21 fun, productive, creative things to do at home

Lockdown seems to be dragging on and we are all still stuck at home but I know you won’t let it get you down because you are crafty and creative and up for the challenge of trying new things! I’ve rounded up 21 fun, productive and creative things to do at home when you’re bored, or social distancing during a pandemic.

If you’re fed up of doing the same old thing, these home-based, rainy day activities will relieve boredom and get you back into a creative flow! Some of them will even earn you extra cash! Be productive and make the most of your time in quarantine at home – if not now, then when?

Creative things to do at home for kids, teens and adults

You may have more time on your hands now than you’ve ever had before – who knows how long we will be practising social distancing or when we will be able to get back to some kind of normal life? Even if you are still able to work through this crisis you will still be stuck at home over the weekends and it looks as if there’s not much hope of taking a holiday this year either! So what can you do with all that time, if you’re not the binge-watching, Netflix type?

Set an example – get creative at home

Most kids love all things creative and new, be an inspiration to them and show them that they don’t ever need to be bored when there are so many fun, productive and creative things to do at home and so many wonderful crafts to discover.

Who knows, we may all even come out of quarantine with a new skill or passion!

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21 fun, productive, creative things to do at home

Productive things to do when you’re stuck at home

1. Clean your home – Not exactly what I would call one of the most fun things to do when you’re stuck at home but let’s face it who wants to be stuck in a house that’s a mess? The good stuff is coming so bear with me here! My Tip: If you only manage one thing, clean the windows. Clean windows let in so much more light and immediately make your home feel fresh and bright and will immediately lift your spirits.

2. Earn extra cash by decluttering your rooms/basement etc. If there was ever a time when we all needed extra space, it’s now. BONUS: Earn some extra cash by selling your old unwanted stuff on eBay – Don’t forget, your trash is someone else’s treasure! Read my posts ‘How to achieve a clutter-free home’ and see my suggestions for ‘storage solutions to clear the clutter’ for more inspiration and if you haven’t already, download my free worksheets for ‘Declutter Success’ – they will help you out no end!

3. Declutter your wardrobes. One of the most satisfying things I ever did at home and now that it’s organised and decluttered, it’s so much easier to keep it that way. BONUS: Sell any clothes and shoes which you no longer wear and which are still in good condition and put the cash you make towards a new and inspiring project or hobby.

4. Re-organize your pantry – I did this in January and it has revolutionised my kitchen. Remove everything first and give you pantry a good clean (there I go with the cleaning again, I know – but it has to be done and the best time for that is when the pantry shelves are empty:). Once everything is out, you can organise it all into groups like ‘baking’ ‘cooking’ ‘breakfast items’ and so on. If, as I did, you have lots of open boxes, buy some new glass jars and put that stuff in there instead. That way, nothing spills out of the box leaving a mess on your shelves and everything will keep better in an airtight jar.

5. Use the ten minute tidy to keep your home tidy even when everyone is at home. You can read all about the ten minute tidy in my post ‘Lagom: A balanced life is a happy life’.

NOW THE FUN STUFF!

Creative things to do at home

6. Shop your home to create a new look. I do this all the time! As we’ve learned all too well, nothing is set in stone, is it? I find Pinterest a fantastic inspiration for this. Save some inspirational pins to a ‘Styling tips’ board which include things you think you will be able to create yourself. Have a little wander around your lovely home, picking out bits and pieces here and there to arrange into a gorgeous coffee table vignette. As you can see from my Pinterest ‘Styling-Tips’ Board, sometimes all you need is a vase or jug, some garden flowers and a few books!

7. Make a moodboard to find your home style. This is one of my favourite creative things to do at home. After writing my post How To Create A Beautiful Boho-Chic Pallet Sofa I realised, how important making a mood board has become to me and how it not only simplifies my decision making but also saves me time and money in the process. That’s why, whether you’re planning on making changes to one room or a whole house, my number one tip for you is that you take the time to make a mood board before you start. You can read all about my process in the post ‘A moodboard saves you time and money – how to make one’.

8. Plan your garden – Our outdoor spaces are more important now than ever before. Get the kids involved by letting them help you plan and create an area that’s just for them. If garden planning seems a little overwhelming for you, my friend Helen over at the blog ‘Leaves From My Garden’ in the UK, has an amazingly easy to follow garden planning guide with worksheets and you can read all about that through the following link ‘Quick Start Guide to Creating Your Garden’ – Enjoy!

9. Get your garden ready for Spring/Summer:

• Prune back leggy shrubs and roses
• Weed garden beds and lay some mulch. Mulch not only helps to keep the weeds at bay but also stops the earth from drying out as quickly.
• Order flower seeds online and start potting them up. By the time Summer is here, you will have a gorgeous display.
• Sow Calendula flowers (English Marigolds) and make some anti-inflammatory and antiviral oil. Read how to do this in the post ‘How to make Calendula Oil’ and grab some FREE labels while you’re there. Buy the seeds here if you are in the USA or here if you are in the UK.
• Start a herb garden for healthy organic herbs on tap with a pretty DIY Pallet Planter.

You can find more garden projects and inspiration in the following posts:

5 Affordable ways to improve your outdoor space

Beautiful Outdoor Rugs

How To Create A Beautiful Boho-Chic Pallet Sofa

How to make a pretty pallet planter

10. Complete a DIY project – order supplies online, I find Etsy a wonderful source for all things creative and rarely order crafting supplies anywhere else these days. I’ve bought various Stencils like the geometric stencil which I used for my Wall stencil project and fabrics like the light beige coloured linen which I used to make the cover for one of my most popular sewing projects, the French Tufted Cushion.

11. Start planning your home makeover. If you love vintage furniture, start browsing sites like eBay while you have the time. It usually takes quite a while before you find the perfect piece but by checking back regularly, you can save the items you like and by the time quarantine is over, you’ll be able to snap them up before anyone else gets a chance. Learn more about what you should look out for when buying second-hand furniture and swipe my FREE Furniture Flip Checklist in the post ‘How to buy used furniture and get it right first time’.

12. Make a start towards a healthy organic home. Start replacing that chemical gunk that gets thrown at us in the supermarkets every day with some healthy homemade options. Here are some of my absolute favourites:

• Ultimate BBQ Spice rub, It’s much too good to use just on steak though. You can sprinkle it over potatoes or chicken and I’ve even used it on tuna and salmon steaks because they’re a bit meaty and my boys just love the taste!
• Degreaser, Do you know someone who loves messing about with cars and engines? Are they fed up with dry and irritated hands after cleaning? If so, then this natural homemade degreaser might be perfect for them. It’s so super easy to make and beats the commercial brands hands down, why not give it a try? You can also swipe the labels for FREE!
• Body Butter, This homemade organic body butter leaves my skin feeling gorgeously silky smooth and soft. It sinks in just enough that it doesn’t feel greasy but I can still feel the protective, nourishing layer protecting my skin all day long. Again, the pretty printable labels are FREE.
• Calming bath bombs, why not use this time at home to pamper yourself with these soothing bath bombs. If you don’t have a bath, you can still melt them in a bowl and soak your hands or feet. Perfect if your hands are taking a beating with all that hand washing and sanitizer! Follow up with body butter for even smoother skin.
• A lovely book you may like, ‘Low Tox Life’ is available here if you’re in the UK or here if you’re in the US.

13. Learn how to meditate – This is especially good for anyone who gets anxious when stuck inside and let’s face it most of us will be going stir crazy by the time we can go about our business as usual. The breathing exercises alone will calm the spirit and soothe the soul. Listening to a guided meditation may be easier to start with. There’s even an app called ‘Calm’ which you can use. Take a look on YouTube for guided meditations and listen to a few until you find some that you like and save them to a ‘Meditation’ playlist.

14. Start a journal – document your time spent in quarantine by keeping a journal. Write down your feelings and activities during this time – This is a time like none we’ve ever experienced and it will be interesting to record and look back on how you coped and what you found helped you the most during this time. This way to beautiful journals!

Fun things to do when you’re stuck at home

15. Invest in some great Home décor books. Now you’ve finally got time to get serious with your interior design. Start learning the tricks of the trade and take your home style up a notch or two by investing in some beautiful interior design or decorating books. You don’t have to spend a fortune either, you can get some great bargains like Love the home you have or Home is where you make it. Another gorgeous book which was a big seller for Earth Day this year is Natural Sustainable Home – if you are in the UK, you can get this and lots of other lovely books at the Ethical Superstore.

16. Take an online photography course and learn how to photograph interiors to get some great pics of your home (after you’ve cleaned and decluttered). If you love Instagram, you’ll also have some stunning pics of your own to post.

17. Create an Audible account and listen to books while you do the chores. We all have chores we hate doing or which are mind-numbing! Why not lose yourself in a beautiful story or books which will give you more ideas of creative things to do at home and watch the chores fly by in no time at all! TIP: You can try Audible for FREE for 30 days.

19. Try a new craft or pick up an old one – Crafting is amazing for zooming you out of your head and into ‘Flow’ and that’s where the magic happens! Is there something that you have always wanted to try but maybe you think you’re not creative enough to pull it off? You know, whenever I try something new, it usually turns out to be much easier to do than I had anticipated. Like my latest sewing project which I managed to get done over the Easter holidays (coming on the blog soon).
    
    You can get free tutorials on YouTube for almost anything these days or if you’d rather have a more dedicated source of crafting videos why not try out Bluprint? They also have free tutorials, like this pillow cover made from giant yarn. This was one of the projects I rounded up for a friend of mine who was asking me if I knew of some great crafting projects she could try during lockdown. She has never kitted anything before but loves this tutorial and is going to give it a try. You don’t even need knitting needles for this craft! If you want to give it a try, you can find giant yarn on Etsy here if you’re in the USA, or here if you’re based in the UK, or here if you’re in the EU 🙂
    
    I also recommend taking a look at this crafter’s gift guide post for more beautiful crafting ideas to try.

20. Try out some new recipes – If you like to bake yourself happy, how about giving this gorgeous tart a try? I shared all the juicy details for this and you can read all about it on this Instagram post. Don’t forget to say Hi while you’re there!

21. Puzzle wall art. I love the puzzles at ‘Zazzle’. There’s Disney for the kiddos and beautiful fine art puzzles for us. The best thing is that they can be framed and put up on the wall afterwards for easy wall art – double whammy!

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Cactus Puzzle

Botanic Puzzle

I hope this post gives you more than enough ideas for creative things to do at home during a pandemic. I hope I’ve inspired you to turn off Netflix and find as many creative things to do at home as you possibly can. There is so much opportunity for growth during this time and so many new crafts, projects and ideas waiting for you to try.

Make this time at home count for something, have something to show for all those extra hours.

Keep busy, stay safe and in good spirits!

Other posts you may like:

Gifts which encourage your child to be creative

Why you need to nurture your child’s creativity

How to Upcycle, refurbish and refinish your old furniture

A DIY corner desk for the room at the top of the stairs

How to get your dream furniture when you have no cash

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