#FollowFriday: Crafty IG Moms That Exude Playful Beauty

If you hear the word “craft” and you think of boxed macaroni and cheese, it's time for an inspiration intervention. Thanks to these Instagrammers’ inventiveness, you can be as crafty as you wanna be. Making art doesn’t have to serious, involved or difficult. These four lovely ladies – Olga, Merrilee, Loren, and Kelly – will lead the way to bliss in rainbow colors, soft yarns, paper flowers, and huggable toys.

@olgaprinku

Olga Prinku: “Crafty mum on a journey to build my handcrafted wool goodies business. And some bits and pieces of my life and home. UK”

Olga’s background is in graphic design, but when she started her family she got into crocheting and knitting. “I love working with wool – it’s a natural, soft and warm material. Everything I make is very chunky using two or more strands of very chunky 100% wool yarn, to make it especially tactile. I also like to use happy, bright colours,” she says. Her Instagram’s pics are warm, cozy, soft and inviting. It mostly showcases her amazing crafts and knits, but occasionally you’ll see a cute kiddo modeling something Olga’s made.

@mer_mag

Merrilee Liddiard: “Doll making @merrileeliddiardshop; Author of kids craft book PLAYFUL; Author/Illustrator of Fairy Friends books.”

Merrilee is such a fun mom! Not only does she show her children enjoying all of her artistic flourishes (we love the paper-swan and cute cards she made for Valentine’s Day), but she draws the most exquisite images for kids all over the world to enjoy (her most recent illustration of a princess and a bunny is so sweet, we want to frame it). Merilee makes plush, huggable dolls and so much more – this multitalented mom is one to follow, for sure.

@thomasalm3ida

THOMAS ALMEIDA: “Mother Loren Casas. Illustrator. Founder of @holalittlesoul”

Loren is the creator of Little Soul and her goal is not only to make coloring a fun experience, but to open up little ones’ imagination in the process. Her vision is to share drawings with kids, as well as adults who wish to remember their own childhood and share it with their “little souls.” There are plenty of pics of her young son Thomas showing off his own sketching skills – but they don’t stop at paints, crayons, and pencils – Loren and Thomas are quite crafty, too. You’ll get lots of idea for fun family projects here.

@cloudydaygray

Kelly Smith: “Learning how to give, live, and love by celebrating the everyday as a mother, crafter, and donate life advocate.”

Kelly’s crafting comes right from the heart: she starting creating pretties and penning blogs as a way to keep track of the lessons she learned while living in the hospital with her newborn daughter for 72 days as she waited for, received, and recovered from a lifesaving liver transplant at six weeks old. Kelly says, “I want to change the world. Whether that is making someone smile on a day they're feeling sad, bringing life to a new perspective, or encouraging parents to think about pediatric organ donation – my goal is to always move forward, work hard, and show kindness.” Her daughter and son are both happy, healthy, and superstars in Kelly’s crafty Instagram.

Which crafty moms you follow on Instagram? Share your favorites with us!

Cover image by @olgaprinku