Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Does Crafting Calm You? Check out These Projects for Creativity and Contemplation + A GIVEAWAY

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Crafting Calm is a book of projects and ways to practice being creative and crafty for a purpose. Maggie Oman Shannon, both a mother and minister, shares interesting crafts like making your own bath salts or wall hangings, and talks about the effects of crafting on children as well.

The 411 by Maria:

I am an avid crafter and just like author Maggie Oman Shannon, my daughter and I have a ton of future crafting things. She mentions that her own daughter stores toilet paper rolls, ribbon and more as does my daughter. On the occasional Saturday, we take some of our bins out, spread it on the table and start crafting. We never know what we are going to come up with (more on that in future posts). While the kids swam today at the beach, I sat watching and reading Crafting Calm and wishing I had brought my highlighter. There are so many tidbits, sayings and ideas I need to remember and go back to. Tonight I am going to sit and underline things I want to remember and try out. Beside all the craft ideas there is a ton of inspiring anecdotes such as the connection of crafting to insight and harmony. While I found this while I craft a sense of peace, calmness, and serenity I never thought of it as being spiritual. It so is. I will never craft the same again.

Goddess and I have a date to create some of the sacred bath salts, we love crafts we can do together and we both love bath salts.  While Goddess won't get out of the salt what I will, I love how Maggie writes journaling and reflection sections in each chapter.   With the bath salts, "What do I need to cleanse myself of right now? What would I like to scrub off and out of my life?" I appreciate the thought and will seek to dig deeper into my salt preparation rather than just what smells good to me at the moment. 

My favorite chapter by far was the Crafting for Connection With Others. I long to connect with so many people on a deeper level and Maggie's section on Thinking Of You Candles reminded me of how much time I used to spend on candling. Creating candles as gifts and lighting them in the name of something. I used them as a way to breathe through sometime, think of something, or let something go. 

This book has allowed me to remember how much I love my crafting, candles, incense and spirituality. How much time I used to spend on finding my Zen before my kids and how I should get back to it. NOW! While I feel as if I am always very Zen. It is without effort. Spending more time concentrating on my serenity can only do me well.

If you need serenity, clarity and harmony back in your life and you love crafting, check out Crafting Calm by Maggie Oman Shannon.


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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary product for my honest opinion. No compensation was offered.

14 comments:

  1. I love to make all sorts of crafts.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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  2. Crafting brings me so much pleasure. I usually have several project going on at once.

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  3. I never really thought about it before, but crafting does calm me. It is a quiet time and I do reflect and pray during that time.

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  4. Crafting, sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, heirloom embroidery, cross-stitch - anything that allows me to create beauty from random pieces definitely calms me!

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  5. This book seems great I would love a chance to try it out!

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  6. Crafting is fun and calming when not having to do it when it is actually for fun and not to make money...

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  7. I do enjoy my craft work a great deal.

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  8. my doctor just made me retire so i'm trying to finds crafts to ccupy my time. just got into jewelry making

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  9. my doctor just made me retire so i'm trying to finds crafts to ccupy my time. just got into jewelry making

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  10. I enjoy doing crafts and teaching my children how to do them.

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  11. I enjoy crafts but haven't taken the time to do many lately.

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  12. When I have time to work with my crafts, like stitching and crocheting, and learning to knit, I'm able to calm down and relax!

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  13. This book sounds like one I would really enjoy.

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