Falling in love with Mandalas

When we chose September as Mandala month, we wondered whether it was a little ambitious.  We admire mandalas across social media on a daily basis but the great thing about them is that there is so much variety. From dotty mandalas to more intricate designs, they can truly be as unique and beautiful as each individual snowflake that falls. 

This gave us the idea that for September, instead of getting overwhelmed by all the different mandalas we could create, we would use one mandala template and have fun finding different ways to decorate it.   

Each project we have created we have started by transferring our design onto our journal using transfer paper before choosing our colours and designs.  Sometimes, we have had an idea in mind of the techniques we wanted to use like the one below... 

Here Carol used a simple floating technique to float DecoArt Americana in Snow (Titanium) white

 (this is a technique Carol teaches you in our Cupcakes and Babushka Flat Brush kits). This created such a delicate, ethereal look we couldn't help but love it.  

Keeping things simple, using DecoArt Silver Sage Green, Carol painted each line using comma strokes with her liner brush before adding a few dots and filling any gaps with tiny hearts and a little French Mauve and warm white.  

Here, Rose chose to round off the mandala to simplify her pattern and filled it using our Delicate lace pattern and a few comma strokes.  

Adding a touch of DecoArt Shimmering Silver along with Razzleberry and Teal Green, we used a mixture of dotting, delicate lace and comma strokes to decorate this one.  Delicate lace and comma stokes are a great way to fill a large area without painting solid blocks of colour and creating a more delicate mandala.

Our customers also decided to use our design and paint their own mandala.  Here, Vanessa from The Arc Shed has been inspired by the colours of Jamaica and we were amazed at how well our rosebuds work as the centre of this mandala. We would never have thought of it but it looks fantastic! 

Still a work in progress, we are interested to see how this one turns out.  The painter behind At the Painting Table has combined a limited set of colours to create a mandala with quite a bit of unfilled space but instead of looking empty, it looks striking! 

Our painting challenge is open to everyone so if you fancy using our mandala or creating your own, we would love to share it.  Just tag us or use #funwithfolkit. You can find a copy of our mandala here. 

We are so glad we tried something new this month, we hope you will be too x 

Join our #funwithfolkit monthly challenges

You may remember my admission once upon a time that I am not very good at painting without a purpose.  It's true, I would love to be one of those people overflowing with creative inspiration and the imagination of a child but sadly, it isn't the case.  That's part of the reason I fell in love with Folk Art because I finally found an art form I could master, designs I could follow step by step.

When I sit down to paint these days, I still like to have prompts, ideas of what to create or which colour palette to choose.  That is why we have decided to begin our Monthly challenges to inspire you to have #funwithfolkit Each month we will be providing a simple prompt to inspire your practice or your project, from pattern ideas to colour inspiration they can be interpreted in whichever way your creative mind takes you.

There are no rules when it comes to our monthly challenges.  Each theme can be used to inspire just one practice page or it can influence a few.  You can use it to help create a project, gift or a greetings card.  However you choose to use our theme, please tag us in your posts and use the hashtag #funwithfolkit

Each month, we will share your images across our social media and the most liked posts will be shared on our blog and in our newsletter.

So, starting tomorrow and throughout May, our first theme will be beautiful Rainbows.  I picked this one following my recent colour mixing adventures as it is a great opportunity to play with colour if you wanted to take the theme less literally.  We hope this theme makes you smile as much as we do and that you will have some great #funwithfolkit

Here's to a month filled with fun, Folk It, colour and creativity

Happy Folking x

10 reasons why we all should be painting

Children are encouraged at nursery and school to create - to explore their environment through play and art, using whatever medium they choose (often the messier the better!) but as we age, we often forget the importance of creativity, we find excuses to ignore our hobbies because of demands on our time or because we have told ourselves (or have been told)

we are not creative.  As we seemingly move away from art in education and as we get busier, it seems more important than ever to nurture the creativity within us all.  If we ever needed any reasons to open up our painting kits and get started, they're all here! 

1. It improves motor skills.  All the time you are holding the brush (or dotting tool!) the muscles in your fingers are exercised and strengthened - all while doing something you enjoy. 

2. It creates an outlet for emotions you may find it difficult to express verbally.  Studies of stroke patients have found that it can create more positive emotions and reduce depression. Being able to communicate through colour, pattern, brushstrokes and texture can release emotions in a healthy way. 

3. It can help boost self confidence. Learning a technique, mastering a brushstroke, finishing a project you are proud of can all lead to a sense of accomplishment and pride.  

4. It develops your levels of persistence.  When your brushstrokes aren't flowing as they should or a painting project doesn't turn out the way you would like it to, you become determined to rectify that.  As a result it not only increases your level of patience but it can help build your problem solving skills. 

5. As we imagine and think about our painting projects, plan our colour schemes and recall techniques and past projects, it can all help boost our memory and sharpen our minds.  Studies into the benefits of painting for individuals with Alzheimers have found that it can help them recall better, boost their imagination and strengthen their memories. 

6.  It lowers our stress levels.  Engaging in art gives us something to focus on other than our problems and worries and gives us the chance to engage in a spot of fun and feel good for a while.  

7. Creativity increases creativity. People often make the decision or are told that they aren't creative from a young age but just by engaging in a spot of painting strengthens everyones creative skills. Painting triggers our dopamine levels (the neurotransmitter that helps regulate our emotions and when it spikes, it creates the feeling of pleasure) and it engages both sides of the brain as it gives our brain the equivalent of an aerobic workout. 

8. It helps develop an optimistic attitude.  Every painter or artist will set themselves goals - to learn a technique, paint a design or create a specific project.  Once they reach that goal and improve their skills it increases their confidence and helps them feel more optimistic and positive of what they can create in the future.

9. You become more observant of the world around you. As you begin to paint shapes, colours and patterns you will start to search for and look for these within our surroundings. As your concentration improves thanks to your creative pastimes, you will notice the details that surround you that passed you by before. 

10. It helps us have fun. Through painting, we can laugh, learn something new and socialise with others. In addition, when we create, when we paint, we connect with others who enjoy doing the same. We share ideas, encourage others and we inspire - whether it is in person or online. There is nothing better than a creative community! 

We don't know about you but we are convinced (more than ever!) that painting is so good for our mental, physical and emotional health. If you would like to share how you feel painting has changed your life, feel free to get in touch and share your story.  

Here's to creativity! 

The You Can Folk It team xx 

Folky Tips to stay creative

In 2017, compared to a decade ago, we are more aware that we need to nurture our mental health and take steps to combat the fast paced lives many of us lead and achieve a state of mindfulness - time to reflect, be present and achieve an almost meditative state.  Creativity has been found to have many benefits, for our moods and problem solving to hand eye co-ordination and dexterity.  

This all sounds great but running a business, looking after a family or generally dealing with whatever life brings your way means that sometimes creativity, hobbies and having fun often get tossed aside. 

So, we thought we would put together a few of our favourite ways to stay creative…..

PRACTICE, SCRIBBLES & DOODLES

Spend some time every week being creative. Schedule time for yourself to paint for no other reason than it makes you happy. It doesn't have to be a project - it could be a practice sheet or doodling a new pattern that you can add to your journal. 

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Do something different. Try something you haven't done before or that you think you don't have time for…bake a cake, go do some gardening, read a book. Breaking out of your routine even if just for 5 or 10 minutes can uplift and inspire you. 

BROWSE

Whether it's flicking through a magazine or browsing Pinterest (our personal favourite!), you can find inspiration everywhere. Pinterest in particular is an amazing way to stumble across the unknown, things that you would have never even thought of searching for. 

     

EXPERIMENT

Sometimes thinking can be our downfall when it comes to creativity.  Often, the idea of letting go and not being bound by rules can be a scary thought for many.   For example, the guides that come with our kits are fantastic at teaching you how to paint the basics and are incredibly helpful but feel free to explore them and adjust them to suit the style you desire. 

PRACTICE

5. Practice. From mixing colours to brushstrokes, practice is key. No one is perfect and just practicing our technique and playing with colour can inspire new colour schemes, build confidence and trigger new ideas. 

These are our favourite five but there are so many other ways to stay creative. We recently discovered this amazing post from Jennifer about the healing that can come from creativity.  It emphasises to us yet again, just how important it is.

Happy Folking!  
xx