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The chilly nights have arrived folks!
It is time for soup-making, slipper wearing and closing the curtains early!
Hmm...the trouble is it's all too easy to settle into a sedentary winter routine and hibernate until the crocuses break through the lawn! Before you know it, Monday has turned into Friday and when you look back over your evening achievements, you wonder where all the time went.
I bet you have more than one or two craft books on your shelves at home - everybody does, it's almost the law to have them - but how often do you pick them up and have a good look through?
Well, this is your prompt my friend!
I bet you have more than a handful of chums probably sitting home right now and perhaps at a loose end too.
There is nothing like a good girlie get together to lift the spirits and get the motivation flowing, so why not think about starting a Craft Group!
It does not have to a grand affair, a few friends is all you need to get going and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised in a few weeks time, when you have snowballed to quite a gathering!
We all have crafty skills. Yours might be card and gift-tag making, cross stitch, doll dressmaking, embroidery or quilting and if you ask your friends what little gems they have up their sleeves, you will be in for a treat.
Here are a few guidelines and benefits to getting a Crafty Group set up for you and your buddies!
1) Organise an initial meeting with your girlfriends to discuss the pool of skills and find out who is keen to commit to a regular Crafty Group.
2) Held once a week or fortnightly, it is a great way to motivate a positive event on a lack lustre winter calendar.
3) Keep the event date and time the same, but alternate the venue, giving the host the responsibility of half time refreshments (tea/coffee/biscuits).
4) The idea of the gathering is initially to encourage the members to breathe new life into old projects or start something new and exciting. Once the momentum is going, the enthusiasm will be positively contagious and apathy will be a thing of the past.
5) Have a set time for the event to finish and have a short discussion about the venue and projects for the following week, ensuring diaries are filled in. Organise car/journey share wherever possible.
6) Have brainstorm sessions and plan well ahead for forthcoming events like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Friends and family cannot fail to be touched by a handcrafted gift or card!
7) Share your money-saving ideas for crafty gifts and save a few pennies along the way.
8) Keep a group address book of great suppliers and local craft stores for everyone to use and contribute to. A very handy tool when seeking out new items.
9) Each session, have somebody give a couple of minutes presentation about their chosen craft and let them give a few tricks of the trade! This is a great way to learn new skills and keep the buzz going in the group.
10) If things go really well and you have a regular group of committed crafty chums, consider putting a nominal subscription into a 'pot' to spend on a Christmas Crafty Girls Night Out!
and there you have it!
So, change your chilly winter evenings for good, learn some great new skills and hook up with the girls all in one hit!
Have fun!
About The Author: Tracey Smith downshifted to rural France in 2002 with her husband and children. A prize-winning writer and photographer, she shines practical and emotional light on the subject and has unravelled some of the secrets to successful downshifting. With radio and television credits also, Smith is fast becoming the "Spokesperson for downshifting" - Venue Magazine. Read her column in 'French Magazine' and online at http://www.FrenchEntree.com/fe-downshifting
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