Craft'd With Love: A Heartwarming Journey

Hi makers! As we enter the holiday season, through the busyness of the typical maker hustle, we often see stories of giving that fill us with joy and warm our hearts. Our Maker Life is happy to welcome a special guest to the blog whose project will do just that! Silvia is one of the talented makers behind Craft'd With Love, a do-good project she co-founded with her sister Ana. The project is moving full steam ahead with a mission to give back to the community by donating scarves to cancer patients to help keep them warm during the cold winter months..

All great stories begin with the words “Once Upon a Time,” and Craft’d With Love’s story is no exception. Ready to read about a great cause? Let's go!

Hi everyone, Silvia here!

Craft’d With Love was born as a way for my sister and I to honor my mother’s memory, and share with the world her generous and caring nature. On the surface our mission is simple: we hand-knit scarves and donate them to cancer patients to help them stay warm. But on an emotional level it’s much more complex. We witnessed first-hand how a kind gesture can do wonders for the human spirit and help keep hope alive, even in the direst of situations. Each scarf we deliver is meant to provide a sense of encouragement, as well as the love and comfort that are associated with knowing that someone is thinking of you and is wishing you well.

When we began Craft’d With Love in 2013, we couldn’t have imagined how fast it would grow, and how many wonderful people we would meet along the way. We began this project as a way to honor my mom’s memory and we naively thought our first “Share the Warmth Season” would be our last, but life had other plans.

Grief is an interesting experience. It often times isolates us from the rest of the world. It can lead someone to believe they are the “only ones” who have ever lost a loved one, when in reality many of us have. We found that through helping others we could find new meaning in what happened to us, and finally begin to heal.

Since 2013, over 700 hand knit scarves have been donated to patients undergoing cancer treatment, the homeless, and children transitioning into foster care across the country. No man is an island, and we couldn’t do the work we do without the support of others who share in our mission. Organizations like the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, the Imerman Angels, Khloe Kares, the Little Lambs of Utah, the Beauty Bus Foundation, and the Foundation for Living Beauty help us distribute our scarves to those who need an extra dose of love and encouragement.

This year has been filled with transformation for us. We are excited to take on new challenges, to make new friends, and to move beyond our comfort zone. Our “Make-Your-Scarf” Pop-Up Events throughout Los Angeles have allowed us to create spaces for patients and their families to bond. Whether you are the patient or the family member, being stuck in the hospital for weeks is emotionally grueling. Distraction through artistic expression can be very therapeutic for the patient and their families.

In addition, we launched our “Knitting Crew” volunteer program. For the past three years, every single scarf has been knitted by my sister, my aunt, and me, but the demand exceeded our capacity. In order to continue to “Share the Warmth” with all those in need we decided to reach out to the knitting community and the response was overwhelming. One of the best parts of doing good is connecting with others who stride to do the same. Knitters all over the country signed up to help us make scarves.

If you would like to join our “Knitting Crew” you can e-mail us at craftdwithlove@gmail.com. To make a donation visit bit.ly/SharingWarmth2017.

Happy making, happy giving,
Silvia

CONNECT WITH CRAFT'D WITH LOVE ONLINE:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/craftdwithlove
Instagram: @craftdwithlove
Twitter: www.twitter.com/craftdwithlove 
Website: www.craftdhandmade.com/testimonials/