This year has been a bit of a disaster but I’m a glass half full kinda girl. With all of the downtime we have been having, I’ve discovered a love of crafty projects, and you can too. You just need to decide which one is for you, or do you fancy doing one of each? Read on to learn more about my projects and pick a new hobby for yourself.
Because we live in a world where money is needed to survive, Latte Lindsay runs a number of affiliate programmes and offers contributed or partnered content. If you choose to click the links and read the posts, the site may earn a commission or receives a payment. All of the opinions are my own. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any partner brands/company(s), beauty & lifestyle brands, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities unless specified.
Cross Stitch
When I was in school, I had to do a lot of different crafty stuff, and the one I hated the most was cross-stitch. We were given huge pieces of card that had huge X’s on them. The end result was an unattractive picture with more white background than anything. A couple of months ago, I was introduced to a group of goths who have an online cross-stitch club, and I’ve been hooked ever since! I’ve only tried my hand at one or two tiny projects so far but they have been so much fun, yet relaxing. It’s not an overly complicated-craft, but it is time-consuming. you can get loads of starter kits (probably for kids, but who cares?) that can help get you on the right track.
Scrapbooking
Ever since social media became a thing, we have stopped trying to creative with how they preserve their memories. I used to make scrapbooks all the time, and I have stopped doing it in favour of slapping everything on Facebook. But there is something beautiful about holding a book with photos and scraps of memories in your hands. We all have different ways of preserving those memories, I also like to collect fridge magnets from places I visit (do not send me any fridge magnets! I like to buy them myself when I visit somewhere) but apart from that, everything gets thrown online. I’m not against sharing but I would like to have something that my grandkids and great-grandkids can hold in their hands to explore my life, rather than look at it online.
School stuff
Hand up who had to home school during the lockdown? Yeah, me too. We had to get pretty creative with how we taught the kids. I attempted a more Montessori method of teaching, letting the kids explore the garden, and giving them plenty of freedom. I’ll admit, I had no idea what I was doing and failed upwards. The kids went with it as I tried to juggle teaching them, learning myself, and all of the usual stuff of running a house and business. One thing I did discover was that we could get crafty and creative with the school stuff. We got messy making Egyptian props, we explored the kitchen and made snacks, and tried not to mess up too much. The end result was school work that was colourful and creative, and the kids were completely engaged with it. It might take A LOT of effort, but getting involved with the kid’s homework and going that extra mile is definitely worth it.
Website design
I think I started this website around 6 years ago, I started it as a hobby and had no idea it would turn into my own little business and spawn a book. I never imagined how this would play out, and there are people who are still making websites as hobbies to this day. One thing that I do love seeing is the variety of different sites and how people present their sites. There are so many options available! By using a custom font with the Fontsy WordPress plugin, you can create a unique site to present whatever it is you want the world to see. And if you don’t want to put your memories online on your site, well, there is always scrapbooking!
Custom greeting cards
There is big business with custom greeting cards these days. I remember when the likes of Moonpig launched, I thought it was so weird making a custom card. Now, it’s completely normal to order your mum a card and some flowers for her birthday. But there is no reason why you can’t do it yourself. I’m not talking about handmade cards, although those are pretty cool, I’m talking about cranking out your own cards on your printer. And why stop there? Does everyone remember the family newsletters from years ago? Does anyone still do them? I would love to bring them back. I have family and friends that have moved across the globe, I’m sure they would love getting something like this in the post.
Calligraphy
When I was growing up, my dad used to do calligraphy as a way to make notes in a leather-bound book. I say notes, they were the meetings from one of his clubs. He would spend hours at the weekend, hunched over the book, creating swirls and letters with beautiful ornate pens that I wasn’t allowed to touch. I always wanted to learn how to do it, but he never had time to teach me. Guess who has taken an interest in creating beautiful letters? Yep, my eldest daughter and I are exploring the world of calligraphy. There is a lot of information out there about the different styles and the history behind it.
Inspiration artwork
These last few months have been hard on everyone, and we have all been reacting in different ways. For some people, work is the way forward to keep their minds off the horror. For others, mindfulness and quotes to help navigate the world are helping cushion the blows. Instead of buying the usual ones online (although there is nothing wrong with that) you can create your own. Using a WordPress font plugin for your website, you can create and post beautiful quotes for people to enjoy online, or you can print them off and display them around your home to help keep you motivated.
How have you been keeping busy over the last few months? Have you taken up any new hobbies? Let me know in the comments section.