Kick start your blogging - 5 reasons why you should craft.

If you're a Creativity Club member (and I can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't want to be!) you've probably spotted that the lovely Emma has set us all a task to get blogging for the 31 days of May. I'm guilty of not blogging often enough so I'm hoping her 31 blog prompts (one every day!) will be the kick up the bum to get back into the swing of things. It's the perfect way of connecting and getting to know other crafters/bloggers and club members so here goes!

Day 1 - 5 reasons why you should craft.

1. It's fun. Seriously in these busy, busy (and stressful) times it's enough that something is fun. Whether you work full time in a high pressure job or juggle kids (also a full time job I'm sure!) it's the perfect antidote.  Of course crafting is a wonderfully broad hobby. You might try card making or scrapbooking (my own personal poisons) or branch into knitting, crochet, sewing or baking. Each of these is a fabulous stress reliever and the beauty of them is unlike playing golf or potholing, you can squeeze them into an already busy schedule (plus they are rather cheaper too!).

2. You can make the most of what you already have. I'm sure all of us have a digital camera (possibly several and probably one on your mobile phone), and as such you most likely have a glut of photos sadly languishing on your hard drive. Scrapbooking takes your pictures from a fun day out....

... and turns them into a wonderful keepsake to be sure the memories are not lost.

This excess of photos is what drove me to scrapbooking. Countless photos of a new Newfie puppy was all it took!

3. Crafting turns a simple gift into something special. Giving a box of 'homegrown' eggs to a friend as a thank you or a stocking filler is all well and good, but it's even more special when you dress it up to show you really care!

4. It's about making something for you. While making a card or gift, you inevitably have to think at least a little bit about the tastes of the recipient. But for pretty much everything else you can just please yourself. Use exactly what you want to use in exactly the ways you choose to use them. Clashing colours, excessive lashings of embellishments, plaint slapped on or extreme minimalism. As long as it's pleasing to your eye then you've succeeded. You can't say that about many things in life.

5. Crafting is cool. Much like a fez, crafting is cool. It's social, versatile and so on-trend at the moment. Seemingly every TV celebrity is gagging to craft. Kirstie Allsopp brought it to the masses in her recent series and in uncertain financial times, make do and mend and 'upcycling' are the hottest buzzwords of the moment.

If you're a fellow Creativity Clubber, (or even if you're not!) leave me a comment with a link to your blog and I'd love to come along and read your reasons for crafting!