Crafting for All: Making Crafting Fun for Everyone

With paper crafting, your friends and family are already lucky enough to be the recipients of the things you create—cards, gift tags, scrapbooks, invitations, and more.

When you find something you love, you want to share it with everyone you care about! With paper crafting, your friends and family are already lucky enough to be the recipients of the things you create—cards, gift tags, scrapbooks, invitations, and more. But what about when you want to extend the joy of creation to them too?

Maybe you’re surrounded by people who wonder, “Why do people like crafting?” but don’t worry—you’re the exact right person to show them just how much in the world of pretty papers, sweet stamps, and clever cutouts there is for everyone to delight in.

Why Handmade Cards Make a Lasting Impression

For some, it might help to start with the end in mind when it comes to the “why people craft” line of questioning. Encourage them to consider a time when they received a handmade card from someone. Perhaps they were feeling lonely or sad or had a reason to celebrate. Either way, it helps to pause and think about how a handwritten card affects us differently than a text or social media message might.

A handmade card has special significance. It’s often a more thoughtful gesture, signaling to the recipient that additional time, effort, and heart went into its creation and sending. Gifting a handmade card for any occasion is one of those tender ways of offering a piece of you along with the message!

So when we’re helping others understand the benefits of crafting, we can tap into those experiences and help them recognize the powerful impact they can have on loved ones as well. Through creating handmade greeting cards, we can each be the purveyor of thoughtfulness with an extra personal touch.

How to Encourage Non-Crafters to Join In

Non-crafters can be hesitant to jump in on a project they’re feeling uncertain about, intimidated by, or think they don’t have time for. So, a few simple criteria should be in place when inviting someone new to join in on your paper crafting fun.

Keep it short!

We’re all more likely to try something new when we know we’re not committed to something overly time-consuming. Until we begin to see the benefits of a new activity for ourselves, we are best served by a clear and quick timeline offered upfront. So try a 30-minute card-making session—it will feel doable rather than burdensome and bring people to the party with an open mind and optimistic attitude.

Keep it simple!

Make sure your card-making get-together is geared toward the non-crafter! After all, that’s who you’re helping understand the answer to the age-old question: “Why do people like crafting?” There are several ways to do this (check out our blog post on hosting a great crafting event), but we’ll keep it straightforward here. Just make sure there’s enough space and supplies for everyone invited, that you do a very basic how-to demo so they know how to get started (a four-step card is perfect for this—we’ll talk about it more below!), and maybe provide some easy-to-apply ephemera and die cuts to keep things clean and simple.

Keep it sweet!

One key to encouraging non-crafters to join in on the creative fun is to make sure there is absolutely no pressure involved! The goal is low-key fun with simple but beautiful results, complete with their unique style on display.

How to Get Your Family to Craft with You

Getting your family involved in making handmade cards and other paper crafts may be easier than you think! One of the ways we love to encourage family members to start creating is to allow all the design freedom needed but with a common goal in mind. Maybe Grandpa’s birthday is coming up, and you want to surprise him with a full mailbox or someone who moved away recently and could use a little love from home. Whatever the occasion, the purpose is the same: spread the love while experiencing it yourself, crafting together as a family.

Pictured here is the paper craft elements you'll receive with the Brightest Birthday Kit for DIY Paper Crafts — Pictured here: Brightest Birthday Kit

One great way to accomplish this and increase anticipation for recurring craft nights is to get a new kit for each event. That way, all your supplies come conveniently boxed up, perfectly coordinated, and ready to be applied in whatever personalized way your family sees fit.

As crafting confidence levels increase, family members can always add to their cards or create custom ones using extra supplies in your paper crafting stash. The four-step card is a super simple way to introduce them to the creative possibilities ahead! Show them how to start with a pre-made blank card, add a little Designer Series Paper for the background, a stamped or designed die-cut sentiment to call out the occasion, and a bit of embellishment for visual fun! In just minutes, they’ll have a card they’re excited to give to a loved one.

Make Crafting Fun for the Family

Tempting teens and other harder-sell family members into craft time might feel like an uphill battle, but here are several tried and true ways to ensure that crafting will be fun for everyone!

Keep snacks on hand. Everyone loves a little treat!
Play music. Make a different person in charge of the playlist each time, or let everyone contribute a song or two.
Offer a challenge. And we don’t mean to make the papercraft difficult. We mean a fun challenge like having everyone make a card that showcases their favorite color. Or a card they’ll keep on hand to give to a stranger who deserves thanks on the go (grocery store clerk, volunteer ref, etc.).

Pictured here are the Calming Creek Cards & Envelopes, Something for Everything Ephemera Pack, Fully Flowering Ephemera Pack, and Saying Something Ephemera Pac crafting kits. — Pictured here: Calming Creek Cards & Envelopes, Something for Everything Ephemera Pack, Fully Flowering Ephemera Pack, and Saying Something Ephemera Pack

These practices can help keep things entertaining and enticing time after time, so crafting together becomes more of a beloved family tradition than something you do alone.

How to Share Your Hobby and Teach Something New

Think of other things you love to share in your life. For instance, if you’re a big ice cream fan, I’m sure you’ve told someone your favorite flavor with a little sparkle in your eye, mentioned a great memory that includes a scoop or two with a friend, or even helped them find their own love for it by inviting them out for a cone.

Sharing your crafting hobby can come just as easily! Remember, family and friends always have a soft spot for something that means joy to you. Invite them into your world! Talk about why making cards matters to you! Offer to introduce them to the fun in a no-pressure setting! Be kind and confident, and everyone will benefit from learning to love crafting for themselves.