Let's Craft NI Blog

national craft month 2023

1/3/2023

National Craft month is here! March 2023 has been designated as the month to celebrate the benefits of crafting! It's good for us in so many ways and lots of research highlights the benefits....

- Crafting helps us feel better!
- Being creative can help us manage mood and boost wellbeing!
- Creative projects boost confidence and help us connect with others!

Creativity has no age limits... we are all creative... and can become more creative as we age!

Here is some evidence on the benefits of arts and crafts...

Results from over 3000 studies identified a major role for the arts in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and management and treatment of illness across the lifespan. (Source: WHO Health Evidence Network Report).

Spring and crafting go together

18/2/2022

The Wintry weather and short days are coming to an end, and Spring is upon us! This is a great time of year to learn a new craft, try something new, and enjoy a little 'me time' which is necessary for our own health and wellbeing and mindfulness!

Let's Craft NI offers a range of seasonal creative courses for all ages. Lovely Spring crafts include fresh flower arranging workshops, felt flower crafting courses, bird box decorating with decoupage, and, of course, making your own Spring wreath.

Creative programmes support positive mental health, whilst encouraging creativity and lifelong learning.

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Flowers and Gardening trigger 'happy' emotions

1/4/2021

When we think of Spring, we think of colourful bulbs like daffodils or tulips, beautiful cherry blossoms and magnolia trees. The lovely colours of Spring, and the promise of Summer, puts us in good spirits, creating 'feel good' emotions - especially on a warm, sunny day!

Flowers and gardening make us happier than we know! Research shows that nature provides us with a simple way to improve emotional health and wellbeing – for example, through gardening and lovely flowers! According to the research, the presence of flowers provides us with greater life satisfaction, triggers our 'happy' emotions and increases our feelings of wellness.

The term 'flower power' may be more important than we might think! The results of this ten-month study show that flowers are a natural and healthy moderator of moods and have an immediate impact on happiness.

Paper Mosaics for Mindfulness

1/2/2021

Let’s Craft NI is delighted to launch a new mindfulness course for 2021 – paper mosaics!

Paper mosaics crafting is trending for adults, particularly as a way to encourage creativity during lockdown. It’s great for all ages and abilities, and requires only a few items to get started, such as PVA glue and small pieces of paper. The mosaic affect can be created using a variety of textured and smooth papers, as well as through recycling, for example, using magazines, and other papers from around the house.

How does paper mosaics encourage mindfulness? Mindfulness is a pretty wonderful thing. It can reduce stress and anxiety, and generally help us to maintain our mental wellness. Research from the British Journal of Occupational Therapy suggests doing crafting activities on a regular basis can improve mood and increase feelings of relaxation.

craft your Stress away

1/11/2020

Having hobbies and taking part in arts and crafts is good for us and helps reduce stress during the holiday period!

Crafting is great for our overall health and well-being. Working with our hands keeps our mind active, helps us learn new skills, and our worries tend to slip away when we're focusing on being creative.

Lots of research and studies provide evidence of the positive health benefits through the medium of arts and crafts.

For example...

The Art of gardening

3/9/2020

Blogger and horticulturalist Kelli Johnston on being creative in her County Antrim garden

Gardening is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, keep fit and be creative. For me, the outdoors provides a sort of open canvas to experiment with colour, shape and texture as I grow plants ranging from edibles to those that attract bees, birds and insects.

I’m not sure how my interest in gardening started, but I recall as a child visiting my grandparent’s house and being fascinated by their vegetable plot. I would help dig up potatoes, and was bemused by a rubber snake they kept in their fruit bushes to deter birds. Best of all was going on slug safari to capture slimy plant-crunching creatures.

Later, as an adult, I loved two things: being outdoors and being creative. That is how my interest in gardening began to sprout.

Why Adults benefit from crafting

1/8/2020

Taking part in arts and crafts is so important, not just for children, but it’s also essential for adults! Crafting is beneficial to our health and wellbeing, from keeping our mind active by learning new skills, to the way it enables us to form social connections, to developing problem solving skills and increasing our feeling of purpose and self-esteem.

There are so many great merits to crafting and working with your hands, with a multitude of studies and research providing evidence of the health benefits, including the positive impact on our mental health.

The benefits of crafting include…

About Let's craft ni

1/7/2020

Based in Newtownabbey, Let's Craft Northern Ireland's founder, Kelli Johnston, has over 15 years' experience of facilitating learning and development and has a lifelong passion for making and creating, and promoting arts and crafts for all ages.

Kelli tells us...

Crafting is Good for your health

1/6/2020

There's never been a better time to start crafting and it's good for us!

Getting stuck into a project – whether it's creating a collage, colouring in, painting, knitting, carving, or other creative hobby – you'll feel a renewed sense of purpose when you wake up in the morning. And once you've finished your project, you'll feel a real sense of pride at what you've made and achieved.

There are lots of health benefits too! For example...

Crafting at home during covid-19 pandemic

1/5/2020

In response to the covid-19 pandemic, Let's Craft NI has launched a series of FREE 'how to' videos to encourage 'crafting at home', suitable for adults and young people, and great for family weekend activities and projects. The videos provide ideas and inspiration to encourage the uptake of new hobbies and self-care.

Video themes include...