I used to be a really crafty person. Every gift and card I gave was handmade and I’d never say no to trying anything. These days I lack the time and motivation to put as much in to arts and crafts but it’s something I will always enjoy and when
Sykes Cottages got in touch to let me know about a new campaign they were working on I was eager to get involved.
“At Sykes Cottages we understand that everyone goes on holiday for different reasons. Some people like to go exploring, some like to relax and unwind whilst some like to take the chance to learn a skill or try their hand at something new. Bearing this in mind, we recently worked alongside six very talented craft bloggers to create Simple Crafts: A Guide for Beginners.
Simple Crafts: A Guide for Beginners is an illustrated graphic guide featuring six simple craft tutorials that are easy to make, inexpensive and use little specialist equipment.”
Sykes sent along a really generous package packed full of everything I’d need to try out some of the crafts from the guide as well as some lovely teas and snacks to fuel the creativity. I was especially interested in the jewellery making element so I decided to try out the Spiral Earrings tutorial and also made a charm bracelet from a button craft kit.
I’ve always found working with wire tricky when it comes to jewellery and after many frustrated attempts at getting the perfect spiral (my hand-eye coordination is terrible) I decided to freestyle it and made some very un-spiralled earrings that I still love. This isn’t a fault against the guide though, it’s just me! The instructions are clear and easy to follow and as someone who has done a lot of beadwork in the past I’d say it’s suitable for everyone from complete beginner to prolific beader.
The bracelet was really satisfying to make as this is what I used to do most of when I had the time and patience. I spent a happy couple of hours working on this over the bank holiday weekend and managed to really chill out and escape the stresses of life for a while.
With that, I’ve been reminded just how relaxing creating something new is so I really am going to make more time to do what I love and learn some new skills. Next on my list is candle making with the kit pictured above, I’ll let you know how that turns out!
What are your favourite ways to relax and unwind?
