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Last Friday, we had the honor to volunteer at a local children’s hospital to host a crafting station for children in the hospital and their families. We teamed up with an amazing organization in the Chicagoland area to make this happen, Holiday Heroes. Holiday Heroes is an organization that hosts parties at children’s hospitals throughout the Chicagoland area. These daytime parties provide kids and their families the opportunity to step away from their long, draining, stressful days in the hospital to have FUN through crafting, cookie decorating, a buffet of delicious food and lots of socializing.
When Holiday Heroes reached out to ask if we would be interested in coming up with a craft for this month’s party and then coming to craft with the kids, we were so excited to accept the opportunity! We are truly honored to work with such an amazing organization, especially by doing something we are so passionate about– craft. Hanging out and crafting with these kids and their families was so much fun and very inspiring.
So what craft did we decide on for this event?! Great question. We actually bounced around a lot of ideas (picture frames? succulent gardens? Easter eggs?). Our objective was to create something with the kids that could stay in their hospital room with them, to provide inspiration as they go through some of the hardest days of their lives. I don’t know how we finally came upon the dreamcatcher idea, but boy oh boy were we excited when we decided on creating those.
We both had dreamcatchers in our rooms growing up as kids, both purchased with our grandparents on trips to Arizona! Not only do they provide a bit of nostalgia, but there is just something so whimsical and magical about dreamcatchers. 
If you’re not familiar with dreamcatchers…here’s a little background info:
- They’re popular in Native American Cultures.
- People of the Ojibwa tribe say they made the first dream catchers in ancient times.
- The web of string is supposed to “catch” nightmares. That’s why you’ll often find them hanging over children’s beds.
- The good dreams go through the hole in the center of the dream catcher and then glide down the feathers to the person sleeping below.
The best part about dreamcatchers? They’re super easy to make and to personalize!
SUPPLIES:
- Embroidery Hoop (we used a variety of sizes from 2 inches up to 6 inches)
- String or Yarn
- Beads
- Feathers
- Tape, washi tape, glue, or hot glue <–seriously any adhesive will work!
STEP 1: Unscrew the embroidery hoop, so you just have the inner circle. Take the end of your string and glue or tape it to the wood. Then wrap your string around the hoop to create a web.
STEP 2: When your web is to your liking, cut your string. You can either glue or tape the piece onto the wood, or simple take the outside ring and screw it over the inner circle to keep your string in place.
STEP 3: Now time for the fun part! This is where you can get crazy with beads, feathers, and even more string. Hang pieces of string from the bottom half of your dream catcher in various lengths. String beads onto the bottom and knot the end of the string to keep them in place.
STEP 4: When it comes to the feathers, you can glue, hot glue, or tape these into place. You could even add some color & pattern and washi tape your feathers onto the bottom of the string. 
STEP 5: Add another piece of string to the top of the embroidery hoop so you can hang your dreamcatcher near your bed easily.
Yep, that’s all it takes to create your own magical dreamcatcher. Pretty easy, right? These dreamcatchers would be great for a kid’s party or even for a crafting night with the girls. Personally, we think dreamcatchers should make a come back for adults because the parents had so much fun making them (and we did too!). Plus, who doesn’t love sweet dreams?
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