☀️ Today is the first day of the school summer holidays chez Making Stitches and while it’s a normal work day for me, I’m still marking the official start to summer with my Summer Craft Challenge!
This will be my 10th year creating posts throughout the school summer holidays showing a bit of creativity every day.
The challenge was born in the summer of 2016 when I was a stay-at-home Mum of 3 young men, aged 12, 8 and 4!! Back then, we lived in Gibraltar and experienced/endured 8-week-long school summer holidays – believe me, they were lengthy!
Each year I would feel completely exhausted and bogged down in the hamster wheel that is being a parent and my creativity took a back seat – there just wasn’t the time (or at least I thought there wasn’t). Then, in 2016 I read something somewhere that basically said it was up to me to find time to do something for myself (even if it was only for 5 mins) and surely it would have a positive impact on my mood. I tried it and it worked.
I made sure that I didn’t leave home without a small crafty project with me, crochet, embroidery, knitting or anything ‘creative’. That way, if I had a window of opportunity, no matter where it was, in a carpark, a waiting room, the beach, on a bench, I could do something creative and I felt like I’d achieved something that day.
By posting a photo each day, it kept me accountable and kept me going on days I felt I couldn’t be bothered.
That year, and every year since then (except in 2020 when we moved countries) I’ve been joined by fellow creativity seekers who have also shared their summer makes and that has given me such joy to see.
If you want to join in, I’d love you to! All you have to do is take a snap of your daily creativity (or weekly, or whatever you can manage) and post it on socials with the hashtag #SummerCraftChallenge2026
There’s no pressure to do it every day, some people just do a week or two when they are actually on holiday. Dip in and out at will, you will be most welcome!
Here’s to some crafty summer fun!
Lindsay x
