Busting out your blue light glasses from too much screen time? Trust me, I’ve been there. Taking classes online can make you feel stuck in one spot and in a creative rut. Give yourself a break from the computer with these offline hobbies.
- Cross Stitching and Embroidery
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This is one of these hobbies that seems so daunting at first, but is actually pretty easy! And not to mention – inexpensive. You can pick up your first cross stitching kit, with everything included, for less than $5 at Walmart. There are also several free patterns on Pinterest, and available for download on Etsy. I’m working on a huge Stranger Things project, and it’s so relaxing to watch it unfold little by little. This is also a perfect way to keep your hands busy while listening to a long audio lecture. Before long, you’ll be detailing all your jeans with flowers, and giving everyone the cutest DIY Christmas gifts!
Check out some of my favorite Etsy shops for patterns:
- Pen Pals!
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There’s a new movement in the air from the American Health Care Association, and it’s called #CareNotCOVID. So many nursing home and senior care facilities are looking for pen pals for their residents. Why not take a few minutes every once in a while to check up on someone who is feeling a little lonely during the COVID pandemic? My pen pal is from the North Pointe of Archdale nursing home, and I am so I got involved!
Below are a few facilities looking for interested pen pals for their residents:
–North Pointe of Archdale in NC
–Hillside Medical Lodge in TX
–Phoenix Assisted Care in NC
- Painting Party
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Following along with Bob Ross is always a fun time, but have you ever been to a real paint party? Just because we’re all online now, doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun! Get the girls together (or go solo!) and get your art on!
Take a look at these creative ways to, well, get creative.
–Sketch Box: a one-time or monthly subscription box that comes with everything you need to make an art project
–PaintingParties.com: easy-to-follow online painting tutorials for all skill levels, this service works by inviting you and your friends to the same virtual paint party and streaming a tutorial for your group to follow along
–OnlinePaintandSip.com: a “no experience necessary” painting tutorial website where you and your friends can follow a painting guide together using Zoom, supplies are shipped right to you!
- Become a Wine Savant
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Okay, this one is going to shock you- online wine tasting exists now. For real, I promise! If you’re anything like me, you just look for a pink bottle and call it day. Maybe it’s time to widen those horizons? In the comfort of your own home, you too can enjoy blind tastings and classes held by bars, vineyards, and wine-drinking experts.
Raise a glass to these virtual services!
–The Blind Tasting Kit – Quarantine Edition by Argaux: this kit comes with 2-4 bottles of your in wine styles, a guide to wine tasting, and your very own tasting grid to fill out as you sip
–Virtual Wine Tasting 101 on Coursehorse: for $25, you can get a crash course on Zoom on how to sip with style
–betterbooktv on YouTube – popping the bubbly on a budget? Check out betterbooktv’s channel on YouTube! You’ll find tasting tutorials, guides for buying wine at the store, and recipes for almost any cocktail in the book
- Start Up a Garden
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We all had a baking and cooking phase during quarantine, but have you started an herb garden yet? (If not, let me put you onto something: strawberry mint. You’re welcome.) If you’re an apartment-dweller, never fear! Gardening solutions like the AeroGarden allow you to have your own countertop plot. Herb plants are generally pretty small, and can be a great partner to your new meal-planning obsession. For all my friends in the Towson area, head over to Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouses and talk with one of their super-friendly staff about which plants would work best for you! There’s a good chance you might even leave with a new succulent for the shelf- just warning you.