My Top 10 Online Crafty Groups
Here’s the truth of my experience in crafting…it can be hard to find real-world crafty friends. Interaction with other crafters provides friendship, support, and feeds your creativity! But, the truth is that when I have looked for crafty meet-ups around me, I have not met with a ton of success. I found a couple of different Bible-journaling groups, but the location was too far to be realistic on a weeknight. When I search scrapbooks “crops” to meet up with, they are either endorsing a particular company that I was not a fan of, or they cost a large amount to attend. Where I have found a lot of support, lovely friendships, and endless inspiration is in online crafty groups. I am not saying that in-person meet-ups are not valuable, because they most definitely are! But, sometimes, support and community from fellow online crafters can be just the ticket to help your creativity bloom. Below are the top 10 favorite crafty groups that I enjoy participating in:
- Craft Room Organization with JenniferMaker – My favorite online group! This is a crafting group all about organization filled with many very active members. Post pictures of your craft room, ask for advice, and look to other people’s rooms and storage solutions for inspiration. Great for all kinds of crafters including paper crafts, sewing, painting, metal work, you name it! I’ve never had a negative experience in the group and always learn something new when I check out new posts.
- By the Well 4 God Study Group – This is the smallest group on the list, but the most close-knit. Designed for those who participate in the By the Well 4 God bible studies, this group is a place to share journaling pages, ask questions, and be inspired by other Bible journalers.
- Scrapaholics Anonymous – This is an enormous group filled with paper crafters from all over the world. Started by the fabulous “Inkie Quill”, many of the paper crafters in this group are from outside the United States which I find so refreshing. This is a wonderful group to find out about products that may not be sold commonly in the United States. It is chock full of creative team and design team members from various companies and TONS of gorgeous inspirational layouts!
- Bible Journaling – This is the second largest Bible journaling group on Facebook and is lovely because it is not affiliated with any specific Bible journaling company. While members of this group do not seem to be as active as other groups, there is support out there if you choose to engage with other posts. Additionally, all posts have to be approved, so there is no worry that inappropriate posts will sneak through.
- Bible Journaling Tips & Tricks – Such a fun group, with fabulous admin support. This group deals with specific journaling techniques that can be applied to a variety of paper-crafting, not just Bible journaling. This is a fun forum for those that are new to Bible journaling, and a great place to reach out to others!
- Traveler’s Notebook Forum – I’ve searched and searched and this is the only TN group that I can find that is not specifically associated with a company. There is a HUGE variety in this group. Some people use their TNs for planning, some for crafting, some for basic journaling, and some for uses that are completely original. One of my favorite types of posts frequently found in this group are “haul” posts, where people share the paper and stationary hauls they pick up from around the world. So fun!
- Jane Davenport Mixed Media Artomologists – Speaking of fun, this group is FABULOUS! Full of fun inspiring artists, all using Jane Davenport supplies, the “Davenpeeps” in this group have nothing but positivity to share. They will comment and like your art journaling photos, provide tips for getting the most out of your products, and inspire you with their artwork. Additionally, this group is a great way to stay up to date on new Jane Davenport product and class releases. There are many active users in this group, so it can be a great way to make some craft connections all over the world.
- Bible Journaling Community – Illustrated Faith – The largest Bible journaling group on Facebook, mostly because Illustrated Faith is one of the original Bible journaling companies. This is a loving group where a wide range of journalers share their pages and offer comments on others. Although this group is associated with Illustrated Faith, not all the Bible entries shared have to be from Illustrated Faith studies. This is a fabulous group for a beginner Bible journaler and can be a wonderful place for inspiration and advice. Every time Illustrated Faith releases a new kit or new items in the Print and Pray shop, there are going to be many fabulous designers that share example pages in this group.
- Planners Gone Wild – This group can certainly be fun, but be forewarned, any topic is free game. While there are many planner spreads, product info, and journaling tips that are shared, group members also discuss a variety of topics including politics and world events. You may be able to form some valuable connections in this group, but it certainly is not all craft related.
- Art Journaling – Truthfully, I feel like there are not many art journaling groups on Facebook that allow you to freely share entries and layouts. Many of them require approval in advance, or only allow pages centered around certain products or themes. This Art Journaling group has much more open rules, and therefore has a huge community associated with it. Thevariety of photos you will find on this page ranges from beginner level to very experienced artists. You will find pages for any type of art journaling style.
The truth with any online craft group is that you get out of it as much as you put in it. It is called social media for a reason. Engage with the group. Offer comments and likes. Participate in polls and contests. The more you engage with an online community, the more welcome you will feel as you begin to add your own posts to the group. Be positive, upbeat, and encouraging to your fellow crafters!
Do you have online groups that are your favorites? Let me know in the comments below, because I would love to check them out!
Keep it creative,
-The Scrappy Wife
