By Todd Travis
Find your creative outlet
This month between Feb. 17-Feb. 21 five women-owned creative shops are partnering together to share the love of art with the community. Each shop will be contributing one piece to an overall finished craft that comes together from the five individual mini-crafts.
“We want people to get out there and see new shops and use their creativity to make these special crafts, but also to get back to the joy of crafting and being able to see how crafting can be therapeutic and can help with mental health during these difficult times,” said Sarah Nilsson, owner of Bella Rose Designs, one of the participating shops.
Garden-themed creation
The five shops that will be participating are Bella Rose Designs, Crafts and Creations, Pro-Art Gallery & Custom Framing, KJ’s Boutique and Creatives, and Wild Sapphire Boutique. At each shop, the customers will be making different crafts that are all garden themed. After making each of the five mini-crafts, they will all combine to make a tiered tray which they can enjoy in their home.
At Bella Rose Designs, people will be painting a wooden piece to add to the design; at Crafts and Creations, they will make a glass terrarium jar; at Pro Art Framing they will make a matted photo of a painting; at KJ’s Boutique they will be painting a concrete statue; and at Wild Sapphire they will be making a beaded garland. An example of the finished piece is pictured.
Boosting mental health
This event is about more than just the crafting alone. Each of these creative businesses wants to give people an opportunity to get the therapeutic benefits from crafting and spending time with others in a fun environment.
“Crafting has been a way to release and get out some of the pent-up energy that we can hold. When we’re crafting with our friends or hanging out with other women, we realize that we are all facing battles and different struggles and that we’re not alone. Laughing and opening up together has helped me so much, especially with struggles I’ve had in my family lately,” Nilsson shared.
“The way a lot of us were raised, when people had mental health struggles, we would just sweep it under the rug and not talk about it. That really didn’t help anyone. It almost made it worse because you would feel more isolated and more alone. To be able to have an outlet for this can help you to feel better and more connected with a community,” she added.
Details
The entry for the event is $25 which can be purchased at any of the five stores. That will cover the cost of all five of the mini crafts. If anyone is wanting to participate but doesn’t feel up to making the craft themselves or don’t have the time, a pre-made version will be made available to them if needed. Once customers have finished their craft, they can post it to the Facebook group (fb.me/e/3st3Km1CK) and will have a chance to win one of five gift baskets with a value of over $100.
Tickets are on sale now for the event so stop into any of the five stores to get a ticket. Each shop will only be selling 20 tickets so be sure to get one before they sell out.
