How are your feeling? This Coronavirus has undoubtedly thrown the entire world a curve ball, leaving us vulnerable. We are encouraged to stay home to avoid getting or spreading the virus.
To keep you occupied and productive, I'd like to share a list of crafty ideas.
I've combed through my archives and chose the easy ones using materials that many of us already have at home. Do these crafts alone, with your kids, and even roommates. They help to distract from anxiety, keep the kids busy, and in the end, you'll have created a little piece of art to use or share.
This is a Japanese Kusudama flower fashioned from pages of an old book, but you're welcome to use whatever paper you have available. The repetitive folding can be very relaxing and the flowers that you make can be used as decorations or tokens for your favorite gals for Mother's Day. You can find the instructions here.
If you have some yarn handy, why not make a few pompoms? This tutorial makes use of empty ribbon spools but you can use cardboard or a fork. Use your pompom to embellish a beanie, create a bag charm, or use it to make your gifts pretty.
If you have fabric (ex. cloth napkins, old t-shirt, etc.), needle, thread and ribbon, try your hand at ribbon embroidery. Frame it and display it, or use it to make greeting cards.
You might have some plain t-shirts in your closet. Give them new life with paint, a paintbrush, and stencils! Here is where you'll find the instructions. The same technique can be applied to bags, pouches, and folders.
This project requires more specific materials like white t-shirts, rubber bands, gloves, a basin, and fabric dye or a tie dye kit. In case you have these on hand, you can make t-shirts for the family. You can find the tutorial here.
One of the things we can do while we're at home is to read. Get through that "To Be Read" pile or re-read your favorite books. And why not make a few bookmarks? These are made from recycled cardboard, stickers, washi tape, and string.
Do you have broken crayons? Well, broken crayons can still color! If you melt them in the oven and use a mold, you can produce these colorful crayons in unique shapes.
This is a simple recipe for Salt Dough. You can use it to form a jewelry dish, and many other things like jewelry, ornaments, and more ornaments.
This was made from an old necklace. By painting the beads a new shade, I gave it a more modern look!
This one uses a plain brown paper bag and markers. Hopefully, life gets back to normal soon and we can gather, go to parties again, and give presents inside these homemade gift bags.
11. Sketch and Paint
Find inspiration at home or on-line. Use the materials in your drawer: pencils, markers, crayons, paint, a Sharpie, a notebook. Sketch something daily to calm you down. Use colors to express your frustrations. Draw the little things we take for granted but are now very grateful for.
Go to your garden or backyard and pick some flowers and leaves. Press them in between books and use them for greeting cards, gift tags, and pendants.
Try blackout poetry: take an old book or page from a magazine, find words or phrases that appeal to you and block out the rest of the text with a black marker. The words that remain reveals your poem. More samples here.
14. Brush Calligraphy
With just pen and paper, you can master brush lettering and calligraphy. Practice your penmanship using a mantra like "This, too, shall pass" or "We will overcome". Write down a favorite song or prayer that helps you keep positive.
Fill a box with little treasures. They don't have to be expensive but they must have great value to you -- the ones tied with good memories, the ones that make you feel safe, make you feel giddy, make you feel confident. Fill it with more things in the years to come. Whenever you open the box, you'll feel a surge of happiness and hopefulness.
The quote, "Making time to make things is good for the soul" is from the book "Craftfulness (Mend Yourself By Making Things)". Let this period of community quarantine and social distancing become our permission to try something new, revisit old hobbies, or begin a project we've always wanted to start...this way, we can turn blah to TADA!
