Art & Craft Ideas for Creative Self-Care

Making Gonks

If you haven't made yourself a cute gonk yet, what are you waiting for? We had a blast making gonks on Older People's Day - see how to make pom pom gonks plus 11 other ideas.

Printing Tote Bags

Leaf litter: the only kind of litter we like! We used fallen leaves to create unique leaf print tote bags, and had fun doing it. 

Fabric-Covered Notebooks

Upcycle fabric scraps into fabric-covered notebooks with only a few supplies, and endlessly adaptable depending on your art and craft supply stash, skill level and time constraints.   

Paper Pumpkins

Say no to more plastic seasonal junk in your home and opt for handmade, recyclable paper decorations like these paper jack-o-lanterns.

Paper Wreath Making

A firm favourite of ours at Christmas time is making paper wreaths. Here's how the folks at the Fitzwilliam Centre got on.

Sparkly Spiderweb Paintings

You won't mind getting stuck in making mini glitter paintings when you find out how easy and fun it can be.

Halloween Shrinky Dinks

You can make magic happen in front of your eyes with shrinking plastic charms made from waste packaging! We showed Airedale community how it was done at The Hut's annual Halloween Party.

Tote Bag Decorating: Stencilling & Free Painting

It doesn't matter if you don't think you can draw - stencils are here to save the day!

Pretty Paper Peacocks

These tactile tissue paper pictures are low-mess and can be as colourful as you wish! 

Santa's Workshop - Decorating with Donations

Santa Claus was coming to Tieve Tara Medical Centre, and he wanted everyone to have a great time at the community centre!

Making Christmas Tree Decorations

Havercroft & Ryhill Centre

We had some very merry crafters making hanging decorations from air dry clay, but if you have some a spare afternoon and some flour at the back of the cupboard, then why not try the salt dough version?

Pebble Painting

 Normanton Library

If you have ever wanted a pet, but costs and living arrangements are prohibitive, then try your very own painted rock. They are very low maintenance indoor pets that love sitting still, very quietly.

Folded Flowers

 Pontefract Library

We tried to bring the colours of spring back a bit early, with this fun little workshop at Pontefract town library.

Glass Bottle Upcycling

Lightwaves Leisure Centre

If you find yourself saving empty glass bottles or jars, then this project will be perfect for you! We tried an anything-goes approach at the leisure centre, and ended up with some great results.

Name Badges & Keyrings | Gala Stall

At a local gala, kids of all ages relished the opportunity to make themselves simple name badges and keyrings using stickers, stencils and other low-mess supplies. 

We also fundraised with low-cost craft packs and we share our gala guide and checklist with you.