Here at Experience Henley we’re all about positivity, fun and joy and Laura Brand has all of these in spades along with a wonderful air of calm and just being in the moment, something we all strive for.

In this mad, bad, frenetic world Laura’s new book The Joy Journal For Grown Ups is the perfect balm for all the angst around us and for reconnecting, creating and escaping.

The Joy Journal For Grown-ups invites you to experiment, play and unlock your creative potential with a range of simple crafts that can bring a little more calm into your everyday life. Using store cupboard ingredients and easily foraged supplies, this beautifully illustrated handbook includes new and inspiring ideas for adding a personal touch to celebrations, creating unique gifts, and making stunning keepsakes.

Whether you are a beginner or confident crafter, Laura gently guides you through a host of delightful projects including beautiful flower-pressed candles, scented body butter, and origami hearts. She invites you to carve out ‘me time’ and enjoy shared creative experiences with friends that can help us to feel more connected and harness the freedom of play from childhood. Imaginative, engaging and easy to follow, this gorgeous, step-by-step guide features all the encouragement you need to find inspiration, awaken your creativity and brighten your mood.

If you weren’t aware before, Laura has shared her crafty experiments and creative ideas for everyday play in her bestselling book The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play and on her online platform The Joy Journal. She has led workshops for children and adults at Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival, Port Eliot Festival and others.

Laura lives just outside Henley in the countryside with her husband, their two daughters, two dogs, ten cats and chickens! She says, home is a place of muddy boots, half-finished creative projects and DIY decorations.

With chaos and calm in equal measure, Laura aspires to guide people in joyful crafting and a connection to nature that is accessible to all. Laura has discovered that having her own creative outlet positively impacts her mental health and wellbeing and provides a welcome tonic in a busy world.

We advise you to follow Laura on Instagram because her feed just makes the world seem a wonderful place, and it is, we just need to reconnect.

Be more Laura.

You can buy Laura’s book from The Bell Bookshop – Henley-on-Thames