Hello all, Late to the party again with May & June but they'll get up there, eventually.
I made three fascinators for my friend Jodi. She lives in Saratoga Springs and visits the racetrack often with her husband, Carl.
I wish I had taken photos of all three before I gave them to her, but she was kind enough to text me this photo and message. "Feather headband was a huge success. I even had men telling me how much they liked it. Carl thought it was so funny because people kept coming up to me and commenting on it. Thank you. Perfect for Saratoga!"
Hey there crafty ladies! If you are anything like me, you rarely get to craft things for yourself because you are too busy making things for other people. So why fight the urge? Crafters are some of the most generous people around, so let’s take that to the next level and share our craftiness with the world.
So this month’s challenge is pretty simple: Make something, and then give it away.
Feel free to shine your halo if you find an organization out there that you have never supported before and/or give something to a complete stranger.
Here are a couple suggestions – and feel free to search the Internet to find a specific organization looking for handmade items. The lists of charities that accept crafts might even spark ideas for new crafts: clothing for preemies, chemo caps, scarves for people who have been sexually assaulted, crafts for shelter animals, prayer shawls, blankets for disaster relief, etc.
Some big organizations that come to mind include Warm Up America and Project Linus, but several people have compiled very comprehensive lists of national organizations that seek crafts:
http://www.purplekittyyarns.com/craft-charities.html
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/craftingforcharity/Crafting_for_Charity.htm
http://www.craftbits.com/crafts/charity
For those in the Rochester area, here are a few crafting charities that are always looking for additional crafty people:
The Handiwork Ministry - http://thehandiworkministry.vpweb.com/ - An active crafting group that makes a variety of projects for the community near and far. This group is growing and recently launched satellite groups in Hagerstown, Maryland, and New South Wales, Australia.
Angels of Mercy – http://www.angelsofmercyny.org – An Irondequoit-based group of crafters who turn pillowcases into dresses to help fight sex trafficking around the world. They meet at St. Cecilia’s on the third Tuesday of the month.
One other way you can find recipients is to pick a charity that you like to support (a Hospice home or a food cupboard) and check their wish list to see if there is an item on it that you can craft. Or give them a call and find out what they need and want.
Before you unleash your creativity, make sure to check out the organization’s website to learn what types of items they need, and see if they have any free patterns or guidelines on their site. If the site looks sketchy, do some web research just to make sure they are legit - Charity Navigator, for instance, is one way to check and make sure the organization is a nonprofit and is going to do what it says. Have they been written up in local newspapers? Have people sent them pictures of completed crafts?
After you have finished your crafting, post pics so we can all admire it. Then, set your craft free to bless someone else’s life. Happy crafting!
"Feather headband was a huge success. I even had men telling me how much they liked it. Carl thought it was so funny because people kept coming up to me and commenting on it. Thank you. Perfect for Saratoga!"