Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem. Mind believes that no one should have to face a mental health problem alone, and the festive season can be especially hard. However, by holding a Mind Crafternoon session, you’ll be making someone’s Christmas. Crafternoon means getting together with friends, family or colleagues to hold an afternoon of festive crafting to raise money and awareness for Mind. Whether you’re a beginner crafter or an expert, want to make something Christmassy or not, anyone can take part.

Before you decide when and where to host your Crafternoon, it might help to think about what kind of Crafternooner you are. Are you a Vintage Crafternooner, meaning you love all things retro and quirky? Perhaps you are the life and soul of your office and therefore a Workplace Crafternooner. Or are you a Traditional Crafternooner, favouring the well-loved crafts like sewing, knitting and card making? You can find out more on the website here.

Once you’ve decided what type of Crafternooner you are, it’s time to request your Crafternoon information pack. These packs are tailored to each type of Crafternooner and are packed with information on how to go about organising your own session and what else you can do to make it as entertaining as possible.

We’ve put together a list of easy projects that would be ideal for people to make at your Mind Crafternoon event.

1 Christmas Pudding

What better way to start off a Crafternoon than by making a festive card or two? Our Christmas pud greetings are incredibly simple to create – just print off the images, colour them in and mount onto card. You could print off a few of these sheets and put them on tables along with pairs of scissors, glue, sheets of card and colouring pencils.

2 Felt Mouse

Download and print off the templates in order to create an adorable felt mouse! This project is incredibly easy to put together as it just requires a bit of cutting and stitching. They’d make great tree decs or cute stocking fillers!

3 Snowmen Decs

Your crafters are in for a treat – we’ve got free snowmen decoration templates to print off and use! You could suggest different things for everyone to write on their snowmen, such as names of their loved ones for place settings. 

4 Lavender Sachet

Hosting a Crafternoon gives makers the chance to sit down and fashion gifts, and what could be better than whipping up a couple of lavender sachets? This activity is sure to be a hit because not only will it make crafter’s workstations smell great, but everyone will want one to give them away as a present!

5 Colour Therapy

The adult colouring trend has rocketed in popularity this year, plus it’s been proven that the act can help to reduce stress levels, which is why we’re happy to present a couple of Millie Marotta designs from her latest Tropical Wonderland book. Print off a few pages and let crafters unwind by shading in beautiful images.

6 Tree Box

If you’ve got a small present to give someone, then look no further than these clever gift boxes with tree top handles. There are two differently sized templates to download for free here that you can print off and let people use. You could also suggest different uses for this project – why not string a few up for bunting, or let them rest on the branches of a Christmas tree?

7 Tassel Necklace

Younger Crafternooners will definitely want to make one of these tassel necklaces – not only do they look stylish, but only a few things are needed to make them. To save on paper, why not forward the website link to the crafter’s smartphone for them to read and follow the instructions?

8 Easy Ornament

Little ones will love making this Christmas tree decoration. Let them colour and stick lollipop sticks together, add a few buttons and embellishments, and hey presto! An easy ornament is made. Hooks are suggested in this tutorial, but to make things easier, tie a length of string to the top instead.

9 Xmas Garland

This Christmas garland from Christmas Paper Play by Lydia Crook is a nice and easy introduction to those who want something simpler to focus on. To make it sturdier, matt the printed images onto card.

10 Fabric Baubles

When sending out invites, encourage your attendees to bring bits and bobs from their craft stashes for others to use, and what better way to use up leftover fabric pieces than with some baubles? There’s no sewing involved with this project; it’s just sticking sections of material onto a Styrofoam ball. Alternatively, you could upcycle old plastic baubles.

If you’re after more crafty inspiration to get your Crafternoon event started, make sure to check out Mind’s Pinterest and our selection of projects. From Mind and the CB team, have a happy and healthy time!