Craft-therapy

It's been a rough month, I'm not going to lie. So when my mom said she wanted to get together to have a craft day, I was eager to hang out and make stuff.

Several times a year, we get together and make little melt & pour soaps. It is an easy and fun craft that doesn't take a lot of labor, and we love giving them to our friends. But this fall, we decided to try several things!

First of all, I was laid up in bed for a while, which made crafting rather difficult. So, I decided to grab some felt and do a little embroidery. I cut out an oak leaf and just started stitching it on. I had no idea what I would turn it into when I was done, but I brought it with me and mom helped me come up with a great idea!

A scented "primitive" style pillow. I just did a little bit of decorative stitching and stuffed it with a little fluff. I put in a few cotton balls scented with cinnamon oil and voila!

We also experimented with cinnamon/applesauce clay. (recipe below) It was so much fun, making pumpkins that we tried several other alternatives, stars, "sugar cookies" etc.

It was a great day with mom and we really got a LOT accomplished!

Here is a picture of the day's bounty:

(Dozens of applesauce clay pumpkins, cookies, melt & pour soaps...and pumpkin bread...for our snack)

Cinnamon/Applesauce Clay:
Recipe:
1 part Applesauce (not chunky)
1 part Cinnamon powder

Other helpful supplies:
Gloves
Wax paper
Knife & fork (or sculpting tools)
Cloves (for pumpkin stems)
Cookie Cutters

1) Mix cinnamon and applesauce into a thick clay. Be sure to mix thoroughly as you don't want dry patches of powder.

2) Mold the clay into desired shapes. Most of all, have fun! If the clay consistency is too runny, add a bit more powder until it is mold-able, but holds firm. Reverse directions if it is too hard.

3) Leave the clay items out in an open space to dry hard. This may take two to three days to fully dry.

4) Enjoy the delicious cinnamon scented sculptures and share with loved ones!