes!

To make a pom pom using the 'old school' cardboard hoop method, you will need:
* cardboard, cereal packets are ideal
* two circular objects to draw around, one larger than the other. I used a ceramic tea cup and an egg cup to make the 'doughnut' template. Make sure you cut out two 'doughtnuts' to wind the wool around...
* scissors
* wool, any shade and texture, the more colours the better!

They are really simple to make. Just take the two cardboard 'doughtnuts' and start winding the wool around and around. Build up the wool to the thickness you require. The thicker the wool is wound around the cardboard, the denser the pom pom will be. Once you have finished, carefully cut the wool from the cardboard. Be sure to slide the scissors between the two pieces of cardboard when you cut around. Once the edges are all cut, take a piece of yarn and tie the middle part that is between the cardboard doughnuts making sure you have a nice knot. Snip the cardboard doughnuts off.

Any doubts about how to make a pom pom? Take a look at this WikiHow tutorial for more images

Have fun! Be warned, making pom poms can become addictive :)

If you'd like to see more, head over to the Me, You and Magoo Instagram account to see more of my craft projects.

– Please share the love and comment on other people who join in with the hashtag.

– If you share an image please use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_january on any social media channels, this will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us @pouchvintage or @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.

Crafting is my Therapy #10

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

We enjoyed reading all your blog posts from the October link-up. Welcome to all our new linkers, including Hillview Embroidery and Growing Family who joined us for the first time last month.

This month I have been using vintage fabric as a template for my embroidery stitches. I find the bold, floral patterns of fabrics from the 1960s and 1970s lend themselves perfectly to hand embroidery. It offers me a lovely template to work with and the only limit is my imagination. What have you created recently? We'd love to see your crafty blog posts...

I wanted to help spread the word about Mind's upcoming Crafternoon event. The idea is to gather friends and family together to raise money and awareness of Mind's important work with mental health issues. Here at "Crafting is my Therapy" we support the idea that creativity can help to promote happiness and wellbeing. As this quote from the Mind website illustrates, crafts can absorb and distract us:

"Crafting gives me a huge sense of satisfaction. It helps me feel productive and also acts as a distraction when needed. All of which is really important for my mental wellbeing"

Hosting a Crafternoon sounds like a fun way to help support Mind, I have applied for my fundraising pack and I'm hoping to hold my own crafty afternoon very soon. I will of course blog about the event. My late-father suffered with clinical depression, so Mind's work is very close to my heart. Mental health issues affect one in four of us, it's important everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.

If you are interested in supporting this fantastic initiative, please head over the Mind website for further info...

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 4th November at 7pm (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

Crafting is my Therapy #9

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

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

September saw our busiest month yet on the ‘Crafting is my Therapy” linky. Welcome to all our new crafters, including Elsie Pop, Relentlessly Purple, Crafty Linby and Knitting and So On who joined us for the first time in September.

This month I have been practising some new embroidery stitches. I’ve always wanted to try the Lazy Daisy stitch. It’s a classic stitch and a great one for creating texture on a piece. I have also attempted Ribbed Web Stitch. It’s quite an unusual one, a mixture of sewing and weaving. Head over to my post to see how I got on…

Last month we also held a Posca Pen giveaway. There were 15 posts (not including the hosts) added to our link-up in September. Using the random number generator, I can tell you that the winner is…Relentlessly Purple! A pack of Posca Pens will be heading her way shortly...

Have you created anything crafty this month? Sewing, knitting, crochet, painting or pottery…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.

Please 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 7th October at 7pm (GMT) and stays 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

Crafting is my Therapy #8 + Posca Pen Giveaway

Welcome to the eighth “Crafting is my Therapy” blog link-up. A big thank you to everyone who linked up in August - I know it can be a busy month with holidays, days out and making the most of the sunshine...

I have to hold my hands up and say I haven’t sewn a single stitch in August. I had all sorts of plans and ideas, but the school holidays defeated me on the sewing front. Not that I’m complaining, we’ve had a great time. Lots of trips to the beach, playing in the park, picking fruit and veg at the allotment, sunny (yes, sunny) camping trips…I just haven’t had a moment to sit down and stitch!

Having said that, we’ve still had a crafty Summer with lots of colouring, painting and drawing. One thing we have loved is crafting with our Posca Pens. They draw on pretty much any surface you can think of…glass, stone, wood and plastic to name just a few. We put our Posca Pens through their paces and you can see my review post here.

Posca have also kindly offered us a set of their pens to giveaway this month. Simply link up with a craft related blog post and you could be in with a chance of winning...

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 5th September 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 a pack of Posca Pens 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 Friday 30th September 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 #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 #5 + colouring book giveaway

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

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

This month we are holding another giveaway.
Up for grabs are two colouring books from Phoenix Yard Books. The prize includes two of their newest titles. "The One and Only Mandala Postcard Colouring Book" which takes all the intricate designs from their mandala range and puts them together in an accessibly sized book. "The One and Only Elephant Parade Postcard Colouring Book" is a books of designs taken from Elephant Parade, a social enterprise who run the world’s largest art exhibition of decorated elephant statues. This publication takes the designs painted on the elephants in the parade and brings them together into a beautiful collection of postcards for you to colour.
To be in with a chance to win these lovely colouring books, simply link up with a craft related blog post below...

Looking back over the pieces I have created in May...
...I wanted to have a break from sewing words and just play around with stitches. Sometimes it's nice just to sit down with fabric, thread and no real plan. I created a spiral in chain stitch and embellished a piece of one of my favourite vintage fabrics with embroidery stitches. I’m hoping to add more stitches to the spiral over the coming month...

In May we had a lovely selection of crafts added to our link-up. It was nice to see a few new craft bloggers linking up, we love seeing everything you’ve created. I enjoyed reading all the lovely posts and it was great to see Amy Loves to Sew creating finger puppets for her baby daughter using craft supplies she had won in our April giveaway.

In May we held another giveaway. There were 8 posts (not including the hosts) added to our link-up in May. Using the random number generator, I can tell you that the winner is…Simply Blossoms! A bundle of crafty goodies will be heading her way shortly.

If you love all things handmade then you might like to go along to Kirstie Allsopp's 'The Handmade Fair'. It will be held on The Green at Hampton Court Palace on the 16th – 18th of September 2016. Mrs Crafty B is offering a special discount code for 'Full Experience' tickets, head over to her blog to find out more...

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...

Giveaway Entry Rules:
– One winner will receive the two colouring books 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 or using the badge, and it must link back to one of the linky hosts. The linky will remain open until Thursday 30th June 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.

The “Crafting is my Therapy” linky will open today, 6th June, 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

Crafting in May: chain stitch spirals and french knots

It's time for my latest post looking at the craft projects I've been working on over the past month. As part of the "Crafting is my Therapy" project, I'm determined to make more time in my life for crafting and creativity. In April I created my 'it's cool to be kind' hoop. I was inspired by the work carers do and it's a subject I feel very strongly about. In May I wanted to have a break from sewing words and just play around with stitches. Sometimes it's nice just to sit down with fabric, thread and no real plan.

I have heaps of vintage fabric scraps and this one featuring retro circles is a favourite of mine. I thought it would be nice to embellish a small section with some embroidery stitches.

Alongside chain stitch and backstitch I thought I'd give French Knots a try. I have never sewn them before and spotted this "What's Knot To Love" tutorial over on the Ambrosia Stitches blog. You should also check out her "A Project that will Make You Love French Knots" post because it really will have you itching to try them out.

Back in March I learnt to sew chain stitch. I really fell in love with creating the tiny chains in thread. I had an idea in my head to create a spiral in chain stitch. Not sure why, I just liked the idea of sitting down and sewing a spiral in one stitch.

Whilst I enjoyed the steady rhythm of sewing chain stitch, I found the thread became quite twisted and 'splitty' (technical term!). I'm not sure if it's the fabric I'm using (calico) or the floss (Anchor Thread)...but the stitches were a bit hit and miss at times. I think the overall effect looks good, but I'm going to look into getting some different fabrics for embroidery. I'd love to hear your fabric recommendations and if their is a particular brand of thread you love. Any tips gratefully received...

Here are some more French Knots sewn by me this month. The purple and lilac knots are my very first attempts after reading Ambrosia Stitches post. I think I'm getting them right. It's the sort of stitch that makes you feel like you could do with an extra pair of hands. But you soon get into the rhythm of holding the thread taut and winding with the other hand.

Playing around with stitches has reinvigorated my interest in embroidery. Once I get back into stitching, I want to learn more. Next on my list is satin stitch. I've seen lots of tutorials online. Some people recommend filling the shape with running stitch before placing satin stitch over the top. This gives a more 3-D effect and probably looks amazing. But would I have the patience to do this? Other tutorials don't mention the running stitch stage and suggest edging the satin stitch with back stitch to give a neater outline. Some don't even think you need to add the outline stitching. I think I need to give a few methods a go and see what works for me. Again, any tips from experienced satin-stitchers would be most welcome...

The next "Crafting is my Therapy" blog link-up will open on 6th June. We'd love to see your makes, all crafts welcome...

This week I'm linking up with these lovely blogs...

"Share With Me" over on mummyfever.co.uk

"Blogger Club UK" over on www.cuddlefairy.com and www.myrandommusings.co.uk