Friday 6 November 2015

Crafternoon for Mind - 5th and 6th December 2015

Hello again! So after sharing with you last time about kindness sharing and card drives, I'm back to ask you to put some dates in your diary. December 5th and 6th 2015. Why? It's the Christmas Crafternoon for Mind.

Last year Mind, a UK mental health charity, ran a Crafternoon. Basically an afternoon get together for crafters to raise money for their cause. I did mine virtually the day before because I wasn't free (I was having a pampering birthday spa day on the actual date) and joined in my friend Verity's Virtual Crafternoon on Facebook and gave a donation. She ran it this way because a lot of people she knew weren't able to get together physically and craft. If I'm honest, it's really what got me started into making cards and so this year I want to do it all again and involve all the new crafty friends I've made in Blogland and on Instagram!

Mind thought that Verity's Virtual Crafternoon was such a brilliant idea, that they are running one officially on the day of the Crafternoon - 6th December. So if you can't get together with crafty friends, you can join in online!

Verity is also having her own again which is THE DAY BEFORE - 5th December. I'm going to enjoy a few hours in the afternoon making cards and painting with the little ones. I shall be posting on IG and my new Facebook page , as I go. I also hope to have some time on the Sunday to do more.

A little about Verity. She's pretty amazing and has so far raised over £15,000 for Mind. She is a triathlete (she has competed for Team GB!), makes amazing cakes which she sells, and does fantastic feats like swimming Lake Windermere two ways - yep, up and back again - all for Mind. You can read her blog Just Keep Swimming Verity for more about her. I want to join in her Crafternoon because I want to help her reach an even bigger target for her fund raising. 

Verity has said you can join in her Virtual Crafternoon on 5th via Facebook if you don't want to set up your own or can't make the 6th. Currently it's Save the Date - Verity's Virtual Crafternoon. She also has a Just Giving Page if you feel you would like to donate.

You can sign up to set up your own Crafternoon on 6th if you want via the Mind website. You'll get an email pack with all the details.

Get some crafty friends round, craft with the children, your husband, your dog, a random stranger in the street (well maybe not unless they're interested!), but it's a good opportunity to get crafty for a good cause.

Why am I joining in? I've had my own battles with my mental health, and I know some of you will have been affected as well. Crafting and its community has been a great help to me in regaining lost confidence, and I want to do my little bit to help others worse affected than I have been.

Please stick the dates in your diary. I would love lots of people to join in from as many places across the globe as possible. There's no pressure to donate, just craft and maybe spend a little time thinking about those affected by mental health issues.

This has been a long post with no pictures, so here is one of a card that I sent to Verity along with a whole pile of Snowdog die cuts that she asked for:


Please feel free to link to this post and pass on the information to other crafters. The aim of the game is awareness, as well as fundraising.

Thank you so much for reading this. If you have any questions at all about this, please leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

4 comments:

Aileen said...

Wow Ruth you are so busy, the blog, Instagram and now Facebook. This sounds like a brilliant cause, will have to check the date and see if its possible to kind of join in. As we are on very different time lines it could be difficult but not impossible. One of the things I find amazing about blog land is the fact that so many people are willing to share not only their talent but their own life stories which help others to know they are not alone.
Great post, will link to it later when I get around to posting, been so busy painting its time to make some more cards. Take care xx

Anonymous said...

That's an amazing cause - thanks for sharing, Ruth! Will mark it down in my calendar!

My Card Attic: Hazel said...

What a terrific idea Ruth and for such a great cause too! I shall 'save the dates'. Have a great weekend my friend! Hazel xx

Jeanin Jügler said...

This is such a nice idea for a beautiful cause!

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