Spooktacular Half Term

When days grow short and nights get cold
And autumn trees turn red and gold,
Move, we may, through sun drenched days
'Midst leaves and berries and bales of hay.

In our hearts we feel the lure
Toward darkness, shivers, and things not pure,
While ghostly shadows creep slowly by,
Spying on witches and brooms that fly.

Taken from the poem Halloween Night by Denise M. Cocchiaro

Hermoine here, part time BellaCrafter and part time witch wannabe (Glinda the Good Witch of course).  It is no wonder then that myself and fellow BellaCrafters get a little swept up in the mystical magic of Halloween.

Halloween has of course been recognised for thousands of years. It began as a festival to mark the end of summer and harvest the beginning of winter, with many people believing the day before All Saints Day, Hallows Eve, was also a time that other worldly spirits would appear and all manner of mischief and trouble would be caused.

Bonfires, costumes and rituals were carried out to ward off these spirits and over time, these beliefs have evolved into what we now call Halloween, with a little less fear and lots more fun, it is a day to dress up and be a little spooktacular!

Oh, and do we have some ghoulishly great things lined up for you in the lead up to Halloween and during half term...have the Schools played a trick or treat on us parents?

  

Well, here are some of our treats just for you...



Forget a trip to the local supermarket and create some memories in our Costume Making workshop! Choose your spooky character and go to (terror) town with pompoms, eyes, glitter and sequins!  

Or why not join our Spooky Slime workshops on Monday or Wednesday? Though be warned, they do fill fast so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment. 

If your feeling confidently creepy you'll love our Pumpkin Decorating Competition!! Forget carving and bring the family along to paint, glitter, sequin, add eyes, legs and more to your pumpkin. Why not make a unicorn, fairy or even spider pumpkin?! Plus you'll be entered into the competition and could win an awesome crafty prize. Perfect for little ones, big ones, old ones, maybe even grumpy ones.... There's a prize to be won after all!

Freakishly fabulous isn't it and if that wasn't enough we are inviting all the Creepy Crafters to our Halloween Parties, running on 25th, 26th, 29th & 30th October. They will be full of fantastic fun where we will be creating our very own hocus pocus magic potions and even enjoying a yummy party tea.

For a little sneaky peak , click on the video below to watch the magic unfold! (disclaimer - actual magic must be used with caution).

Booking is essential for all of these activities. To find out more and book your place today, just click on the link here: https://www.bellacrafts.co.uk/book-here/school-holidays/
Of course we will have all our usual craft activities running including Holiday Club, and drop in pottery painting, decopatch and glass painting. 

Now, it's not all about the kids, us adults (me) also like to get a little caught up in the fun of Halloween (what coloured stripy tights shall I wear this year?  Are the red glittered heels too much?) So we also have some lovely little workshops just for you! 

On 21st October we will be running a Halloween Felting workshop...you will NEED these in your life so don't miss out and click on the link below for further details and to book your place today!!!

https://www.bellacrafts.co.uk/webshop/workshops/halloween-felting-21-10-18/

Don't fear if you can't make the above workshop, we will also be running Felted Pumpkins on 30th and 31st October as a cake and craft workshop.  














                                                                                              For more activities or to book your place, just click here: https://www.bellacrafts.co.uk/webshop/workshops/craft-and-cake-afternoons/

We also have another treat in store, we are very honoured to have been nominated for not one, but two awards in the 'Hampshire Women's Business Awards 2018'!!! If you've visited us before and enjoyed any activities similar to the above, then we need your help! 

The two categories we have been shortlisted in are the 'Dream Big Award' and the 'Beautiful Bricks and Mortar Award'. We are so excited (not only because we get to dress up and head to a posh dinner - oooo, those glittery heels can be worn again!).

Attending such an event means a great deal to us as it is an amazing opportunity to meet fellow women in business but wouldn't it also be the biggest treat to possibly win?

This is where you, our BellaCrafts friends can help. By simply clicking on the link below and entering only your email address, you can place your vote for us today!!

https://www.thedaisychaingroup.com/p/the-hampshire-women-s-business-awards-voting

Voting closes on 14th October ☺️

Needless to say, we are all feeling a little giddy and immensely proud. It is of course thanks to you for your continued support in helping us grow and become what we are today that has helped lead to this nomination.  Unfortunately, tables were a little hard to come by so we couldn't get tickets for you all to attend...pictures will follow however!

Right, my cauldron is about to boil over and I need to find out those glittered shoes!  As always, remember, we are here 7 days a week for your crafty needs, advice and supplies so pop in, call us, email or send us a message on facebook, we'd love to see you!

Until next time my BellaCrafts friends


Hermoine

It's a Tuesday morning in October (already?!), half term is just around the corner, Christmas is looming in the not too distant future. If you're anything like us at BellaCrafts, then you've been busy filling up your Autumn calendar and rushing round keeping on top of work, family, social life, chores etc.... But when was the last time you stopped and thought about YOU? 

It is so easy to be swept up in the hubbub of day to day life that it can be very easy to forget to think about yourself and your own well being. When was the last time you did something just for yourself? Seriously, think about it! Can't remember? Me neither! 

That is why we want to introduce you to Mandy Papas, Mindfulness Coach and Reiki Practitioner. We are very excited to be welcoming her to BellaCrafts next week where she will be hosting the first Mindful Crafting and Wellbeing Event. It is set to be a very enjoyable evening in which guests will enjoy guided meditations, resilience tips for keeping positive and nurtured over the winter months, craftwork time where you can use your creativity to make beautiful crafts followed by coffee and cake - what a perfect combination.

Please introduce yourself

Hi I’m Mandy and I am a Hypnotherapist, Mindfulness Coach and Reiki Practitioner. Those are three of the many hats I wear in life and I am also mum to two lovely daughters and two gorgeous grandsons too! I live and work in Winchester and feel blessed to be following my passion in life. I love helping others and opening up their minds to new possibilities for happier living.

Why do you feel so inspired by offering well-being to others?

I have always had a sense of wanting to help others and had always been the ‘agony aunt’ to friends and family. Before running my own business my previous roles included admin, PA and sales roles but I always felt that something was missing -  they were just jobs that paid the bills.  When I became a therapist and coach I began to really understand what fulfilment meant as I helped others to learn and develop ways to lead a happier and healthier life. I work long hours at times which includes some evenings and weekends but my sense of satisfaction in helping my clients balances out the working hours. I really understand and benefit personally from my therapies so always help my clients with authenticity and a passion for helping them.

What’s the most important area you feel about people’s well-being?

I would say it is understanding the options that are available to them rather than just taking a pill year after year. I always work closely with GP consent and would never suggest someone comes off medication without involving their medical advisor but I feel it’s important for clients to really understand the benefits and many options that are available to them through holistic healing. Many issues with well-being are down to the stress we carry in our lives and there are many natural ways to manage it more effectively.

How did you get into what you do?

Many years ago I developed a fear of motorway driving. Out of the blue I experienced an anxiety attack driving on the M3. I didn’t know why it happened as I had not experienced any previous driving incidents but following on from that first anxiety attack this became a regular occurrence and after a while I stopped driving on motorways. I would take the back roads or get others to drive me. I carried this fear for many years as it was easier to avoid it and pretend it wasn’t there! I tried anxiety pills from my doctor but they didn’t really help me.  A friend suggested hypnotherapy and I was a bit sceptical at first as I didn’t know anything about it, but I found a reputable hypnotherapist and tried three sessions. I was amazed at the change in me and I was able to get back in the car and drive on the motorway again!  I was able to completely let go of the fear and I was so impressed with the change in me. This led me to then re-train as a hypnotherapist and the rest is history!

After building my therapy business I began to realise that I was over-working. When you run your own business and it also your passion the lines become blurred and I realised that I needed to find my own way to look after myself as well as my clients! I had been hearing more about mindfulness and I trained as a mindfulness and meditation teacher four years ago. Mindfulness has helped me to take a pause, to re-charge, to recognise when my negative mind is taking over and to manage my emotions and thoughts. I feel a greater sense of balance and positivity through living a mindful lifestyle which I love. I also love the awareness of choice that mindfulness gives me.

The third area of my offering is Reiki and after being told for many years that I had ‘healing hands’! I decided to train as a Reiki Practitioner. I love the healing energy that Reiki produces for both myself and my clients.  Reiki is a wonderful addition to my services so that I can offer a complete mind and body healing and coaching service

Who can or should be attending your events?

I can help anybody who is struggling in life and those that just want to feel better about themselves or improve specific areas of their lives. I help clients to overcome stress, anxiety, low-mid level depression, to manage weight, stop smoking, boost confidence and over-come fears and phobias. I run hypnobirthing sessions for mums and dads to-be and also run sessions to aid fertility If your mind is holding you back from being the best version of your then I can show you how to change it!

Why have you and BellaCrafts collaborated?

Back in the Springtime I took my grandsons to BellaCrafts and was really impressed with the friendly and helpful staff and the crafting options available. I realised that crafting was a very relaxing and nourishing activity to carry out. I saw literature that explained the range of activities available to adults and children and it set my creative mind thinking about a collaboration! Belinda and her team share the importance of wellbeing and could see the link between what we both have to offer.

Do you think crafts aid well-being?

Definitely! I recognised that crafting is a mindful activity and promotes the same feelings of wellbeing that my clients gain from the mindful activities I teach them. Crafting enables you to be mindfully ‘present’ – a strong benefit of mindfulness and to enjoy a sense of achievement from the craft project you complete.

What are your future plans?

I want to continue helping clients to find the ‘happier’ version of themselves. I am planning to run a diversity of wellbeing projects and events bringing a combination of learning, fun and nurturing together! We ourselves really enjoyed Mandy's story at a recent networking event and felt inspired by how she had her turned her own situation up side down. We would love to welcome you to the event which will take place on Wednesday 10th October 7-9pm. Don't panic if you can't make the first one, we have more events being held in November and January. Booking is essential and you can do this by calling 023 8051 7054 or find tickets to all the events here: https://bellacrafts.co.uk/ If you'd like some more information about Mandy or what the event will involve, please feel free to drop her an email at positivelyyou@btinternet.com We are counting down the days until the event and looking forward to welcoming the guests. We would love you to be involved so please don't be shy! The team at BellaCrafts