When the weather is cold and wet outside (perhaps it’s even snowing) you may find yourself stuck indoors with nothing of interest to do. This could particularly be the case during the pandemic if you are experiencing a lockdown, self-isolating, or shielding.
On the plus side, you may now have the opportunity to learn a new skill or the time to decorate a room in your house for example. Why not kick-start a new craft or DIY project? There is a lot of fun that can be had by getting creative with homemade crafts.
Perhaps you have always wanted to learn how to knit, crochet, sew or paint but have never had the time. This could be your big chance to get creative, as it’s never too late to learn a new skill!
There are so many great craft ideas that can help keep your mind stimulated and busy at home. Arts and crafts are becoming increasingly popular due to changing lifestyle behaviors, especially during the winter.
Getting creative is also great for your mental health and general well-being, as it can be relaxing and help reduce stress and anxiety.
People are recycling more than ever before and actively looking to reduce waste, which offers new opportunities to upcycle materials already available in your home by turning old items into something new.
It’s a great feeling when someone asks you where you brought such a great decorative item in your home and you can explain that it is something you up-cycled or made from scratch by yourself.
Get inspired by this blog, discover a brand new hobby you’ll enjoy, and see what you can achieve over the winter. You might even surprise yourself!
If you’ve got some spare time on your hands then you’ve come to the right place for some great inspiration whether you’re looking for a quick project that you can finish in a day or two or perhaps you are looking for a longer-term project such as a knitted blanket, for example.
Winter can be an exciting time of the year with seasonal festivities but in the New Year, it’s easy to feel the winter blues. Finding the perfect project can give you the motivational boost you need to get you going each day whilst at home.
So put the kettle on, make yourself a cuppa (even a hot chocolate), and dive into these fantastic craft ideas. You could also get your kids involved in a new project you can easily create together, especially if they’re not currently able to go to school due to the pandemic.
There are so many crafty things to learn at home or even in your shed, garage or garden if you’re fortunate to have one. Here are our personal favorites.
For paint and art lovers, this could be perfect for you. Get artistic by painting your family tree using watercolors or acrylic paints. You could even use charcoal for a more rustic look.
The paper needs to be the correct size to fit the wooden box frame you would like to use. Then use mini clothespins and stick them randomly onto the tree branches using strong glue. The final step is to clip photos of your loved ones in the clothespins.
Polaroid photos would look great with this craft idea! If you don’t have any you can easily order Polaroid-looking photos online by using digital photos you’ve taken previously.
See this stunning example of a family tree picture from the Country Living website.
It may be difficult to purchase birthday and thank you cards from the shops due to the pandemic, however now is a great opportunity to start making your own cards at home, which will also save you a lot of money! People love to receive handmade cards as they appreciate the thought and love that’s gone into making them.
You could make really simple cards by cutting a piece of spare fabric that you have at home into different shapes such as a circle, rectangle, or triangle. You could even create a pattern or animal shapes using the fabric. Use some spare card at home or order some online from a sustainable source.
Tip: there are lots of fantastic raw materials that you can purchase from small businesses on Etsy to make your homemade crafts rather than the big e-commerce companies like Amazon or Ebay. Your purchase will go a long way in supporting the livelihoods of the Etsy shop owners, the producers they might collaborate with, and their suppliers.
This is such a fantastic and unique crafts idea, which would look great in your kitchen or dining room.
If you’re a wine lover and like to keep hold of your wine corks then this could be the perfect project for you, especially during Dry January! You could even purchase recycled wine corks online if you don’t have any at home.
You could cover an old vase or jar that is square or rectangular-shaped. You will probably need up to around 70 wine corks depending on the size of the vase or jar.
You’ll also need some strong craft glue and you might need a knife to reduce the size of some of the corks to fit well. It would make a really nice gift for a friend or loved one including some real or fake flowers inside.
Follow this easy step-by-step tutorial on the Design Improvised website.
Another idea would be to wrap a rope around a vase or jar for a nautical-inspired look. Can you think of any other raw materials that you could use instead at home?
You might have some old wooden (or plastic) beaded necklaces and bracelets that you no longer wear at home. Could you give them a new lease of life by up-cycling them to make gorgeous fabric necklaces? Watch this YouTube video tutorial to learn how:
You could recycle the fabric from an old shirt that no longer fits or perhaps you have spare fabric lying around the house. The more colorful the fabric the better as it will stand out when worn with a plain, dark-coloured outfit. These necklaces also look great when the fabric has an interesting pattern.
If you don’t have anything suitable at home then our beautiful ankara fabric is the perfect choice when making unique jewelry pieces such as these. We may have some fat quarters available (18 x 22 inches) in our online shop where you can also purchase our gorgeous fabrics by the yard (1 to 6) so you only order what you need.
Explore more fabulous fabric fashion accessories that you could easily make at home.
This is a really simple, quick, and unique idea for hanging your homemade accessories in your bedroom that is easy to achieve and looks great!
Now is a great opportunity to get organized while you are spending more time indoors. It will be really helpful to see all your necklaces and bracelets in one place where you can access them easily without getting tangled.
Follow this tutorial from the Julie Blanner blog to learn how to make it at home. You’ll need some picture hanging wire, wire cutters, a nail, a hammer, and a branch (or piece of driftwood), which you could find on the ground during your next walk outdoors.
We love the natural and minimal look of this functional jewelry hanger. It has the added bonus of making you feel more connected to the outdoors, which is a comfort when spending more time at home.
Do you have any battery-operated candles at home that you could decorate with some old fabric offcuts?
All you need is some spare yarn, some scissors, and hot glue. It looks really great if you decorate a number of flameless candles differently using complementary or the same fabrics and display them together perhaps on a tray, on a stand, or inside a basket.
Like the jewelry above, the more colorful and interesting the fabric to wrap around candles similar to these the better they will look!
Giving an old piece of furniture such as a dresser or chest of drawers a new coat of paint and even some wallpaper can instantly transform a room!
Do you have any leftover paint or wallpaper pieces/sample swatches at home that you could use up? You could even change the dresser pulls to match your new look.
The Good Housekeeping website has some great inspiration.
Why not add some interest to your current cushion covers, throws, curtains, and lampshades with handmade pom-poms or fringe trims? To make sure they stand out, we recommend using a different contrasting color for the pom-poms or fringe trims.
Learn how to make a pom-pom trim for your cushion covers by watching this YouTube video:
Homemade gifts are always greatly appreciated, as they are more personal and someone’s love, time, and effort have gone into the creation process.
If you’ve got some spare time and have some friends or relatives’ birthdays coming up, then why not make them something special and different that you can’t purchase quickly and easily online? You’ll be sure to put a big smile on their face!
All of Kitenge’s African print clothing and accessories are handmade by our talented team of tailors in Tanzania, East Africa. Our customers like that each item has been individually handcrafted with love by our expert tailors in their own workshops.
For example, our custom made shirts go a long way, as our customers could be the only people in the world wearing such a garment that they’ve been able to design online themselves.
A happy customer in Switzerland wearing his custom-made shirts handmade in Tanzania
If you do choose to shop online for gifts, then we recommend supporting small businesses that care about the people who make their products as well as protecting the environment.
Explore Kitenge’s helpful ethical gift guide with lots of great ideas from candles to skincare and sustainable clothing.
Every Kitenge item is lovingly handmade by our highly skilled tailors in Tanzania, East Africa, using premium African print fabric sourced from and printed on the continent. One of our core values is to support the African textile industry as best as we can.
We also care about the environment as all fabric offcuts leftover after production are recycled by making accessories including men’s bow ties, neckties, pocket squares, and women’s headwraps.
Any leftover fabric that we cannot use is donated to artisans or schools for education and art projects. Our custom clothing is made to order and we limit the amount of ready-to-wear stock we have at one time, which also helps to reduce waste.
An inspired primary school pupil in the UK using our recycled fabric offcuts in art class
If you need any ideas, inspiration, or help on how things are made get in touch and speak to us about how we do it. We’d love to hear how you get on and see photos of any items that you have created at home! Do share your photos with us by emailing them to info@kitengestore.com. We might even share them and give you a shout-out on our social media pages!
If you’re interested, browse our range of handmade, custom accessories and clothing items that may get your creative juices flowing…
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