Blog Post Ideas for the Crochet Artist

It is a constant struggle to try to find new blog posts. Especially for a blog such as this one that is very niched. I design crochet patterns. So, what can I write about that will bring fellow crochet-artists to my blog (hopefully, artists who will buy my patterns)? Sure, there are lists upon lists on top of more lists of generic blogging topics and ideas of what to write about. Everyone always seems to say the same thing: make lists, include numbers, top 5 mistakes I made, create tutorials, design Printables. These are all great, but I want something specific to write about. I don’t want to have to further wrack my brain about which of my mistakes I want to write about this time. So, I thought yet another list was in order. I actually researched the top 5 crochet blogs from 2017, and went back through their blog posts and have the following titles listed below! I hope you guys will find this as useful as I continue to use it myself 🙂

Beatrice Ryan Designs

• CAL – Crochet-a-long (free ongoing pattern)
• Free Patterns
• Crocheting for Charity or for a cause

Crea8tion Crochet

• Pattern collections (colors, holidays, stitches, textures, shapes, yarn type, seasonal, designer, etc.)
• Write about your own patterns (be sure to include links of where to find it)
• Free crochet pattern review (use someone else’s free pattern)
• Crochet book review (with giveaway)

Crochet Dreamz

• Crochet tips and tricks (changing colors, new stitches, different techniques)
• Free Crochet patterns
• New Crochet patterns
• Pattern round-ups (yours and others)

Daisy Cottage Designs

• Crochet patterns (reviews, free, new)
• Pattern collections (similar, complimentary)
• Printable’s (organizers, wall-art)
• Round-up of all of your own patterns
• Skill-specific (beginner, intermediate, expert)

Fiber Flux

• Crochet-specific unboxing (monthly subscription boxes)
• Challenges (CAL, de-stashing)
• Book review and giveaway
• Free crochet pattern

How to Nurture a Blog After It’s Been Created

There are hundreds upon thousands of blog posts written about how to start a blog. You can do it in under 20 minutes. There is definitely not a shortage in helpful people who want to add even more noise to the blogosphere. But, what do you do after you’ve started your blog? How do you get your voice to be heard above the millions of blogs that already exist? THIS blog post from Impact branding & design has some shocking statistics on business blogs. I was especially shocked to read the blogs have become the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information. Whatever kind of blog you are creating and wish to run, let’s make sure that you aren’t lost in the chaos and overwhelming information available to you.

Post consistently. Maybe one of the most challenging parts of anything that you ever do is the need to be consistent with it. Blogging is no different. You don’t have to post every single day…I think that’s a mighty tall order, and many would agree with me. But definitely more than once monthly. I aim to post 2-3 times a week. I don’t always make it happen (I do have kids that like to throw life to the dogs every occasionally), but that’s why I also have drafts and scheduled posts. Which brings me straight to my second point.

Utilize Scheduling. I don’t have much experience with other blogging platforms, but I do know that WordPress will allow you to write and schedule blog posts for future date and times. On the first of every month, I take the time to write out 4-5 of my “Telling Tuesdays” posts…I Feature other artists and crafters, and can knock these out for the whole month within a few short hours. If I know life is gonna be exceptionally busy ahead of time, I will go ahead and write and schedule posts accordingly. For example, this post is being written on March 11, but I’m scheduling it for March 16, because it’s spring break and we will be busy.

Add Elements as you Go. Wanna create videos? Great! Shoot it, edit it, post it. Wanna add a weekly or monthly feature? Awesome! Title it, write it, keep up with it. How about interviews or testimonies? Yes! Call them, record them, post them. My point being, feel free to add to or remove different blogging elements as you go. You don’t have to have everything figured out and ready to go from the day you start. If you get an idea that you think will be great, figure out how to make it work for you. And if that idea isn’t generating the interest you need it to, or if it’s sucking too much of your time, it is ok to drop it like a bad habit. Maybe come back to it at a later time when you have more experience and knowledge to tweak it better.

Go Slowly. I’ve been blogging and creating for over five years. I have an aresenal already under my belt. If you are just starting off, you’ve got nothing. But your excitement and enthusiasm is high and you are eager to jump right in and spend all of your time building. I want to encourage you to slow down. It takes time and effort to build an audience and create a profitable blog. Don’t get burned out the very first month.

Save Those Drafts. Just because it is a terrible idea right now, or it wrote up badly the first time, doesn’t mean that you should just trash it. Oftentimes, you can come back to old ideas with a different perspective and make it amazing! These will create an arsenal for yourself that will beat writers block in the best way. Keep track of all of your ideas as they come up, and then expand on them later.

Be Willing to Change. Adapt as necessary. My crochet business started off as hats…terrible hats. Then it morphed into photo props, which changed further into costumes, and then became dolls, and finally has settled with Crochet patterns. I love designing new crochet Patterns. If I wasn’t willing to change and adapt, I would probably still be stuck making hats and feeling frustrated and stressed because I can’t keep,up with production right now, and the competition for crochet hats is so high! Have the same attitude with your blog. Be trendy and original and then adapt as your ability, interest, and society continues to change. I mean, last year when PokémonGo first came out it was huge! But after just a few weeks, it had died down dramatically and didn’t have nearly the interest. Yes, Pokémon is still popular, about like it always has been, but not nearly as much as it was.

Develop Your Niche. Sometimes you have to focus this in a very purposeful and conscious way, sometimes it just happens. As an example of an unintentional niche narrowing, I started this blog because I wanted to help hand-crafty-salesmen succeed. I thought that was a great niche to write about. And it was…but it was still way too broad. As I’ve continued blogging, I have noticed that my posts tend to focus on the crochet-artist. It’s what I do, it’s what I know, it’s what I am best equipped to write about. As my business has morphed into creating patterns, my blog posts have continued to narrow even further to focus on the crochet blogger and fellow pattern-designer. If you are blogging about writing Crochet patterns, it’s probably not a good idea to throw in a life story about how your precious 3-yo finally mastered toilet useage. Exciting? To the mom-audience, yes. Relavent to your particular readers? Probably not.

BONUS: Blog Post Ideas for the Crochet Blogger. And because I know how hard it can be to come up with such specific blogging ideas, I’m including a list of great topics for you to start with. I’m going to close with this, and say that I’m proud of you for starting a blog, and I hope you will be successful. In fact, I know you came be successful if you are willing to continue with the world ☺

1. Review a pattern
2. Write your own pattern
3. Talk about your recent project – go into detail
4. Favorite tools of the trade
5. Luxury yarn
6. Funny memes or comics about crochet
7. Round-up of patterns and ideas
8. Interview a customer
9. Appreciate your customers
10. Interview one of your hooks – be humorous
11. Narrate the creation of one of your products
12. Tutorial a complicated stitch
13. How did you learn to crochet
14. Why are you blogging?
15. Talk about the title of your blog/business (if it is obscure like mine is)
16. Common frustrations of crocheting/blogging
17. Learn a new skill and then blog about your experience (Tunisian Crochet, crocheting in the round, etc.)
18. Feature other crochet artists – share the love!
19. Donate to your favorite charity and write about why.
20. Appreciate the artists of the craft.

15 Incredible Tools for the Crochet Blogger

It’s that time of the month again. No, I’m not talking about THAT time of the month…ew! It’s not that kind of a blog 😖 It’s time for me to share 15 of my favorite tools for you, the incredible crochet blogger, to take advantage of. Like Mr. Beetle is always telling me: work smarter, not harder! And these 15 tools will definitely get you there. Disclaimer: these are affiliate links, and if you purchase through my blog, I will get a small portion of your money. You get awesome tools, and the honor of supporting me as I work to supplement Mr. Beetle’s income 😍

A to Z of Crochet: The Ultimate Guide for the Beginner to Advanced Crocheter Just getting started, or been crocheting for many many years, this book is like the crocheters bible and offers lots of good basics to keep in mind, and great advice for getting better.

Crochet Stitch Dictionary: 200 Essential Stitches with Step-by-Step Photos Sometimes you just want to use a fancy stitch, or can’t remember a beloved stitch, or maybe you just want to learn new stitches, or create your own for a sepcefic style you have in mind.

Ergonomic Crochet Hooks with case It’s a given that a crochet artist will need hooks, but if you are blogging about your crochet, you’ll be doing a lot of it. I strongly recommend that you Protect your wrists and hands as much as you can. These hooks are a great place to start!

Yarn storage bag with multiple pockets Multiple projects going on at the same time? Or a large project that involves lots of color changes? This bag will be a life-saver!

Stitch markers that double as stitch holders Stitch markers are life-savers on every front, but these that double as stitch-holders may save you hours of having to repeat work. Especially if you have kids, pets, or a husband who likes to move your work. Or even one of those vacuuming robots (I discovered this one the frustrating way the other day when my roomba ate half a skein of yarn)

60-Inch Tape Measure While not a necessity, it’s definitely helpful to have a tape measurer on hand. Make sure your hat is the right size, and your clothing is going to fit, and be able to tell customers finished dimensions. Definitely handy.

The Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs: 500 Classic & Original Patterns Wanna teach your blog readers some new stitches? Or expand your own knowledge and ability, or create videos of how to do stitches? It’s like a crochet-stitch dictionary!

Book Light – Rechargeable Reading Lamp I just recently started using a book light and have increased my productivity by at least twice. There are tons of applications here. Add light to your photographs to lessen the shadows. Help you see and read patterns easier. If you Crochet while watching tv (or while your husband plays video games), and everyone else wants the lights dim or off, clip the book light to your shirt and keep working!

How to Read a Crochet Pattern I have met so many people who have been crocheting for years and yet they claim they’ve never learned to read a pattern. I think that this is vital for the crochet blogger. If you can’t read a pattern, you can’t write a pattern, you can’t review patterns, I can’t see how you will have a productive blog. All you can do is share your latest creation, and I think you’ll not gain many followers.

Blogging For Dummies The ins and outs of blogging. I mean, it can’t hurt.

Camera Camcorders Good pictures are so so important for selling your products, and will definitely help out the blog as well. This camera doubles as a camcorder for taking videos, which is a perfect addition to any blog.

Champagne Sequin Backdrop If you are going to be doing videos, a professional backdrop is also recommended. Maybe you make your own yarn-based backdrop…just make sure that it isn’t too busy to distract your viewers from your message.

Light box Again, quite a useful contraption for making professional-quality images for your blog and products.

The Beginner’s Photography Guide I know some people who will argue with me, but I really think that the pictures you use on your blog can make or break you! Know what you are doing, and do it right…the internet world will silently thank you.

1200 Blog Post Ideas (What Should I Blog About?) Because we all suffer from writers block from time-to-time.

What Should Creatives Be Blogging About?

I’ve had this blog for about 5.5 years. The first two years I was very dillegent to post 3-5 times a week and my blog’s stats slowly and steadily increased. However, I never could figure out how to monetized this blog, and without that extra motivation, I sort of fizzled out. Especially when my crochet business started taking off. Quite frankly, I just didn’t have to time to exert energy into something that wasn’t going to profit much. Sure, the blog brought extra customers to my Etsy store, but not enough to make it valuable to me.

However, I’m now in a position where I can come back to the blog, with high hopes of monetizing soon! That simply means I am working on earning some money from this blog. It can definitely be done, and I’ve read several articles from blartists (blog artists – can we make that a thing?) who not only earn money from their crafty blogs, but can make a living solely on their crochet blogs! I have the need to be one of those blartists. So, I appreciate your patience as I work on rebranding, and I promise that little space to the left will soon have a shiny new logo in it! And if you also want to glean from their expertise, I’ve listed a few of them below ☺️

Sewrella

Cre8tioncrochet

ThePennyHoarder

During the past years of blogging, I have paid attention to the stats, and what people are looking at, and liking, and linking back to, and commenting on. It’s a very specific kind of post that people are interested in. To be successful, it’s important to focus on creating this kind of content.

Tutorials

People love to read how to do something. Even better is if it’s simple enough that your readers can do it themselves! I have a few tutorials that I wrote a couple years ago, and still have frequent visitors to those posts. It is also important to realize what to include in a tutorial:

• Tools. Always, always, always include a list of materials needed to accomplish the finished product exactly as you have created it. List specific colors, brand names, and sizes. This is where affiliate marketing makes an impact!
• Pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Good quality pictures. Show your reader how theirs should be looking every step of the way.
• Directions. Step-by-step directions of what needs to be done and how to do it. Did you know, that there are so many many people who cannot craft? They can look at a very simple craft project and have no clue how those results were achieved. Write for these people! Precise, clear, to the point.
• Video. Now, I’m not a video-person. I don’t appreciate my appearance on screen, and I detest the sound of my voice. But there is a great amount of value to be had with videos. Whenever you can, make and use one!
• Resources. Books, other blogs, additional information. Make it easy for your reader to further explore the kind of craft that you are tutorialing (yeah, that’s a thing). While it’s ok to direct them off sight, try to send them to other blog posts that you wrote when you can.

Freebies

People LOVE freebies. Like, gobble them up as fast as they can. They love to benefit from your hard work without having to do anything themselves. Sometimes that’s ok, but don’t get so carried away that you suffer at a loss.

• Printables
• Lists
• Information
• Giveaways
• Cheat sheets

Inspiration

It’s so easy to get discouraged, overwhelmed, bogged down, and just plain wanna quit. If you’ve been living for longer than a year, you’ve definitely felt “the burn-out”. So, include some inspiration and motivation for your readers. Whether that means bible verses to get through life in general, or encouraging quotes from famous people, readers love to be inspired!

Beginner’s guides

So many people are getting the idea that they want to give it a try. After all, if you can be successful, why can’t they? But they don’t even know where to start. More importantly they don’t know how to start. So, create a step-by-step guide for them. Don’t be afraid of sharing your experiences of what worked for you.

Guest Posts

This is an exciting prospect! To have enough of a following to merit the attention and time of someone else. Especially if you are able to bring in an expert who backs up your information. Adds to your credibility. And boosts your stats.

Giveaways

There is much debate on the validity of blog contests. Maybe you can run a successful sweepstakes, but are you bringing in freeloaders or an authentic following? Personally, I find giveaways to be too much work with not enough benefit. But there are some creative bloggers out there who will attest to their usefulness in moderation. I suggest experimenting and find out if it will work for you. I’ll include a few resources for you just because I’m nice like that ☺️

How to Create Social Media Contests That Convert

How to Run a Social Media Promotion and Not Go to Jail

12 Brilliant Contest Ideas

Blogging Giveaway Rules

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There are lots of different kind of blog posts that you can write: memes, narratives, FAQs, works in progress, infographics. While these are useful posts and can add to the validity of your blog, they are not as likely to bring a huge following in a short amount of time. Balance it out and you will be on your way!

Family Bugs, A Narrative

It’s 6:00 in the morning. The house is dark, quiet, and cold. She yanks the covers off, sits up and shivers. Yes, it is very early, but she knows that she is not going to be able to get back to sleep. That’s just not how she works. Once she wakes up, that’s it, she’s awake, and it’s best for her to go ahead and get up and maybe get some work done. So, she peers through the darkness to find her favorite Batman Hoodie, dons it, and trudges into the messy bathroom.

“Oh, yes.” She thinks to herself, “there’s a lot of house-work to get done today.” Then, she goes through the to-do list in her head: Clean bathroom, work on laundry, clean den, don’t forget to vacuum, frost 80 sugar cookies, work on crochet foxes, maybe get to master-bedroom…but probably not.

Making her way out into the den, she pauses and looks around. Where to start? No one else is awake yet, so she decides to take advantage of the quiet and non-demanding time to try to crank out at least one more fox. So, she sets it up: Plug in hot glue gun, find crochet hook, locate the right yarn amidst the pile of ongoing projects, turn on pandora because it’s just too quiet, and flip open computer/pattern. She hears the dog stirring in the other room, “I gave her a bath yesterday, but her constant itching is driving me bonkers! Wonder if she would benefit from another bath today, or is that too close together?” She wonders as she repeats yarn over, pull through, yarn over pull through, yarn over, pull through.

Her phone chimes, and of course she has to stop what she’s doing to check the notifications. She hasn’t done that yet today. Then there is her current game with the daily bonuses. Ooh, a new blog follower, that’s always exciting. Distractions. She remembers that she is suppose to be taking advantage of this rare time, and gets back to work.

Her Mr. Beetle snore’s rather loudly from the bedroom, and she fights back the twinge of annoyance and maybe a little jealousy that he is still asleep and she isn’t. She is almost done with a fox-head when she hears the familiar sound of a door opening. That would be the little grasshopper waking up to start the day. It’s a bit early for him to be awake, she would have preferred if he slept for another 30-minutes. She knows, however, that he really just wants some screen time, and this is the best part of the day to get it. So, when he trudges out and asks, she lets him. It’s not a big deal.

By the time she gets the fox’s ears put on, and the eyes and nose embroidered, the ladybug and bumblebee are awake and watching the boy play. It is now 7:30, probably time to make breakfast. She finishes the little fox she is working on, and gets up to make pancakes for the sweet little ones. It’s the go-to Saturday breakfast. Sometimes she adds in peanut butter or cocoa powder, but today is just “plain” pancakes.

Everyone enjoys the deliciousness of sweet syrupy goodness, and then breakfast is over. She cleans off the table, puts everything away, and starts making powdered sugar icing for the sugar cookies. She outlines the pumpkins, and works on some laundry while that is drying. Then, she fills in the pumpkins, and outlines the oak leaves, and does some more laundry. She fills in the oak leaves, outlines the maple leaves, and the laundry is almost finished. She finishes up the sugar cookies, finishes up the laundry, puts most of it away, and straightens up the living room. *sigh* it never ends, the floor got swept yesterday and there is already dust, grass bits, dirt, and other debris in various nooks and crannies. How about an email-checking break? Yeah, that sounds nice. Oooh, a friend just messaged her!! They collaborate and schedule a good time to call and check-up with each other.

Lunch time, already! She puts some corn dogs in the oven for the little ones, and heats up some left-over soup for herself. At least it’s yummy and nutritional soup. Mr. Lovely puts on some batman cartoons and she takes advantage of the mental break to peruse pinterest. So many wonderful things that people make and share with the world! The little ones go down for their rest times, and she gets back to making more foxes. She needs to crank 13 of these little buggers out in just a few short days. The deadline is fast approaching. She wonders if she’s bitten off a bigger bite than she can chew. But, she’s already committed, and so she puts her nose to the grindstone and crochets as fast as she is able to.

All too quickly rest time is over with, and she gets up and proceeds to clean up her yarn mess. It tends to get a bit out of control when she’s got a huge order or project to work on. Especially if there are multiple colors involved like the foxes require. The floors are next on her list, so she vacuums, and sweeps, and mops the bathroom. Mr. Beetle has been working diligently with all three little bugs to coerce them into getting their own bedrooms cleaned. It’s always an ongoing struggle as any young mother will attest to. Last thing to do at about 4:45 is to light the candles, and everyone is ready for some dear friends to come over for a movie night.

Quesadillas for dinner, and then popcorn while watching Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1. These two families have been getting together all summer to go through the Harry Potter movies. It’s been a great way to form even closer bonds with these fellow servants in Christ. Such simple traditions become such welcomed breaks from the common stresses of every-day life. By the time the movie is over with, and the littles are in bed, she is exhausted and ready for bed herself. So, at 10:30 in the evening, she succumbs to the sweet surrender of sleep, and another day has come and gone.

What a successful, productive, and beneficial day she was able to experience. All because of the unending grace of the good LORD, who not only created another beautiful day, but orchestrated her life in such a way so to allow such a day to even be possible to begin with. To HIM be all the glory forever and ever amen!

Tiny Doll Display

I have been busy busy the past several days/weeks getting ready for a craft show that’s coming up soon. Of course I’ve done the research and I know how important having a good display can be for such an event. One of my products are these cute little garden fairies that I made out of pipe cleaners and silk flowers (I just love them, and so do my girls!). But after searching high and low I could not find a display that was perfect for them. I’m not happy just laying them out on the table, that’s blah, and putting them in a bowl or box would result in a tangly mess. They are kind of gangly in the limbs. Mr. Lovely impulsively bought some tortilla chips several weeks ago, and as I was getting ready to throw away the box, a brilliant idea came to me and I just had to share my process with you guys.

1. Take a large box.
2. Cover said box in white paper, or paint it all white.
3. Splash some watercolor on that puppy.
   1. Pour some water on the surface, splash it around, no rhyme or reason.
   2. Dab your paintbrush in some watercolor, dab it on the box in splotches, swirl it around as desired. Again, no rhyme or reason.
   3. Let the paint dry. Depending on how much water your poured on the box, it might take a while.
4. Create relevant details (in this case, the toadstools)
5. Add adorable tiny clothes pins.
6. Hang your tiny dolls accordingly.

It’s pretty simple, right? I really cannot believe that no one else has done one like this before. Or at least, I couldn’t find anything even remotely similar.

When the Muse has left

In Greek mythology, the muses are daughter’s of Zeus and the inspirational givers. These breathtakingly beautiful women inspired and encouraged men to create. Most of the time, I have no problem with ideas. In fact, I usually have so many ideas that I cannot keep track of them all. But sometimes, ever so occasionally, my muses leave and I am left in a funk with no idea of what to create next. Have you ever been there? Hopefully, these tips will help you find your muse once again!

Go for a walk. It may sound basic. Too basic to be helpful maybe. But oftentimes, I find inspiration in nature if I just take the time to appreciate it. The way that butterfly’s colors mesh together, or the sound of that bird mixed with the cicadas, or maybe the texture of the bark of that tree.

Exercise. What? This has absolutely nothing to do with your brain and finding motivation again. Well, you are only partially wrong. Endorphin’s, my friend. Wonderful endorphin’s are released into your brain while you are exercising. Plus, it doesn’t take a whole lot of brainpower to move your body, and while doing a seemingly mindless activity, your brain is free to wonder. Cue the creative juices!

Get on Pinterest. A majority of my ideas come from pinterest. Here’s the kicker, don’t look for ideas on your particular craft. Chances are, you’ve already seen most of those anyways. Just peruse. Check out home decor, search for cute animal memes, research Christmas gift ideas. I think you’d be surprised at where this will lead you.

Ask someone else. There are three ways that I like to involve others in my crafting process.

1. Straight out asking. I have had several conversations with my mother, in particular, just coming right out and asking her “I need ideas on what to make next, what you got for me?”
2. What’s on your facebook wall? If your friends are anything like my friends, then they are in the habit of posting cute things related to your craft on your facebook wall. Take note, this is what they find interesting.
3. What are the kids playing with? One year for Christmas, I made some crocheted dolls for my kids. Not only are they still playing with these dolls rather fervently three years later, but I have gone on to specialize in making dolls for my business.

Go shopping. Yes, it is quite therapeutic, but you can also get ideas from what big time stores are putting up for sale. These items have been tested, marketed, and proven to be successful.

That’s only a few ways that I have found to combat the dreaded Crafter’s Block. What do you do? I would sure love to hear some more!

Interviewing Family Bugs Designer, Sarah

Hi there, my name is Sarah, I am an avid crochet-er and I see my crochet to supplement my husband’s income. While I prefer to design patterns because of the short-term involvement and long-term pay-out, I also enjoy creating custom work for my fans. I am very good at interpreting and creating easy-to-read patterns, and all of my work involves lots of pictures for further ease of understanding. My goal for each and every pattern is to create something aesthetically pleasing that even the most beginner of crochet artists can follow. Crochet is a beautiful and relaxing art, and I believe that everyone should be able to appreciate and enjoy the process.

My customers are of utmost importance to me, and I freely provide my personal email to create relationships and quickly resolve any issues that may surface concerning my patterns. I am ashamed to admit that some of my earlier patterns were a bit archaic and sloppy, but I am quick to fix any and all glitches as soon as I know about them.

There is nothing more comfortable and perfect than finally getting a chance to sit down on my couch with deliciously fuzzy socks, my legs crossed under me, a smooth cold hook in hand, with some beautiful yarn, popcorn (or even better frozen M&M’s), and something wonderful on netflix. Maybe my computer is next to me for pattern-writing, maybe I’m just creating for the joy of it. That’s a perfect night right there!

Some day, if I ever build up the courage, I will contact a cute little boutique and offer some of my work for sale there. Or better yet, find an antique store that will let me set up my own little corner of the store! During the summer, my mom took me to this perect little shop, and it would be so much fun to set-up a space with her (you should check her out on etsy as well, she makes CUTE monogramed towels and pillow cases that are just perfect for gifts, LetterMeCute).

The best part of crochet-ing is the therapy and relaxation the repetitive stitches offer. I also love bringing joy to other people in the form of my patterns and finished products. The worst part of crochet-ing is having to rip out the last 10 ROWs for the 15th time, because I just can’t get the structure to come out right. Overall though, I can definitely say that crochet is my favorite art-craft to experience!

A Crafter’s Prayer

Dear God and Creator of all things,

You are the master craftsman, able to create the most beautiful landscapes with some of the most breathtaking colors. Fitting together the entire world as an intricately woven tapestry of perfection. Creating life itself to flow and ebb throughout everything. Any talent that I may entertain, came first from You and Your magnificence, oh LORD! Anything that I may create is pale and simple compared to the magnitude of Your own creations. Even my greatest work of art, is but a speck of sand. After all, You created even the tools that I use, the colors in all of their vibrancy that I could not ever hope to mimic, and the mediums that I sloppily slather together in a vain attempt to achieve “cute”.

Thank you for giving me the talent of crafting. There are so many who do not possess the ability to craft even the simplest of projects, and yet You had the care and consideration to gift me with such an ability. Also: for the joy that You created within me for crafting. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication for me to develop this talent that You have gifted me, and without that pleasure, I would not have had the will to do so.

It is not always clearly evident as to how I can use this talent, so I ask that you please show me. Allow me the clarity to see where my abilities are needed and to know how I can serve You better. There are opportunities that You have created, chances for me to shine my light as not only a crafter, but as one of Your precious children. I ask that you please show me those outlets, and give me the ability to recognize it as such. You have given me my crafting talent, and now I ask that You show me how to glorify You all the more with it!

In Your Son’s most almighty and ultimately creative name that I pray,

Amen