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ABOUT
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Judith's Story
Sometimes our life path appears unclear because all we see is our intellectual interests and emotional sensitivities without any way to fasten them to a rudder for direction. That was so true for me.
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I have always been aligned with the world of disabilities on a personal level because of family and friends and also on an academic level with some course work in Occupational Therapy. And then there is the designer and entrepreneur elements in me that ignite my soul. So I never foresaw how all these parts could be combined with a purpose. But it happened one evening.
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I was having dinner with a friend and his friend who was struggling with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that I have met too often in my lifetime with people I loved. In conversation, she casually mentioned the recent home visit of her therapist. I learned that she was working with a pegboard and was not given any projects to create. So surprised by that, I inquired more and was met by more of the same.
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And so it resonated in me. Thinking that I would surprise her, I searched the web for appropriate craft sources but found nothing. So all of this cooked in my brain and my soul until finally the idea of Caring Crafts was born.
An online source that can provide craft kits that are simple to create, do not require refined fine motor skills or precision and yet would be elegant. It had a real purpose and a mission to help. And then an interesting thing happened.
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In the course of designing these kits, it was clear that my Attention Deficit Disorder problem was now an asset (I never relished small tedious work but loved designing). I realized that I was building a business for one group (adults with fine motor skill difficulties), but that people with concentration problems could thrive with these projects as well because they not only avoid grueling detail work but they are very simple and quick. And then another interesting event was presenting the kits to people who had neither small motor difficulties nor focus problems and they said that they wanted to make the kits!
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So I am dedicated to this site and to serving all my customers in the best way that I can. In addition to supplying craft kits and supplies, I want this to be a "warm and fuzzy" place to visit. I will continue to add people features and always welcome your feedback to help me to help you.
Caring Crafts Kits
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I am a creativity advocate! Although creativity is important at any age, as we get older it becomes more and more important. The late Dr. Gene Cohen developed this theory with research behind it at George Washington University. “As Americans are living longer and healthier lives researchers have discovered that the aging brain is far more plastic than previously believed, and that structured learning — especially through the arts — can improve cognitive functioning and enhance the quality of life. A landmark 2006 study by Dr. Gene Cohen, The Creativity and Aging Study, demonstrated that professionally conducted arts-learning programs promoted better health and disease prevention among older adults who actively engaged in them.”
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Creativity is truly a valuable leisure activity and the benefits of creativity in older adults have been proven to include:
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- Increased cognitive functioning
- Increased or maintenance of fine motor skills
- Enhanced hand-eye coordination
- Increased self-esteem
- Increased feelings of empowerment
- Improved activities of daily living
- Increased opportunities for socialization
- Increased emotional well-being
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As I became involved in this area, I realized that providing simple craft kits would be beneficial for those who wanted to get started but were unsure how to begin. That was when I launched Caring Crafts.
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I was featured on the television show “Seeking Solutions with Suzanne”. demonstrating the simplicity of these craft techniques. You can watch me with Suzanne participating in the crafting process.
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I have also enjoyed leading Creativity Workshops with older adults. In those sessions, I watched elder people of all ages with different skills and abilities enjoy the same project and interpret it in their own ways. After each session, every person left happy having spent valuable creative time and proud of their finished project.
My premise for all the kits I design is to encourage creativity using crafts safely. With that intention. I set important guidelines as follows:
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No sharp tools should be required to minimize any possibility of being hurt in the process of crafting
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Simple instructions to follow so it is encouraging to understand
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Easy to create because the process should support the ease and simplicity of creating the project
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No precision necessary.
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Short project time to eliminate frustration of having to continue working on it over multiple time periods and possibly losing focus
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Beautiful finished project to be proud of and inspire more creative projects
Please take a look at the examples of kits for sale! These are just a few examples and from these I hope that you can imagine other creative projects to do yourself!
WANT TO CREATE BUT NEVER SEEM TO HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS?
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Don’t worry! There are many crafts that can be enjoyed without tools; you just need to have supplies to enable crafting. Many supplies are probably around your house or can be purchased at a store or online. Also consider found objects when you are searching for something unique to embellish. I have posted an example of a leaf that I decorated first using a stiffening spray and then by gluing a variety of elements. This would be great framed and given as a gift to a nature enthusiast.
Take a look at the elegant craft of origami. It is an old and beautiful craft that only requires paper and not even glue to hold the folds in place. Many simple designs are available but there are also highly sophisticated pieces of art made using this technique as well as mathematicians designing complex projects. This site offers basic information and examples.
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And what about making beautiful greeting cards? You can purchase blank cards with envelopes and then make a fabulous collage by tearing pieces of paper (e.g. wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, magazine, photos) and gluing them down overlapping to create a unified design. Also how about spray painting the cards or using a variety of elements to glue (paper, beads, buttons, etc) or punch down with brads or decorate artfully with stickers. Any of these techniques alone or combined will be a successful creative adventure! And remember no rulers, no scissors, no brushes, no templates, no stencils! How about embellishing a wool beret? I made this beret by gluing lots of assorted buttons!
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And another fun project could be enjoyed with wooden beads that already have holes. Take air dry clay and wrap it gently around the bead without covering the hole. When it dries, spray paint , roll it in drops of food coloring or glue microbeads on it or a combination of any of these.
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While you may consider this concept challenging, I have given you just some of the many simple ways to craft without using tools. By the way, I define a tool as a scissor, brush, ruler, template, or any device that implements outside auxilliary influence to your craft project. Often you may not have the right tool that you want for a project so you can rethink your approach and creatively approach it another way,
Judith's TV Interview
Thank you for visiting and for being part of the Caring Crafts community.