Crafting can be a wonderful way to unwind and find some inner calm. It's time spent in the moment with a focus on your hands and the materials in front of you.

The often repetitive and tactile nature of making is celebrated for its meditative powers and we couldn't agree more! Here's our Top 5 Relaxing Crafts...

Clay and Polymer Modelling

First up, tactile clay or polymer clay. Simply playing around with this mouldable material can bring relaxation, focus and a sense of wellbeing - whatever the outcome!

Why not try a coil pot or a candle holder? You can also experiment with acrylic paints and setting agents in gloss and matte finishes for ceramic glazing effects.

Needle Felting

This one is excellent to let out some tension with its repetitive technique - and wool is a lovely, soft material to work with.

As part of our craft kits, we've created a needle felted bowl and a little bird - as long as you're careful with your finger tips, it's very soothing to stab away and feel the satisfying transition from fluffy wool to dense, robust textured felt.

Give it a whirl to release some stress!

Collaging

This is a very easy one - and we think it's precisely this simplicity that de-stresses us. You'll already have the materials in your house - a magazine or newspaper, paper or card, scissors and glue.

You can lose yourself for hours playing around with the shapes, images and words on the page. You can even bring in watercolours to create lovely washes to sit behind or between your collages.

Knitting and Crocheting

We had to include these classic crafts because of their lovely repetitive nature!

The regular rhythm of pattern and process makes knitting and crocheting meditative and de-stressing. We sometimes find ourselves knitting or crocheting away for hours, often glued to a podcast or even a tv show.

Grab your needles folks!

Soap Making

This one is a sure-fire way to de-stress - it's been shown that sensory stimulation, especially scent, can positively impact anxiety. The great thing about soap-making is that the fragrance can be made to suit your personal taste, depending on the essential oils you use.

Lavender, Camomile and Eucalyptus are all established aromatherapy scents and citrus scents like Orange, Bergamot and Lemongrass are ideal for uplifting and refreshing soaps.

If you want an extra process you could forage for flower petals on your walks to dry and include in the mixture.

Once packaged up nicely with string, they make lovely gifts too!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like our next Craftiosity subscription box! You can learn more below...

Photo Credits: Alex Jones (clay), Xavi Cabrera (collage) and Freestocks (soap).

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