Let's Get Crafty

What kind of activities do you take part in when you need to get away from social media/computers and to relax and de-stress? For me, it has always been crafting. Ever since I have known, I've been crafting something or doing DIY (do it yourself). I remember when I was young my mother would sew. She would sew our Halloween costumes and once she made a homecoming dress for our babysitter. We were sent to summer camp or church camps and there was always arts and craft activities to involve ourselves in. Gosh, I still have some of those crafts in storage. I have a small basket painted like an American flag, friendship bracelets, potholders, basic stained glass, all kind of clay animals, and much much more.

I found crafting became even more important in my life when I was faced with stress. In college, I was doing some kind of art project every weekend. One of my favorite projects was a mirror with colorful mosaic and black/white tile border. I spent hours going to thrift stores trying to hunt down any plates with lots of bright colors. The day I decided to finally put the project together, I was sitting on the porch of my fraternity house (AKPsi - business co-ed fraternity) and put the plates in a pillow case and smashed the heck out of them. It was a great stress relief and I remember feeling weight lifted off my shoulders. Today, I still have this mirror and it reminds me of how amazing I felt that day. The mirror is super heavy but I think that is because it helped lift the weight off of myself and put the energy into something beautiful.

When I got my first apartment without any roommates, I made myself a craft room and have had one since then. My new house in Greenville, SC has a craft room as well. I've tried all kind of projects:

• Scrapbooking

• Knitting / crocheting

• Sewing

• Woodworking

• Jewelry making

• Macramé

• Wreaths

• Greeting cards

• Signs (chalkboard, wood/paint)

• Canvas painting

• Embroidery/ cross stitching

• Thrifting and turning it into something new

Probably my favorite craft and the one that has lasted several years is scrapbooking. I have scrapbooks from high school up until my last couple of travels; 14 in total. It compares nothing to Hugh Heffner who has the world largest collection of scrapbooks, a Guinness World Record. In Jacksonville, I enjoyed going to the wine and paint classes where they teach you to paint a canvas painting in 2 hours. Sometimes I would even go by myself on a Sunday just to de-stress. Still to this day I put together vision boards. I find that these help bring your goals and future into the present. They are simple to make with a few magazines and some glue.

Now you are probably asking yourself, why is she writing a blog post on her crafting obsession...well it is because I want to share my love of crafting with others at Glamp GVL. I found that it benefited my mind and uplifted my soul. Also, many individuals that work in cubes all day long use the left side of their brain (unless you are in an creative field). Crafting helps flex the right brain. Since my vision of Glamp GVL is to get people outside of their comfort zone and try something new, I've been working on new crafts that I or another artist can teach while people are vacationing at the resort. Here are some things I've been trying: chalkboard art, macramé rainbows, dream catchers, farmhouse beads and embroidery.

Glamp GVL is going to be more than just a fun place to lay your head at night. I hope that customers will learn how to de-stress from everyday life and bring home tools in order to do just that. Crafting can be one of those tools.

If you have any ideas for crafts to do at Glamp GVL, leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!