Edition #10 | Crafting to Calm an Anxious Mind

Hello friends,

Over the years I have learned that whenever the world feels like too much—big events, heavy news, things totally outside my control—I instinctively reach for something to do with my hands. It’s the quickest way I know to calm my mind.

There’s actually science behind this. Studies show that activities like knitting can lower stress and put us into a kind of gentle, meditative state. I feel that deeply. When I’m doing something simple and repetitive with my hands, the pressure in my mind eases up.

Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of different crafts. I let go of the idea of being “good” at them a long time ago. Now I treat them like experiments: I play, I explore, I keep going if I love it, and I move on when I feel done. No guilt, no pressure to master anything. Craft kits have become one of my favorite ways to do this. They’re low-effort, high-reward: you get all the supplies, clear step-by-step instructions, and you end up with something that looks surprisingly store-bought or artisan-made.

In this edition, I’m sharing six craft kits I really love—each one easy to jump into, soothing to work on, and genuinely satisfying to finish.

Let’s make something.
-Karli

No doom-scrolling, no multitasking—just you, your hands, and a clear set of steps to follow.

Sculpd x HEBE Studio™ Paint by Number Kit | $59
“I love paint by number kits because they let my brain relax while still working on something beautiful. These kits are especially fun with their bright colors and exotic destinations. I am currently working on the Morocco one and I want to do the Mount Fuji one next!”

Flax & Twine Callie Linen Coasters Kit | $42
“This craft kit is so elegant! Plus, I get to learn weaving which I have not seen kits for before.”

Bird in Hand Beginners Whittling Kit | $32
“After getting a bird buddy for Christmas I am full-on in my midlife birding era so this whittling kit is perfect for me. I love that everything I need is included and I love the finished product. I looks almost like an Eames bird!”

Apotheke Woody Candle Making Kit | $78
“Apotheke makes very high quality candles, but I love the idea of making it myself and getting to mix the scent to make it precisely what I want.”

Wool & the Gang Love Goes On Shawl Kit | $138
“Wool & the Gang has a TON of beginner and easy knitting and crochet kits. I especially like this shawl because you can throw it over anything and the alpaca & merino wool is so soft. You end up with a very high-end finished product.”

Flax & Twine Calliope Basket Kit (Makes 2) | $56
“I love to have little catch-all bowls around the house for all my doodads and these are SO COOL!”

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Here are a few things have caught my interest this week:

🛍️ Another reason to break up with Amazon. They launched a feature that scrapes product data from external websites of small brands to display in its app and even complete purchases on merchants' behalf—all without consent from those brands. They even posted incorrect images and out of stock inventory damaging the brand’s image.

🍺 For the past handful of years I have taken part in Dry January. It has definitely gotten easier as the availability and quality of NA drinks have come to the market. One of my favorite finds this year was an NA porter from Deschutes Brewing. It really does taste just like the real thing.

🧩 My family loves to work on puzzles when the weather is especially cold and dreary. We just finished this one and it was an especially fun challenge because you are presented with a mystery to start, have to put the puzzle together without a picture to look at, and solve the mystery at the end based on clues within the finished puzzle image.

We've been making hili better behind the scenes with clearer navigation, easier ways to explore and all the technical stuff that matters. What actually makes the platform work, though, is simple: people you trust, sharing things they genuinely love.

Your friend who always knows what to watch next? The one whose recommendations you actually take? Get them on hili. The more people you trust are here, the better it gets for everyone.

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