Share your craft projects with the #craftingismytherapy_december community

My blog has been very neglected recently. Just before half term my beloved Paddy went missing. We looked everywhere and put up posters over the following 11 days. Just before the end of half term we had the phone call we were all dreading. Someone had found Paddy near to our house...but he wasn't alive. We bought him home and had a little funeral for him in the back garden. We are all so heartbroken, especially Magoo, who adored Paddy. We are glad that we found out what happened to him though, as the not knowing was horrible...

As you can imagine I've been feeling pretty low and haven't felt like crafting much. But more recently I've picked up my yarn and hooks again and found comfort in the repetition of adding stitches to my granny stripe blanket. It really is true that crafting is one of the best therapies - it has helped take my mind off things recently and gives me something to focus on.

I would love for you to join in with our creative community in December. Simply tag your craft projects with #craftingismytherapy_december over on Instagram and Twitter to take part.

All crafts more than welcome and you can tag as many images as you like.

At the end of the month, I will choose a selection of images that have caught my eye and put together a round-up post over on Instagram and here on my blog. You can find my Instagram here. I also share as many of your images in my Insta stories as I can throughout December.

Would you like to see what everyone was making back in November? Head over to the #craftingismytherapy_november feed to see all the fantastic creative contributions.

– Please share the love and comment on images added to the #craftingismytherapy_december feed.
– If you tag your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_december on any social media channels that would be great. This will help me to grow the community. I will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention me @pouchvintage
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!

Follow me on Pinterest to see blog posts, tutorials and much more...

Join our creative community on Instagram by using our September hashtag

It's September and I have that back to school feeling. After a glorious Summer, there are hints of Autumn in the air. Perfect for getting cosy and getting your craft on. Do you have any creative projects planned for September? Join our creative community and share your craft projects on Instagram with the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_september

Looking back over the previous month, #craftingismytherapy_august turned out to be a bright and colourful month of crafting. We welcomed a number of new contributors, which is always lovely...the more the merrier. Despite the school holidays being in full swing, we all managed to carve out some time for crafting.

I always enjoy seeing the wide variety of crafts tagged. I love being part of this creative community and thank you to everyone who joins in each month. If you would like to find out more about the hashtag and see the story behind it, please follow this link.

What are your creative plans for September? I am planning to add quite a few more rows to my Rainbow Granny Stripe blanket. It's destined to warm up my daughter's bed, should be nice and cosy once it's finished. I also want to start displaying more on my embroidery pieces around the house.

I would love to see your images added to the feed. Simply add the #craftingismytherapy_september tag over on Instagram to your creative posts. All crafts more than welcome and you can tag as many images as you like.

At the end of the month, I will choose a selection of images that have caught my eye and put together a round-up post over on Instagram and here on my blog. You can find my Instagram here. I also share as many of your images in my Insta stories as I can throughout September.

Please follow this link to see a small selection of the creative images tagged throughout August Aren't they beautiful? There are so many talented makers out there. It gets harder and harder to choose just nine images in my monthly round-up grids. Head over to the #craftingismytherapy_august feed to see all the contributions.

Please feel free to pin the image below and help spread the word about our creative hashtag...

– Please share the love and comment on images added to the #craftingismytherapy_september feed.
– If you tag your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_september on any social media channels that would be great. This will help me to grow the community. I will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention me @pouchvintage
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!

Follow me on Pinterest to see blog posts, tutorials and much more...

Share your craft projects on Instagram with the July hashtag

The weather has been glorious in June here in the UK. We have basked in lots of sunshine, eaten our evening meals outside most nights and enjoyed late evening trips to the allotment to water the veggies. The days seem so long and there's lots of time for crafting. Do you have any creative projects planned for July? Join our creative community and share your craft projects on Instagram with the July hashtag #craftingismytherapy_july

Looking back over the previous month, #craftingismytherapy_june turned out to be super busy. Those long Summer days obviously make you all very creative.

I always enjoy seeing the wide variety of crafts tagged. Up to now, over 4000 images have been added to our monthly feeds. I love being part of this creative community and thank you to everyone who joins in each month. If you would like to find out more about the hashtag and see the story behind it, please follow this link.

What are your creative plans for July? I would love to see your images added to the feed. Simple add the #craftingismytherapy_july tag over on Instagram. All crafts more than welcome. At the end of the month, I will choose a selection of images that have caught my eye and put together a round-up post over on Instagram and here on my blog. You can find my Instagram here. I also share as many of your images in my Insta stories as I can throughout July.

This month we welcome Lucy as guest co-host throughout July. She describes her creative life like this: “I reside in and explore my city and dream of living and spending more time in the countryside. I write blog posts, stories and poems and dream of becoming a published writer and author. I love creating things with my hands and dream of designing my own range of products.”. I love seeing Lucy’s beautiful images pop up in my Instagram feed, her account is well worth checking out. You can read her blog here and head over to Lucy’s Instagram to see more of her crafty makes and much more besides.

Above is a small selection of the creative images tagged throughout June. It gets harder and harder to choose just nine images in my monthly round-up grids. This image represents a snapshot of the creative projects shared, please visit the June feed to see everyone’s contributions to the hashtag.

You can find out who the makers are behind the images by following this link

– Please share the love and comment on images added to the #craftingismytherapy_july feed.
– If you tag your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_july on any social media channels that would be great. This will help me to grow the community. I will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention me @pouchvintage
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!

Follow me on Pinterest to see blog posts, tutorials and much more...

Celebrate creativity with Just a Card Week 18 - 22 JUNE

I first heard about the 'Just a Card' campaign via Twitter about two years ago. The campaign came about when Artist & Designer Sarah Hamilton saw the quote "If everyone who'd complimented our beautiful gallery had bought 'just a card' we'd still be open" by store keepers who'd recently closed their gallery.

This prompted a call to action! Designer/Makers and independent shops and galleries need a voice. People seldom realise the considerable costs involved in exhibiting at design shows or keeping a shop open. Stand fees, power, materials, wages etc need to be met before even a penny of profit can be realised. Running a shop is often a labour of love. Without dedication and passion, and crucially sales, it would be another boarded up eyesore.

The 'Just a Card' campaign has gone from strength to strength. It brings designers, artists, shop owners and the wider public together to create a truly thriving creative community. Despite the name, the campaign is about more than buying just cards. Every single mug, pin, cushion, print or book you buy from an independent shop or designer makes a huge difference.

To celebrate and build on this success, Just a Card is inviting everyone to participate in JUST A CARD week on 18 - 22 JUNE!

JUST A CARD week will include an Instagram challenge, business advice, giveaways and much, much more...

Head over to their website to find out all the details

Everyone passionate about creativity and independents is invited to share their stories on Social Media, and their work places too. People are asked to celebrate the contribution independent shops and creatives make, plus post images of the hundreds of JUST A CARD stickers, encouraging people to support independents, which are popping up in shop windows all around the country.

I used to be a Features Writer for UK Handmade Magazine and have interviewed a number of designer makers. I know how much dedication and hard work goes into running an independent business. We need to celebrate all the people who put so much effort into keeping their creative dreams alive.

I think the JUST A CARD initiative is wonderful and I urge you to join in and spread the word.

Keep up to date with all the latest JUST A CARD news on their Twitter and Instagram

Share your craft projects on Instagram with our May hashtag

It's the first of May and the sun is out...for now! I hope you've all had a creative April. Do you have a craft project of two planned for May? If you enjoy sharing your creative life on Instagram, then please feel free to tag as many crafty images with #craftingismytherapy_may throughout the month. All crafts more than welcome. At the end of the month, I will choose some of my favourite images and put together a round-up post over on Instagram and here on my blog. You can find my Instagram here

Looking back over the previous few weeks, #craftingismytherapy_april turned out to be another busy month. So many beautiful craft projects in our feed, I really enjoy seeing the wide variety of crafts tagged. Up to now, nearly 4000 images have been added to our monthly feeds. I love being part of this creative community and thank you to everyone who joins in each month.

Below is a small selection of the creative images tagged throughout #craftingismytherapy_april.

You can find out who the makers are behind the images by following this link

This month I would like to welcome @sunna_crochet as our guest co-host for May. Check out her Instagram feed to see her pretty crochet projects and her new obsession - embroidery stitches.

– Please share the love and comment on images added to the #craftingismytherapy_may feed.
– If you tag your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_may on any social media channels that would be great. This will help me to grow the community. I will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention me @pouchvintage
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!

Follow me on Pinterest to see blog posts, tutorials and much more...

Join our creative instagram community in February

My poor neglected blog! I haven't posted here for over two months. Having taken on more hours in my job, it is increasingly difficult for me to find time to post here. I am going to try and blog more frequently, over the coming months...

Having said that, I'm still active on Instagram. I love being part of the creative community over there and our monthly hashtag is still going strong.

There are heaps of beautiful projects to look at and crafty accounts for you to follow...

Below is a small selection of the creative images tagged throughout January.

You can find out who the makers are behind the images by following this link

If you enjoy sharing creative images on Instagram, then please feel free to tag as many crafty images with #craftingismytherapy_february throughout the month. At the end of the month, Jennifer and I will choose our favourite images and put together a round-up post over on Instagram. You can find my Instagram here

– Please share the love and comment on other people’s images added to the gallery.
– If you share your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_february on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

Follow me on Pinterest to see blog posts, tutorials and much more...

Join our Instagram crafting community in October

I can't believe how quickly September flew by. We're into a new month, which means time to introduce October's hashtag. If you post crafty photos on Instagram, we'd love to see them in our gallery. Simply add the #craftingismytherapy_october hashtag to join in. We will feature a selection of photos throughout the month. Also look out for our round-up at the end of the month.

Looking back to the previous month, September's gallery was full to the brim with goregous projects. A big 'thank you' to everyone who used the #craftingismytherapy_september hashtag. Below is a grid featuring just a small selection of the creatives makes tagged last month. Aren't they amazing? Head over to September's gallery to see all the makers who got involved.

Top row, left to right: @claregetscrafty, @themessybrunette, @ella_makes

Middle row, left to right: @annehaakt, @forthejoyofcraft, @zeensandroger

Bottom row, left to right: @thisgeeklove, @tangleandstitch, @jellybean_junction

I know lots of you have beautiful Instagram accounts and I love the supportive nature of the creative community over there. Please feel free to tag as many crafty images with #craftingismytherapy_october throughout the month. At the end of the month, Jennifer and I will choose our favourite images and put together a round-up post over on Instagram. You can find my Instagram here

The focus of our hashtag is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

– Please share the love and comment on other people’s images added to the gallery.
– If you share your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_october on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!
Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

Join our creative Instagram community in September

A new month means a new hashtag - join us for #craftingismytherapy_september over on Instagram. All crafts welcome. Head over to our gallery to see the beautiful creative projects already added.

Apologies for late posting of my August round-up...I blame it on the 'back to school' effect. We're all getting back into a work and school routine and it's all a bit of shock to the system. Anyway, better late than never I always say :)

The above grid below shows just a small selection of images from our August hashtag.

In August we welcomed lots of new faces and I’m constantly inspired by all the images added to our gallery. We’ve had another busy month again with just under 300 images tagged with #craftingismytherapy_august. Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous pictures with us. Click here to see the August gallery in full…so many amazing crafts to look at

Also a big 'thank you' to Teresa from Shirley Rainbow for being our guest co-host in August. You can see her round-up blog post here.

Back to September, we'd love to see what you've been making and creating. I know lots of you have beautiful Instagram accounts and I love the supportive nature of the creative community over there. Please feel free to tag as many crafty images with #craftingismytherapy_september throughout the month. At the end of the month, Jennifer and I will choose our favourite images and put together a round-up post over on Instagram. You can find my Instagram here

The focus of our hashtag is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

– Please share the love and comment on other people’s images added to the gallery.
– If you share your images and use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_september on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome!
Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

Join our Instagram crafting community in May

A new month means a new hashtag for our Instagram crafting community. The focus of our hashtag is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

I'm delighted to announce that Maura from The Messy Brunette is joining us as guest co-host in May. I've long admired Maura's blog and love seeing the creative projects she works on each month. I think there aren't many crafts she can't turn her hand to! If you love crochet and embroidery, then do head over to her Instagram feed...because you're in for a treat.

Join Jennifer Jain, Maura and I over on Instagram by tagging your images with #craftingismytherapy_may.

If you'd like to see last month's gallery in full, you can head over to Instagram by following this link

Below is a grid of a selection of images added using the #craftingismytherapy_april hashtag...

Each month the hashtag will change to reflect the month we are currently in. At the end of the month Jennifer Jain and I will feature a selection of our favourite images...

What are you making at the moment? In April I completed my 'Helping' embroidery hoop.
Even though it has taken me a while to finish, I'm really pleased with the way it has turned out.
I'm going to stretch the finished piece onto a canvas to hang on our wall.

If you'd like to see more, head over to the Me, You and Magoo Instagram account to see more of my craft projects.

– Please share the love and comment on other people who join in with the hashtag.
– If you share an image please use the hashtag #craftingismytherapy_may on any social media channels, this will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us @pouchvintage, @JenniferJain or @messymaura
– And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. And here's Maura's: Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Crafting is my Therapy #7

Welcome to the Seventh “Crafting is my Therapy” blog link-up.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful month or making and creating.

It was nice to see new craft bloggers getting involved in July. We loved seeing everything you’ve created. I particularly liked Deborah Champion’s post about sewing a tiny suit for her doll. Plus it was her first time linking up to Crafting is my Therapy.

This month I have linked up with my latest hand sewn hoop featuring a pretty butterfly motif. I attempted Satin Stitch for the first time in many years...

I also wanted to mention it's National Stitch Day on 6th August. The National Celebration of Stitch is designed to raise awareness of the Embroiderers’ Guild, demonstrating the delights of stitching, textiles and embroidery. Events will be taking place across the country and this event at Bristol Museum sounds particularly lovely and I'm going to try and go along...

Last month we also held a Sugru giveaway. There were 6 posts (not including the hosts) added to our link-up in July. Using the random number generator, I can tell you that the winner is…Zeens and Roger! A selection of Sugru packs will be heading her way shortly.

Have you created anything crafty this month? If you sew, knit, crochet, paint, work with ceramics…please join in and share your blog posts.

The focus of this blog link-up is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, we love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

Grab the Crafting is my Therapy badge:

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.meyouandmagoo.co.uk" rel="nofollow" title="Me You and Magoo"><img src="http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/pouchbags/crafting_is_my_therapy_blog_badge_ONE_zpszefd7734.jpg" alt="Me You and Magoo" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I co-host Crafting is my Therapy with Jennifer Jain. She writes the popular craft blog Jennifers Little World

Jennifer hosts our Pinterest group board. Would you like your blog posts to be seen by over 700K followers? Craft Bloggers linking to #craftingismytherapy are welcome to join our board. It's a great way for your posts to reach a wider audience...

The “Crafting is my Therapy” link-up will open on 1st August and stay open for the whole month – giving you plenty of time to get involved.
* You can link up with maximum of three posts per month, old or new.
* Grab the link-up badge or link back to our blogs on your post.
* Please share the love and comment on other people’s posts.
* If you could share your post and the link-up (using the hashtag #craftingismytherapy) on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
* And finally, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

An InLinkz Link-up

How to become a Dementia Friend

As part of my Shared Lives role I support a lady who lives with dementia. I was asked to go along to a Dementia Friends Information Session yesterday. I enjoyed the session and wanted to blog about the knowledge I'd gained and to help promote the 'Dementia Friends' initiative via this post and social media using the hashtag #dementiafriends

The hour long information session, in partnership with Alzheimer's Society, hopes to help make the county I live in a Dementia Friendly Community. My local authority is keen to create a large team of 'Dementia Friends' within the council and key public services.

At the end of the session I pledged to become a Dementia Friend. So what does this involve?

"A Dementia Friend learns a little bit more about what it's like to live with dementia and then turns that understanding into action - anyone of any age can be a Dementia Friend. Whether you attend a face-to-face Dementia Friends Information Session or watch our online video, Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways you can help. From telling friends about Dementia Friends to visiting someone you know living with dementia, every action counts."

We started the session talking about words we associate with dementia. Nearly all of them were negative. I think for most people, the thought of yourself or a loved one being diagnosed with dementia is frightening. But living with dementia doesn't have to be a completely negative experience.

Over the hour long session we talked about the five main things we needed to take away from the information session:
- Dementia is not a natural part of ageing
- Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain
- It's not just about losing your memory
- It's possible to live well with dementia
- There's more to a person than the dementia

The Alzheimer’s Society would like us to move away from the idea of someone 'suffering' from dementia and think of it as 'living with' the condition. With the right support and initiatives like Dementia Friends, some of the myths surrounding dementia can hopefully be dispelled.

We talked about the five points listed above in more detail, and in a relatively short time, I learnt a great deal. One of my favourite parts was the analogy of dementia and a set of Christmas fairy lights to explain simply how dementia affects everyone differently. To read a full explanation of this analogy you can follow this link. I found the 'fairy light' analogy really helped to clarify the concept of dementia in my mind.

Once we'd completed the information session, we were asked to turn our understanding into action...

Some of the ways Dementia Friends suggest you can do this are:
- Getting in touch and staying in touch with someone I know living with dementia
- Volunteering for an organisation that helps people with dementia
- Campaigning for change, eg by signing up to Alzheimer’s Society’s campaigns to improve the lives of people with dementia
- Wearing Dementia Friends badge and telling 5 friends about the Dementia Friends initiative
- Carrying out a personal action eg Be more patient when out in my community

The Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is their biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. Please visit the Dementia Friends website and take a few minutes to watch the video or attend an information session in your local area. And then hopefully you will pledge to become a Dementia Friend and help to support people in your community.

The paper doll images used in this blog post were made by my daughter and I over the weekend. Creating brightly coloured chains of people holding hands is one of her favourite things to do. It would be lovely if community focused initiatives like Dementia Friends really took off. I hope so.

In early May I wrote a blog posts called It's cool to be kind: why we should value carers. In this post I mention one of my favourite quotes: “no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”. I think that's so true. We've all been in situations where someone's kindness, either from a stranger or someone we know, has changed our day, week or even our life. So please, if possible, pledge to become a Dementia Friend today...

This week I'm linking up with these lovely blogs...

"Share the Joy" over on thejoychaser.com and You Are a Daisy

"The List" over on youbabymemummy.com and www.mrandmrstplusthree.com

"Blogger Club UK" over on www.cuddlefairy.com, www.myrandommusings.co.uk and mudpiefridays.com

"Happy Days Linky" over on www.whatkatysaid.com and www.quitefranklyshesaid.com

Crafting is my Therapy #4 + Giveaway

Welcome to the fourth “Crafting is my Therapy” blog linky.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful month or making and creating.

This month we are holding another giveaway.
Up for grabs is a fab selection of crafting materials including:
Stabilo colouring pencils // Blu Tack Glu Dots // Blu Tack Foam Pads // Sellotape Clever Tape // Three rolls of decorative fabric tape // Two Sharpie pens, thin and thick // Metallic marker pens // Pack of ribbons // Large decorated wooden buttons

For a chance to win, simply link-up below with your crafty blog posts.
Full entry rules can be found further down in this post.

This month I have been:
- Working on my “it’s Cool to be Kind” embroidery hoop. I was inspired by selfless acts carried out by people who are either paid or unpaid carers. Kindness is something I value in my own life and it can often be overlooked. Head over to my blog post to read more. I'd love to know your thoughts on this subject, either as a carer or as someone who is cared-for. I'd also like to hear about experiences where an act of kindness has made a difference to your life.

Last month was our busiest link-up so far. We loved seeing everything you’ve created. My favourite links from last month’s Crafting is my Therapy are:
– I was genuinely moved by Amy Loves to Sew’s post about the handmade artwork she created for her baby daughter. So much thought & effort went into the piece. This is the real beauty behind making something yourself…you can put lots of love into it.
– As a vintage fabric fan, I adored Zeens and Roger’s patchwork knitting bag, head to her blog to find out more…
– The Messy Brunette worked her crafty magic on her haul of prizes won from a blog giveaway. I make no secret of the fact I love her hand painted jars and take every opportunity to tell her so. Hopefully she will put together a tutorial on her blog soon
– And finally, Simply Blossoms blogged about an ingenious way to colour match yarn before you start a knitting or crochet project. Take a look at her post to see the idea in all its colourful glory.

April's Giveaway Winner
Last month we also held a giveaway. There were 8 posts (not including the hosts) added to our link-up in April. Using the random number generator, I can tell you that the winner is…Amy Loves to Sew! A bundle of crafty goodies will be heading her way shortly.

Have you created anything crafty this month? If you sew, knit, crochet, paint, work with ceramics…please join in and share your work.
The focus of this linky is crafting for pleasure, basically taking some ‘me-time’ to unwind in our busy lives. It doesn’t have to be a finished project, I love seeing work in progress, planning posts or tutorials too.

Please Grab the Crafting is my Therapy badge:

<div align="center">
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://library.vu.edu.pk/cgi-bin/nph-proxy.cgi/000100A/http/www.meyouandmagoo.co.uk" title="Me You and Magoo"><img alt="Me You and Magoo" src="http://library.vu.edu.pk/cgi-bin/nph-proxy.cgi/000100A/http/i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t474/pouchbags/crafting_is_my_therapy_blog_badge_ONE_zpszefd7734.jpg" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Giveaway Entry Rules:
- The prize is a box of crafty goodies as detailed above.
- The winner will be chosen at random from eligible entries to the linky this month.
- In order for an entry to be eligible it must be a relevant post, it must mention the Crafting is my Therapy linky either by text or using the badge, and it must link back to one of the linky hosts. The linky will remain open until Thursday June 2nd 2016.
- If the winner does not respond within 28 days we will redraw and reallocate the prize. There is no cash alternative. Invalid entries will be discounted.

I co-host Crafting is my Therapy with Jennifer Jain. She writes the popular craft blog Jennifers Little World

Jennifer hosts our Pinterest group board. Want to be seen by over 700K followers? Craft Bloggers linking to #craftingismytherapy are welcome to join our board. It's a great way for your posts to reach a wider audience...

The “Crafting is my Therapy” linky will open on the first Friday of each month and stay open for the whole month – giving you plenty of time to get involved.
– You can link up with maximum of three posts per month, old or new.
– Grab the linky badge or link back to our blogs on your post.
– Please share the love and comment on other people’s posts.
– If you could share your post and the linky (using the hashtag #craftingismytherapy) on any social media channels that would be great. This will help us to grow the community. We will retweet all your posts via Twitter if you mention us (@pouchvintage/@JenniferJain )
– If you would like to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, you’re more than welcome! Jennifer Jain’s links are here too: Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

An InLinkz Link-up

Day Trippers

I'm currently working on a feature for UK Handmade, it's due to be published in the Summer Issue, so I'll post a link to it here when the new issue is up and running.

Part of the feature involved a photo shoot in St Werburghs in Bristol. All photos featured here are taken by Jessica, you can see more of her work on Flickr. Her photos will also accompany my feature in the UK Handmade magazine.

St Werburghs is a unique part of Bristol. Just a stones throw from Gloucester Road, which boasts the largest number of independent traders on any one road in the UK.

I love this part of Bristol and there are so many interesting community projects, shops, places to to visit and sights to see...including a pony teathered to a garden gate on a residential street. A few moments later, two girls and their mum casually came out of the house, unteathered the pony and trotted off down the street. Proof that you don't need acres of land and a porsche on the driveway to allow you children to enjoy horse riding.

Once we had finished our photoshoot we popped into The Better Food Company for a cup of tea and a selection of yummy cakes. What better way to round off a day in Bristol?

**Spring Blog Giveaway**
The winner chosen at random for my Spring Giveaway is Jo. She wins over 9 yards of vintage trim and an exclusive 20% discount code to use in my online store. A huge thanks to everyone who took part in the giveaway, it was one of the most popular ones yet...you obviously all love those vintage trims!