I’m sending off seven packages today to sad people all around the world, literally from Alaska to Portugal! Look at them all lined up in a tower, ready to spread a little random cheer. Below is one of the gifts sent out, a deep red necklace.
One of the paintings below was included as well, my 7 year old and 4 year old did these, but two of them were already reserved for specific people, the third is going to someone none of us has ever met. 
Hello there! I haven’t been posting but I’ve been silently chugging away, making crafts and sending them out. Some recent recipients include a woman who was diagnosed with cancer, and someone who has had a pregnancy loss. I thought I’d catch up on some photos!
I have a card shop over on Etsy that I’ve had for a few years – Coffee Bean Cards – and I’ve sent out a few cards from that shop to some sad people. This little guy wasn’t sent out, as he’s still sitting in the shop, but I used the same little birdy stamp. I love this guy!
2 of my boys, aged 7 and 4, have been helping me with crafts. This is a little army of robots they did, and I mailed all of these out to nominated Sad People.
The boys love being involved… they do crafts with me anyway, and they love the idea of making someone else happy.
Here is the little guy I was working on a few posts back, a finished little happy bird that went off to a lovely woman who deserves a surprise smile.
This one hasn’t been sent out – I made it for myself to see if I can freehand embroider a coffee cup (and look! I can!) but I’ll be doing something similar to send out for this project.
I’m most of the way through my next big batch of donations, these will be going to a woman who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, a woman who is far away from her family at a difficult time and is feeling very lonely, and several others. Please keep contacting me with people to send gifts to – or if you want to send me a craft to send out. More photos to follow soon after I have them all mailed out!
I am working on another little satin stitched applique bird, I’m making this one for a woman (someone who was nominated to me) going through a really messy horrible divorce, I will post a photo once it is finished.
What are you doing to help someone?? If you are still at a loss, here is your chance for some clarity. I will be flying to the US in 2 months, but only for a short stay with some of my family. So you have 2 months to make a little something, to dig into your stash and get rid of something, or to contact a crafty friend and have them send something to me. Contact me for the mailing address, and send me your craft! Then I’ll be able to return to the UK with an arsenal of craft love.
Don’t know what to make? Here!
Make a monster! : http://www.instructables.com/id/Doll-Friends-are-easy-to-make/
Make a love bird! : http://mollychicken.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/02/4th-attempt.html
Make a little rabbit! : http://greedyforcolour.blogspot.com/2011/02/flora-rabbit-tutorial.html
Make a quick cotton bag! : http://goodygoody.typepad.com/goody_goody/2008/04/tgif-quickie-fa.html
Make a simple scarf! : http://laughingpurplegoldfish.blogspot.com/2008/03/one-hour-scarf.html
Make marble magnets! : http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets/
Make a felt corsage! : http://news.holidash.com//2010/04/23/mothers-day-corsage/
Make a simple bracelet! : http://www.gemsociety.org/wow/do1.htm
Make bath salts! : http://www.ehow.com/how_8584_make-bath-salts.html
Make paper Christmas tree ornaments! : http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2007/12/paper-3-d-holiday-ornament-tutorials.html
I posted a photo of this little bird earlier, but never told the story behind it.
My mother died 4.5 years ago from cancer. She was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer when she was only 54, but aggressive experimental treatments, and a heart & spirit as big as a continent, kept her alive for another 7 years. My mother loved birds. She particularly loved cardinals, and the bright flashes of red they brought to white snowy days back in Indiana where she raised me.
When she died, I almost felt like she was making her presence known to me through birds, particularly a few blackbirds that have entered my life. When I lived in Illinois I had two of them living outside my door, that would show up in particularly sad or rough times for me. And after I moved to England, I found that a blackbird had sort of adopted me. His name is Jeff, and he has flown into my home a dozen or so times since moving in, and lives outside my sitting room window.
I decided one morning to teach myself how to do an applique using my newly acquired (but basic) embroidery skills. So I made a bird, thinking of my mother. She loved all birds, but the red was her favorite… so as a sort of blended compromise I made a basic bird shape with the cardinal color. And I though of her as I made it, and I missed her, and I loved her.
And now this little brid’s story has grown, because as part of this project I surprised a woman with this bird, a woman whom I have never met and who is currently in her own battle with cancer. Over on this projects facebook page, her daughter wrote me a note:
“Wow, this is just so amazing. My dear Mum came home from Ireland today after an extremely emotional trip visiting family since being diagnosed with advanced cancer. She was immediately cheered up by a beautiful little bird that had been sent to her from a mystery crafter. It is beautiful and meant more than you will ever know to both my Mum and me. Thank you to the lovely Jen Jones for nominating her and thank you to the wonderful crafter who set up this fantastic and inspiring group. The world isn’t so bad after all! xxx”
This story completely represent everything I want this craft project to be. I want it to help the people making the crafts, by making them feel like they are making a difference, by giving a deeper meaning to their creativity, and by giving them a chance to create their own happiness through sharing. And, of course, I want the people receiving these crafts to feel the kind of love that only comes with something homemade, something unexpected.
The business cards are here! 12 people have received crafty gifts from this project so far, and I’ve enclosed little notes about the project in each of them. But now we’ve got fancy dancy cards to distribute! Contact me if you want some, to spread the word.
So far I’ve made a lot of new things to give away for this project, but as the list of Recipients gets longer (and while I’m waiting on a few donations) I decided to go through some of my older crafts and donate from my stash… including this applique of a red bird I did, and this bright blue beaded necklace. Contact me if you have some old crafts that are sitting around that you are sick of looking at too!
A lovely lady & knitter who has signed up to be a Giver has opened up a group for this project on Ravelry!
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/crafters-against-sadness
If you knit, first of all I’m jealous… secondly, go have a look!!
Here we’ve got the first 4 mailings of this project, getting it off the ground. One is for a woman who has lost a parent, one is for someone who has simply had a long string of bad luck this summer, one is for another woman sad about losing her ability to drive because of health reasons, and another is for someone else who has lost a parent.
I’m working on several more projects, and I hope that as I begin to post more matches like this, and crafters can see what we’re all about, that this little project will positively FLY.
I don’t want to post photos of the crafts until after I’ve sent them out, but it is killing me! I’ve made an awesome little painting for a woman who has recently had a death in the family. I’ve made a necklace & earring set for a woman who has just had a string of bad luck this summer. The kids and I have made paper glitter robots for another person who needs cheering up. I’ve made a little keepsake box with a set of earring in it for a woman in the hospital again.
And I’ve got several people contacting me through this website, and through the facebook page, to send me donations. One lady will be mailing her craft directly to a sad person she’s never met before, another lady will be mailing me a stash of little stuffed woolies that she is sick of looking at for me to distribute as needed…
THIS. IS. SO. AWESOME.
Contact me if:
You know a person who needs cheering up
You want to be matched to a sad person to send a craft to
You want instructions on a specific thing to make
You want my address to mail me crafts for me to distribute
Woo!!!!
Hi I'm Sara. This is my project.
