Fingers crossed it looks like lockdown might be lifting little by little. In the meantime though it is obviously still best that we all follow the guidelines and stay home as much as possible.
I figured a list of things to keep your mind active and your creativity flowing would be a great idea. Anything to help us get through each day right?
1. Baking
One of our favourite pastimes is baking. The girls love creating new recipes with me and if its messy, that just makes it more fun. We have an old recipe book that I write all of our favourites in. This means no scouring books for a lost recipe or trying to figure out ingredients from memory. It is a great thing to pass down to your family too.
2. Papercrafts
Now that we have all the time in the world there is no excuse for missing someones birthday or anniversary etc. Why not make a point of creating a stack of handmade birthday cards etc so that you always have them on hand. Making your own cards means you save money too!
3. Upcycling
Upcycling is a great way to breath life into old furniture etc. I am a sucker for taking an old worn out dresser or table and giving it a good clean, sand down and coat of paint. The fact you are saving something from landfill too is a huge environmental bonus!
4. Fresh Air
Get outside! Go for walks locally, somewhere there will be few people. Explore local areas you have otherwise overlooked. We moved just before Christmas so we are finding some great new parts of Durham we have never even seen before!
5. Scrapbooking
One of my favourite things to do in the past was scrapbook. This involves taking photographs and adding them to an album with accessories, pretty papers, journalling and so much more. I love that you can tell a story through what would otherwise be just photograph albums. You add details of where the photos were taken, dates and names etc. A fabulous way of remembering all of those glorious memories!
6. Painting
I have found painting by numbers to be very therapeutic. I think anything that takes all of your concentration means that you don’t have time to worry or stress about the little things. Even having just half an hour each day to sit with a glass of wine and my painting means that I feel a little more relaxed.
7. Reading
Whether it be reading about places you want to visit when lockdown is over. Or, reading and getting lost in a whole different world. Spending a little time each day reading something new is a great way to stimulate the mind and spark creativity. I tend to read a lot of self help books and motivational stories, these always help get me in the right mindset. The girls love reading too which is always a great way to end the night.
8. Learn Something New
How about picking up a hobby or learning something new? There are a huge range of things I bet you wish you had always started or just never gotten round to. Now is your chance to do it, you have all the time in the world to create something new.
9. Label Everything!
I am a huge label fan, I will literally label everything! There is nothing more exciting to me than looking in the cupboards and seeing containers labelled packet soups, baking, cleaning etc. You can get some amazing script fonts online. Not only is it very therapeutic but it also is very practical! Organising your home saves you time too, no more rooting around trying to find items you just know you have somewhere!
10. Gardening
Before we moved I was really getting into renovating our garden. We had literally just got it all looking good and it was time to move on. Our new home has no garden and I’m really missing having something to grow. Learning which seeds to plan in which month and what flowers will grow in certain seasons. It is a huge learning curve and something that makes you want to carry on creating a beautiful garden.
Overall there are so many ideas to spark creativity during lockdown. This just touches the iceberg of things you could be doing. Find a way to pass the time that is both productive and maybe a little self indulgent, take time for you. Heaven knows everything we have been through we all need a little down time.
