Constant (Craft) Craving

Now you've got K.D Lang stuck in your head and we're not sorry, because we've got a CONSTANT CRAVING for turning affordable, available supplies into colourful creations with our very own glue-gun-burnt, sewing-needle-stabbed, carpal-tunnel-destined bare hands ...and we're singing the song about it.

There's no shortage of information on the benefits of craft for our mental health. See:

The Calming Effects of Sewing Can Help People Express and Heal Themselves

Community Art-Making extends Beyond Finished Pieces (Ptbo Examiner article featuring local craft drop-in program Creating Space)

How Craft is Good For Our Health

Stitching Lives Back Together: Men's Rehabilitation Embroidery in WWI

Why Crafting is Great for your Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains

Etcetera!

So why don't we all craft more often?

Well, obviously, we're busy. And tired! And when you add in the omnipresent pressure to measure our value by our productivity, it's easy to lose the joyful habits of one's crafty grade school heyday in favour of full-time boring adult stuff like work and domestic duties. Gross.

Perhaps even sadder is when a person crosses over into "do what you love territory," and ironically becomes so preoccupied with the 17 million aspects of running a business, that time for exploration falls right out that tiny home studio window.

Quote illustration by Lisa Congdon

So how can we make more room to do crafty things for our work-worn souls? 

Here's how we make it happen:

Sometimes we just let work slide a bit. Maybe a window display or punch needle piece isn't as important as crunching financial projections or whatever, but it's WAY more fun. Sometimes we let the GD laundry pile up for a while, ask someone else to help, temporarily pretend the basement isn't actually flooding, or eat mac and cheese from a box. Maybe we'll be leaving some children in daycare a bit longer on purpose (shhh!)... and we'll definitely try to convert them into mini artists (read: keep them occupied for whole minutes at a time while we attempt to do our own thing). 

The truth is that we still often fail to take time for ourselves, and push too hard to be "successful" in the conventional sense, letting healthier habits fall by the wayside. But this, friends, is where our very own shop and the community of makers who feed it throw us the ***Magical Safety Net of Inspiration and Crafting Joy***.

At its core, our mission is all about helping people be more creative. DIY kits, punch needles, art books, workshops, and walls of art are not just gift shop fillers; they're an attempt to build a crafting community and support our goals to do lovely and satisfying things just for their own sake.

You can't pour from an empty cup... put on your oxygen mask before saving the child...you must love yourself first...yadda yadda... you know! So if you can, come on down and delve into a workshop, artsy book, or brand new skill. This stuff is cheaper than therapy, and you can share it with a friend ;)

We also highly recommend that you check out the cool stuff happening upstairs at Madderhouse Textile Studios and Sweet Song Herbals. It's a creative coven of the very best kind up there and a dream come true to share our roof with a bunch of artists!!

Yours in lofty craftastic dreams,

Anna & Erin