Do you have a bunch of extra time on your hands? Are you finding yourself to be bored when you finish all of your online work? Do you love to get creative? Now is your time to let your creativity thrive as you’re quarantined at home. I know I am getting stir-crazy from sitting and looking at a laptop screen for hours on end everyday – I’m in need of an escape from the digital world. Art has always been an effective way to help me destress as it allows my mind to get creative as it wants with no right or wrong way of creating something. If you need a distraction, cure to your boredom, or just want to get a little messy, these arts and crafts will have you occupied for hours and will allow your creativity to flourish!
Tie Dye
This one might give you an excuse to go outside and get some fresh air, which is needed for a lot of us. Many of us have boring white t-shirts, pillowcases, bottoms, scrunchies, that we’re dying to spice up with some color. If you have the proper dyes to do this, great. If you don’t, no need to worry! You can tie dye with a common item that every household typically has – food coloring. Don’t know how to tie dye with food coloring? Fave Crafts has got you covered with their step-by-step instructions on how to create vivid, stylish patterns.
Lettering
If you’re like me and love to practice bettering your handwriting, lettering will keep you busy for quite a bit. You can work to improve your handwriting, or you can learn how to do calligraphy. All you need for this is a writing utensil and a piece of paper then you’re set to go. Calligraphy is difficult to learn and takes some time to get the basics down, but with constant practice, you’ll be able create beautifully written art pieces that everyone will fall in love with. Youtuber, Amanda Lee has a video dedicated to teaching how to do calligraphy and hand lettering for beginning which you can watch here.
Candle Making
I’ve always seen these types of crafts on Pinterest and wanted to make my own candle, but I never had an excuse to do so. Now, it’s totally acceptable and I do not need a reason, it’s time to make some mouthwatering, scented candles of my own. This craft does require some more supplies in order to make them successfully, and if you don’t have wax, wicks, or essential oils, head on over to Amazon and place an order today. You can find an easy tutorial along with step-by-step instructions on how to make your own candle from ProFlowers here. Let yourself get creative with scents, florals, citrus, woodsy – the possibilities are endless.
Paint
This one might be my all-time favorite to do – painting. Nothing feels better and is more satisfying than brushing fresh paint onto a brand-new canvas or piece of paper. I usually head on over to Pinterest to find inspiration of what to paint, but you don’t have to have inspiration, you can just throw colors randomly down and make something abstract. There is no right or wrong when it comes to painting, everything is art. One of my favorite types of paint to work with would have to be acrylic, a fast-drying paint made out of pigments suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. If you need some acrylic painting technique tips, watch this video here made by Jennifer Funnell Visual Arts.
Yarn Art
I have to be honest; I have never tried or even attempted yarn art because it intimidates me. However, with all of this extra time that we’ve been dealt, I think we might all have the patience to now do this craft. It’s actually pretty simple and all you need is a wooden board, nails, and your choice of colored yarn or string. You place the nails into whatever shape you want into the board, and then just wrap your yarn continuously from one nail to another. Your options here are endless, it’s all up to your imagination and preference of what exactly you want to make. Click here to view a Pinterest board that has a bunch of ideas of what to make.
Bullet Journal
Some people don’t view bullet journaling as an art, but it most certainly is. The amount of work, creativity, and dedication that gets put into these journals are mind-blowing. All you need for this is a writing utensils, pens and pencils seem to work best, and any notebook you can get your hands on. From here, what you produce is all up to you. You can get as creative as you want, practical as you want, or even as memorable as you want. This is a journal where you write and draw whatever you want. People commonly make double page spreads to track sleep, weight loss, foods they eat, or daily mood trackers to help them work towards a more positive mindset. Need some inspiration? This video shows what some people do in their bullet journals.
