NAN Middleton is reeling off the tools of her trade. "A small pair of cuticle scissors, a tube of silicon glue, a few wooden cocktail sticks, a pair of tweezers and some paper hankies," she says.

At first glance you might peg her as a manicurist or perhaps a beautician. But, in fact, Middleton is one of Scotland's leading experts in decoupage papercrafting.

Middleton, 69, from Milngavie has honed her skills over the past 40 years after being introduced to the eye-catching craft technique by a friend. Decoupage involves decorating an object by gluing layers of colourful cut-outs on top of each other.

She specialises in 3D decoupage and her creations are simply stunning. Flowers, trees, birds and even scenes of galloping horses all come to life via her hand.

Middleton will be showcasing some of these and giving tips on how to make your own as part of Crafts for Christmas and Stitching, Sewing and Hobbycrafts which opens at the SEC in Glasgow today and runs until Sunday.

The dual event will bring together more than 150 exhibitors featuring artisan handcrafted gifts, supplies and festive inspiration alongside hands-on workshops, demonstrations and taster sessions.

In recent years, the rise and rise of crafting has been well documented, with knitting, sewing, crocheting, embroidery, needle felting, ceramics, dressmaking, glass-blowing and screen printing all very much in vogue.

But what is behind this burgeoning popularity? According to Middleton, many people are turning to crafts as a way to de-stress and unwind from their busy lives.

"Everyone needs a chill-out place," she says. "Think back to childhood when your granny handed you a pair of scissors and a magazine. You would sit for hours cutting out pictures or playing with scraps.

"You can't be angry when you're cutting something out. You may start off angry, but it calms you down. There have been studies which show that serotonin levels rise when people are doing crafts."

That goes for anything from knitting to painting, she adds. "You can knit as fast as you like and be in a temper, but you soon get into a rhythm and it calms your whole body. It is just such a wonderful experience. It is the same with painting where a few brushstrokes and you're suddenly relaxed."

The internet and social media have played a role in helping crafting communities to grow and thrive, as well as reach a much younger demographic.

A raft of YouTube tutorials, social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram where people can share their work and get feedback from fellow crafters, and TV shows including The British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down have all helped to stoke inspiration.

The roots of decoupage can be traced as far back as 12th-century Siberia from where it then spread to China and was used to decorate lanterns, windows and gift boxes. German and Polish artisans have also been using cut paper as decoration for hundreds of years.

During the 18th and 19th centuries it flourished as a fashion across Europe. Within the court of Louis XV ladies would keep themselves amused for hours by cutting up pictures and pasting them onto hatboxes, wig stands, fire screens and toiletry objects.

"It was reported in a Paris newspaper in 1727 that if a gentleman went calling on a lady and he had his decoupage scissors with him then they wouldn't need a chaperone because he would be so engrossed in doing his cutting out," says Middleton.

Her own love of decoupage was sparked after visiting a friend newly returned from Labrador in Canada, where the hobby helps people while away the long winter evenings.

"I was at her house and noticed framed pictures of what I thought was Coalport china," she says. "When my friend explained it was actually wrapping paper, I was immediately hooked.

"Until then I had been knitting things that never fitted anyone just for the sake of it. I became besotted by papercraft. Within a few months I had a wee group of ladies and was showing them all the basics."

Middleton continues to teach others in this vein. She is the director of the charity Creative Care, based at Brackenbrae House in Bishopbriggs. Around 150 people attend each week with classes including an extensive programme for adults with special needs and their carers.

She is keen to champion the therapeutic values that being immersed in crafts can offer. "It isn't just cutting out bits of paper and sticking them together again: there is a very different aspect to it.

"It is amazing the number of people who feel lonely, marginalised and isolated. There are times where it is just nice to chill out in a creative space. That's what we offer. People can feel a sense of joy from creating something and the satisfaction of a job well done."

Middleton, who has three sons and five grandchildren, transforms two-dimensional images cut out from paper and "brings them to life" to make striking 3D artwork. Current projects include a Christmas nativity stable scene complete with sheep, a cow, rooster, mouse and a donkey.

She is always keeping an eye out for new materials. "Nothing beats the joy of going into a shop and seeing a wonderful image on wrapping paper that is repeated about 20 times," she says.

Middleton will be at the SEC this weekend to share her wealth of knowledge. "We are offering three workshops: no-glue boxes with a Christmas topping; a feathering project that is a canary on a branch with a spiral rose; and a festive robin," she says.

"The birds will look really life-like. We are demonstrating a feathering technique and at the end of the hour workshop people should be able to go home and finish the project themselves."

According to Jenny McCreary, founder of Glasgow-based Sew Confident, another driving force behind the current craft boom is nostalgia. Amid times of austerity and political uncertainty people often seek comfort in something which harks back to a simpler, more carefree era.

This, she says, is coupled with a desire to learn life skills suited to more frugal living. "When the recession happened there was a bit of a mentality of people thinking: 'I'm doing alright, but if worst case scenario I did have to mend or hem my trousers, I don't have any of these skills.'

"The generation before did have those skills. But that seems to have skipped a generation. People are more used to conspicuous consumption and buying something new to go out every single weekend. It was like suddenly they clicked: 'Hold on. Maybe we need to learn how to sew.'"

Others are turning their backs on the myriad of identikit fashion from high street retailers and that mirrors her own experiences. "I went through a phase where I was fed up of buying something from a shop and then going on a night out where there was three other people wearing the same thing.

"Making your own stuff means it is unique and there is a sense of pride which comes from being able to sew. People are still amazed I can make my own clothes."

It has also provided McCreary, 30, with the means to make a living. After studying Fashion Business at Glasgow Caledonian University, she found it hard to secure work in her chosen profession.

"Since I was wee I have always been really creative," she says. "Towards the end of school I really liked fashion and wanted to get into designing. Then I graduated from university in a recession and there was no creative jobs."

She worked briefly as an assistant designer in a bridal boutique making bespoke gowns, but found herself worn down by demanding "bridezillas" and decided to move on. McCreary then took a job teaching sewing in a crafts shop and found she loved it.

When that closed, she decided to strike out on her own and ran a mobile business while steadily building her customer list. Three years ago, McCreary set up a permanent base at Hidden Lane in Glasgow, offering sewing classes and selling crafts supplies.

A common theme McCreary has noticed is a rise in those fed-up with lost weekends and waking up on Monday morning to feel that they have nothing tangible to show for the past 48 hours.

"Rather than every Saturday and Sunday finding yourself in the pub or sitting in front of the telly at night, a lot of people began searching for something to fulfil them, de-stress after work and also provide a sense of accomplishment."

Although she is keen to stress that it's not necessarily a cheap hobby. "The sewing machines and the fabric can be expensive. You can do it on the cheap if you want, but most people start sewing and think: 'I need to invest a little bit of money in this if I want to do it properly …'"

Many people, she says, would love to try sewing but need a bit of encouragement first in banishing the lingering nightmares that stem from home economics classes at school.

"I'm not slagging off home economics teachers – I have lots of friends who are home economics teachers – but I do get a lot of people who say: 'Oh, I was terrible. My home economics teacher wouldn't even let me near the sewing machine.'

"They tell me: 'Any time I touched it, I broke a needle and would get into trouble'. There is a real fear there that stops a lot of people from thinking they can even try sewing."

McCreary places the emphasis on light-hearted fun. "We are not going to make you hand tack anything unnecessarily or sew a piece of lined paper," she promises.

Instead, it is about tapping into often heart-felt, sentimental feelings. "At the start of a class I always go round and ask everyone why they've come along. Quite often people say: 'My gran was amazing at sewing and I wish I'd taken more interest in it. She would be so proud seeing me now.'"

Crafts for Christmas and Stitching, Sewing and Hobbycrafts are at the SEC in Glasgow from today until Sunday. For tickets call 01425 277988 or visit ichfevents.co.uk.

For more information on Creative Care, visit the Brackenbrae House Facebook page. Sew Confident runs regular classes in Glasgow and Dundee. Call 0141 280 0487 or visit sewconfident.co.uk