Mindful Crafting

Apart from the sheer enjoyment of using our hands to create something new, crafting helps us to connect with who we are. Mindful Crafting explores our relationship with our creativity and self-expression, and reveals how the act of making is the beautiful epitome of conscious living. Sarah Samuel casts fresh light on how the basic human need to create is often forgotten as mass-consumerism grows, and how we can all still find our unique path, craft and our own means of individual, joyful self-expression. Through personal anecdote and expert insight, this book unearths the true value of craft, and how we can meet our soul’s yearning to be creative and open ourselves up to infinite possibilities.

Mindfulness is a powerful practice to help kids find calm in the midst of everyday stress--but how to make it accessible and fun? In Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids, kids engage in and practice mindfulness through fun and easy exercises, quizzes, crafts, and activities, with the goal of learning a deeper sense of calm, peace, joy, and connection to the world around them, all while improving emotional intelligence, boosting self-esteem, and reducing anxiety. Perfect for kids to do alone or with the help of an adult, the activities in Crafting Calm will have kids playing, tinkering, creating, and doodling their way to peaceful, balanced minds.

Explore how crafting and mindfulness come together to soothe our mind, body and soul. Apart from the sheer enjoyment of using our hands to create something new, crafting helps us to connect with who we are. From the comfort of our own home we can be in the moment with our materials and our mind. Through focused meditations, personal anecdote and expert insight, Mindful Craftingunearths the true value of craft, and how we can meet our soul’s yearning to be creative and open ourselves up to infinite possibilities. For all crafters - whether you’re a potter or a painter, practise needlework, woodwork or jewellery-making – this book will support and encourage you wherever your crafting journey takes you. Sarah Samuel looks at the steps you might encounter, including finding space and structure, changing direction, and common obstacles like creative block and lack of time, and shares the mindful practices that will see you through. If you like this, you might be interested in Mindful Thoughts for Makers. . .

Arts and crafts were one of the very first therapies employed by occupational therapists. Today, crafts are still employed as effective interventions for clients with mental health disorders, physical dysfunctions, cognitive issues, and sensory concerns in hospitals, outpatient clinics, veterans’ centers, schools, skilled nursing facilities, or community settings. Step by step, the authors show you how to use a wide-range of novel, and highly engaging crafts. They explain how to connect the key tasks associated with an activity to functional outcomes, and how to modify them to meet the specific needs of individual patients. They also address the issues of documentation, and reimbursement.

Craft Your Own Happy is a collection of mindful craft projects to make you smile! Perfect for those moments when you need a bit of self-care and relaxation time. Do you ever feel like you spend too much of your day staring at screens, feeling anxious or stressed out? If the answer is yes - then you need this book! The cute colorful projects have all been designed with the feel-good-factor in mind. Crafting can help to take you away from the worries and pressures of your daily life, and give you back those moments of slowness and focus which can help to reduce anxiety. Unlike other craft books, this is a book that you can dip into and find projects based upon how you are feeling. So you can craft to suit your mood! There are 25 beginner friendly projects to choose from including cross stitching, embroidery, paper craft and more... Why worry when you can craft happy!

"In this book, early fluent readers will learn how crafting can help us focus, relieve stress, and increase mindfulness. Step-by-step instructions help readers draw, make vision boards, and create mandalas. Social and emotional learning (SEL) concepts support growth mindset throughout, while Try This! and Grow with Goals activities at the end of the book further reinforce the content. Fun, full-color photos and carefully leveled text engage young readers as they learn more about increasing focus and practicing mindfulness through art and creativity. Includes helpful hints, sidebars, a table of contents, glossary, index, and tips for educators and caregivers. Mindful Crafting is part of Jump!'s The Art of Mindfulness series"--

Lose yourself in the creative process with 35 meditative makes. In today’s busy world, it can be difficult to find time to slow down and make time for the simple joy of making, so Clare Youngs has designed a wide range of beautiful and tempting projects to help you experience the pleasure and satisfaction that making something with your own hands can bring. The best thing about practicing mindfulness through craft is that you have something tangible to show at the end, and you can start small with the coral reef-inspired embroidery hoops, or just by making pompoms and tassels to be added to the edge of a pillow or blanket. You can learn techniques such as block printing, punch needling, shibori dyeing, weaving, macramé, and quilting, all of which encourage a mindful approach, and a way to experience a feeling of “flow”. Make unique things for yourself and your home, using natural materials such as wool, cotton, linen, and leather. Clare is a believer in making new things from old, using what you have, and adapting old fabrics to counteract a throwaway society, and all her designs have a Scandinavian-inspired, modern esthetic.

The 35 patterns in Mindful Crochet include specially designed elements of repetition, color and texture, which will help you relax, refocus and unwind. Anyone who's ever tried to master a new stitch or work out which granny squares should go where on an afghan will appreciate how crochet can totally engage your attention and harness your creativity. Being "in the moment" is an essential part of following a pattern, keeping your yarn on the hook, counting stitches, and remembering which color to use next. Emma Leith shows how these qualities can become a form of mindfulness practice, bringing you peace, calm, and a greater sense of well-being. There are projects you can make for yourself or your home, and others designed to be given as gifts. The satisfaction you'll get from creating these lovely makes and seeing others appreciate them is another important way in which crochet can encourage a positive outlook and bring happiness.