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Ultimate List of Things to Do When You’re Stuck at Home

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So, you’re stuck at home and feeling B.O.R.E.D.? If you’re anything like me, the best thing to do during this time at home is to stay busy! Learn something new, throw myself into a new project, teach someone something I know, and start a new craft.  I’ve compiled and herby present this – the Ultimate List of Things to Do When You’re Stuck at Home. There are a whole host of categories to choose from and tons of links and ideas within each section. Whether you are interested in exploring museums, science, and nature or would like to develop your cooking, crafting, or sewing skills, here you will find endless ideas for something to do with your free time!

photo collage with bright multi-colored dress, bread loaf, elephant face, boat on water, gelatin flowers, and MARS robot with textBelow you will find over 100 ideas for things to do from home and they are divided into categories: Food/Baking/Cooking, Sewing, Art/Culture/Virtual Tours, Crafting, Home Decor, Yard and Garden, Travel Planning, Beauty & Health, Outdoors, Live Web Cams, and PLAY!

photo collage of food items and text-man making crepes, closeup of folded crepe with bananas, overhead view of neutral colored French macarons, loaf of sourdough bead, orange and red flowers in gelatin domes

Food/Cooking/Baking:

  1. Always wanted to know how to make a Dutch Baby/German Oven Pancake? Need a Gluten-free German Pancake recipe?
  2. Perfect your Crepe making skills
  3. Make mini Ice Cream Sandwich pops
  4. Practice some simple Cake Decorating Techniques.
  5. Order a Universal Yums box and explore foods from around the world. Order a box for a friend or relative and you could open your treats together over FaceTime! We did this as a Christmas present for my daughter last year and it was a huge hit!
  6. Get your booze on with the BEST Kahlua Cake recipe.
  7. Pull a Monica and Make a million jars of JAM with these 20 recipes.
  8. Learn to bake Sourdough Bread
  9. Organize a family recipe box.
  10. Learn the craft of Gelatin Art
  11. Dive into online exploration of Canadian food and farming.
  12. Nothing but time on your hands? Play with icing and food coloring and make a rainbow cake! This was one of the most fun food projects I’ve ever done!
  13. Try your hand at French macarons!
  14. Give the kiddos a reason to play with their food with these free printable worksheets to use with Goldfish or any snack!

dress skirt covered in multi-colored pedals with text overlay

Sewing:

  1. First things first – need a beginner sewing machine? This Brother sewing machine is a favorite among us hobby sewists, reasonably priced, and you can get it delivered straight to your door through my affiliate link!
  2. Sew a mermaid skirt in 30 minutes!
  3. Sew a Cosmetic Bag.
  4. Finally learn about all those Sewing Machine feet!
  5. Make a Homemade Face Mask.
  6. Here’s a great resource for all your mask-making sewing patterns.
  7. Throw yourself into a really time consuming, detailed project like making this Petal Dress.
  8. Join this sewing community Facebook page for daily inspiration!
  9. Learn How to Sew on a Button using your Sewing Machine.
  10. Discover How to Sew a One-Step Buttonhole (with video tutorial)
  11. Learn How to Properly Gather Fabric and Sew Ruffles
  12. Make the kids’ waistbands adjustable!
  13. Learn how to install an invisible zipper.
  14. See if you have these Sewing Supplies that aren’t really sewing supplies!
  15. Maybe you’re a beginner and you don’t even know where to start, this is a great guide to sewing for beginners.
  16. Here’s a list of 25 free sewing patterns.

photo collage with MARS robot, Mo Willems holding up a pigeon drawing, text for the Secret Annex, and a prehistoric elephant on a black and white pillar.

Culture/Art/Virtual Tours you can do from home:

  1. Tour the Musee D’Orsay – super cool virtual walk through of the museum (this was my FAVORITE in Paris)
  2. Take a virtual tour of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
  3. Virtually visit the National History Museum in D.C. – this was one of my favorite places I visited last month on my trip to Washington.
  4. Watch baby panda bears on this Live web cam
  5. Learn about California Waterfowl – art projects, activity pages, and lab projects
  6. Draw Lunchtime Doodles with Mo Willems
  7. Try an interactive tour of Ellis Island in New York.
  8. Learn how nature works with a plethora of virtual field trips and lessons!
  9. Try out calligraphy
  10. Explore the Secret Annex where Anne Frank hid during the Holocaust – absolutely one of the most moving places I have ever visited and you can visit online until you’re able to head to Amsterdam!
  11. Read the “Classics”
  12. Download and listen to FREE audiobooks for kids through Audible
  13. Go on a mission to MARS!

Craft:

  1. Add Mod Podge to Photos and Canvas for DIY Canvas Photos
  2. Make crowns out of lace
  3. Try out wood-burning – decorate some kitchen tools, make gifts, if you’re really bored, hey – you could even doodle on your fence!
  4. Make a stained glass sun catcher!
  5. Create graphic tees
  6. Make a disco ball out of paper mâché and mirrored contact paper
  7. Learn crochet basics while making the most fantastic floor basket!
  8. Make a pennant banner
  9. Spend hours decorating eggs with a pile of markers and this egg spinner! (affil)
  10. Turn animal figurines into cute necklaces
  11. Make crowns out of flowers
  12. Craft a microphone and sing karaoke!

Home Improvement/Home Decor Projects:

  1. Paint a room.
  2. Make throw pillows for your couch!
  3. Transform a vase or jar into a Mercury Glass lantern
  4. Sew simple window curtains.
  5. Use acrylic paint and a rubber stamp to make some new coasters
  6. Sort and organize your digital photographs; order prints online
  7. How to Change the Oil in your car
  8. Make reusable snack baggies.
  9. Install a backsplash in your kitchen.
  10. Clean the dryer vent

variety of small succulents planted in a tabletop stainless steel rectangular planter

Yard/Garden:

  1. Build Easy Garden Boxes
  2. Learn how to propagate succulents
  3. Make a fairy garden
  4. Make a side table from an old milk can.
  5. Photograph flowers in your yard or neighborhood as they come into bloom.
  6. Start your summer veggie garden – your local nursery may have curbside pickup!

photo collage of tropical water with grass roof hut, fishing boat, sea turtle underwater and text

Plan Travel for When you’re NOT stuck at home:

  1. Explore a trip to Washington D.C. 
  2. Plan a trip to a tropical destination like Bonaire
  3. Explore this ultimate list of National Park Junior Ranger programs – then you can plan which parks to go visit! These programs can be completed online and you can earn badges, too!
  4. Start scouting covered bridges and explore places to stay in Vermont.
  5. Curious about the Great Wall of China?
  6. Check out these restaurants in Puerto Rico so you’ll know exactly where to go on your next trip. LOL.
  7. Google is hosting incredible virtual tours of 5 National Parks including  parks in Hawaii, Alaska, and Utah – more to explore and add to your travel bucket list.
  8. Hop on the treadmill and take a virtual walking tour of Paris!
  9. Then check out Jerusalem or the Amalfi Coast!

Beauty/Health:

  1. Make something for Mom for Mother’s Day with one of these ideas.
  2. Rejuvenate the skin with this lemon coconut sugar scrub
  3. Make Bath Bombs
  4. Meditate for FREE with Oprah and Deepak
  5. Ask Alexa to do a workout – choose from yoga, abs, timed workouts, and hundreds more!

Get Outdoors:

  1. Explore a wilderness trail you’ve never visited.
  2. Set up a Glow-in-the-Dark Easter egg hunt
  3. Watch the sunrise or sunset from a new location
  4. Go for a long country drive
  5. Take a bike ride.
  6. Create a neighborhood scavenger hunt.
  7. Learn to skip rocks.

black background with penguin swimming in foreground and text overlay

Live Web Cams to watch when you’re stuck at home:

  1. Watch the Lion’s Den in Alabama
  2. Sip your cocktail and take in the beach view in Saipan
  3. Want to laugh? Watch the Sea Otters flip around or check out the other sea animal cams at the Monterey Bay Aquarium!
  4. Tropical fish webcam via the Baltimore Aquarium
  5. Check out the Cherry Blossoms via Washington D.C.’s Bloom Cam
  6. Shark Tank Camera via Baltimore Aquarium
  7. The San Diego Zoo has a bunch of live web cams – my kids are loving the penguin cam, especially!

Play:

  1. Build a Lego kingdom
  2. Write a handwritten letter! Heck, type a letter and email it to someone!
  3. Build a fort.
  4. Have a fashion show with clothes from your family members’ closets! How about a mom/dad apparel swap?
  5. Read a book and then watch the movie format – here’s a list of over 80 children’s books/movies!
  6. Set up a tent in the backyard and camp!
  7. Hang a hammock
  8. Binge watch Netflix – this show and movie list is even printable so you can check off all the shows you master.  hahaha.
  9. Do a crossword puzzle
  10. Learn Magic Tricks
  11. Host a Happy Hour over Zoom
  12. Laugh at Memes
  13. Learn a Tik Tok dance. I’m trying, but my kids don’t exactly think I have the moves!
  14. Check out my favorite things for spring and do a little shopping!

How many of these ideas have you already done? What else would you add to this list of things to do when you’re stuck at home? We can all use more ideas!

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Picture Perfect Flower Headband (Tutorial)

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 I made these great flower headbands for a photo shoot last year and I finally made another one last week so that I could share the tutorial with you!  I absolutely love the drama and sophistication that these flowers add for a special occasion.  Ready to make one?

You will need a very lightweight synthetic material, I used the lining from an old bridesmaid dress.  Why synthetic?  So that it will melt when you singe the edges of the flower petals rather than burn.  The lighter the fabric, the more it will curl when you singe around the petals.  Thicker fabrics singe, but retain more of a flat shape and aren’t suitable for this type of flower.  You won’t need more than 1/8 yard of fabric though, so if you’re not sure, just buy small amounts of a variety of synthetics.  Once you’ve experimented a little at home, you’ll have a better idea which fabric to use in the future. 

 
 Okay, so you’ll want to cut a good number of “petals” in 3-4 sizes, progressively increasing in size.  Try cutting a few petals and then singe the edges to see what the finished size will be.  I set my petals next to a ruler to give you an idea of my sizing (prior to singe).  You’ll need approximately 4-8 tiny petals, 10 small petals, 15 medium petals, and 10-15 large petals.  They don’t have to be exact.
 
 Now, you will need a flame to singe the petal edges.  It’s easy to light a candle, so your flame is at the ready.  But, a little kitchen torch works really nicely, too.  Pass the flame near the edge of the fabric until it melts and curls.  Singe all the way around each petal. 
 
 Stack your prepared petals in groups by size.
 
 To make the flower, I like to use a needle and thread to sew the petals together.  This gives me a lot of control over how the petals are arranged. 
 Start with four small petals (not the tiny ones, those can be added to the center at the very end to cover your stitches).  Point each of the smaller ends in toward the center.  Poke your needle up from the bottom through all four layers at the center and then stitch back down, up once more and down again to make a little x.  Now you have your center foundation for your flower. 
 
 With your needle and thread through the top of the flower center, place a couple more small petals below your center foundation.  You’re just going to start adding petals, moving in a spiral, spacing each subsequent petal so that its center rests below the space between the two petals above it – does that make sense?  Once you have used all of your small petals, start adding your medium, then large, adjusting the number of each size petal for your desired fullness.  Each time you add a couple petals around the base, poke your needle down through the center and back up again to catch the new petals and secure them in place.  Cup the flower in the palm of your hand as you add petals to make sure they are placed where you like.  Finish your flower by poking the needle down through the bottom, tie off in a knot, and clip the extra thread.
 This is how the bottom of your flower will look when you’re about done.  See the spiral of petals? 
 Now you can finish the inner center with a button or by gluing a cluster of the tiny petals to cover the stitching inside.
To attach the flower to a headband, you will need a small circle of felt and a matching headband.  
Use hot glue to secure the back of the flower onto the topside of the headband (figure out where you want the flower positioned by holding it up on the model).  Glue the circle of felt on the center back of the flower with the headband sandwiched between.  Done!! 
 
 

 

 This is my friend’s daughter, Maddy, by the way.  Isn’t she gorgeous?  I got to take some pictures of her and her brothers last year – such an honor.  I love it when my friends humor me and let me photograph their families.  These pictures kind of take my breath away, still.

 

 This is also the way that I made the Christmas headbands for Addie last year – you can see what the picture perfect flower headband looks like in red, here.

More Headband and Accessory Tutorials

frayed flower and headband how-to

5-Minute Headbands

Glitter Bow Headbands DIY

Zippered Pocket Scarf and Pattern Book Giveaway!

Infinity Scarf - Kids Sewing

Make-A-Doll Pattern and Instructions

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I am excited to finally share the pattern pieces and instructions for the doll making activity that we did at Olivia’s 7th birthday party!  This activity is perfect for a small group of children (we had 7 total, 3 of which were mine).  Constructing the dolls is a pretty simple process.
 
Prepare Head:
Cut fabric corresponding to pattern pieces for head, hair, and pigtails.
Sew hair (bangs) onto head (face piece) along bang line; baste around edge, too, if you wish.
With face right side up, place pigtails on each side approximately 1/2″ up from neck edge.  Or place a cluster of yarn if you prefer.  Align the edges so that the pigtails lie in toward the center of the face.  Baste in place.
Lay head (felt hair) on right side of head (face piece).  Stitch together leaving neck open.  Be sure your hair/pigtails remain in the center of the head.  Turn right side out.
 
Prepare Body:
Cut fabric corresponding to pattern pieces for arms and body.
Sew two arm pieces together leaving the straight edge (where they connect to the body) open.  Turn and stuff with fiberfill.  (A chopstick works great as a stuffing tool!) Repeat for other arm.
Lay one body piece right side up and place stuffed arms on each side, aligning raw edges and setting the arms toward the center.
Lay other body piece right side down on top of arms and body.  Stitch down each side, leaving neck and bottom open.
Serge or zigzag stitch around bottom of body.  Sew ric rac around the bottom hem; be sure your stitch line is above the serger stitches.  Turn ric rac under along seam line all the way around.  (You will topstitch when you finish the doll.)  For further instructions on this hemming method, go here.
 
Prepare Legs:
Cut fabric corresponding to pattern pieces for legs.
Sew two leg pieces together leaving the straight edge (where they connect to the body) open.  Turn and stuff with fiberfill.  (A chopstick works great as a stuffing tool!) Repeat for other leg.
 
For the Party:
I prepared the heads, bodies, and legs for all of the dolls and set them in piles for the party.  Just before dinner, I had each girl pick out a head, body, and set of legs for their doll.  I had a few extra on hand and anticipated a little arguing, but it went remarkably well – no “I want what she has” at all!  After the girls chose their parts, I sent them to the dinner table and while they ate, I took the dolls and sewed all of the heads to the bodies (turn body inside out, place head inside, align side seams and neck edges and stitch around the neck).  When the girls finished dinner, they came over to the table and stuffed their dolls.  Some girls stuffed A LOT!!  They absolutely LOVES this.  Then, I helped each girl draw their doll’s face.  The fabric markers are really tricky and bleed easily.  I pre-marked the faces with a colored pencil and did the cheeks in advance.  Then, depending on the girl’s age, I helped them quickly draw lines for the eyes and mouth.  I sort of felt like making the face on your doll is an important component, but I also knew there was a high likelihood that the markers would bleed and the girls would be disappointed (and I sure didn’t want to resew dolls); I think the way we did it was a nice compromise.  If you’re going to allow your party people to draw their own faces, I’d highly recommend you provide fabric for practicing.  Then the girls had all kinds of fun cutting pieces of ribbon and twine to wrap around their doll’s hair, non-existent waistline, and legs.  When they were satisfied, they delivered their doll and leg set to me in the sewing room.  I tucked the legs into the body, readjusted some stuffing if needed (I tried not to adjust them too much), and stitched along the hemline to close the doll up.  Done!
 

You can find the fabrics I used for these dolls by clicking on the Fabric.com link below and searching for “Michael Miller It’s a Girl Thing”:

You should be able to click on the images below to access the patterns pieces.  Print to size as is and have fun!!

 

Dorothy Dress Tutorial

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If you need a last minute costume for your little girl, this quick Dorothy dress tutorial might come in handy.  I shared the tutorial for making Olivia her Dorothy costume at the Train to Crazy a few weeks ago.  Hope you like it!I absolutely love making my three girls their Halloween costumes, but this year, I’ve succumbed to time pressures and ended up purchasing two of my girls’ costumes.  When my seven-year-old told me she wanted to be Dorothy, though, it pulled at my DIY heartstrings a little too much.
I just couldn’t buy a polyester Dorothy dress from the costume aisle.  I was pretty sure I could whip something up quick.  And it would have been super fast if I didn’t find myself staring at a million different trims trying to decide what to put where.  That really slowed me down.  In the end, I went with my initial instincts and today I’m going to share with you a tutorial for a dress that you could probably finish in less than an hour.  Ready?
You will need the main material and a lining material – I used a really lightweight gingham for the top layer and muslin for the lining.  You will also need three measurements:  chest, underarm to waist, and waist to hemline.  Using my daughter’s chest measurement, I cut the bodice pieces.  The front bodice piece width should be half the width of the chest measurement + 1/2″ (1/4″ seam allowance on each side).  To find the height of the bodice piece, measure from the underarm to the waist, factor in 1/4″ seam allowance on the top and 1/2″ seam allowance at the waist; then cut your piece at this length on the sides with a smooth curve up to the center.  I hope that’s clear.  For the back of the bodice and lining, you will cut a simple rectangle that is the same width as the bodice front + 2 inches if you are going to add shirring as I did AND the length should be just the length from underarm to waist plus a total of 3/4″ seam allowance.
 Stitch your bodice front to the bodice back along each side seam; repeat for lining.  Now, cut your skirt pieces.  I wanted a really full skirt so I cut two pieces selvage to selvage for the main skirt and two pieces selvage to selvage for the lining.  The length for the pieces was determined by measuring from my daughter’s waist to just above her knee, with added length for seam allowances.  Join the short ends of the skirt pieces to form two tubes (one main, one lining).  Now, you’re going to attach each skirt to its corresponding bodice piece.
 Now, we’re going to join together the dress and lining and finish the top edge of the bodice all in one easy step.
If you are making a stretchy little dress that is easy to get on and off, you can use this shirring method.  If you’re not familiar with shirring, it really is a cinch!  You can read more about it in my shirring tutorial.
Now, to add the classic Dorothy buttons, but with an easy halter strap:
Finally, you’re going to finish your hems.  I loved the idea of having the fluffy petticoat look underneath the main dress.  I had a hard time deciding whether or not to add ric rac around the main dress hem or to add stripes with red trim toward the bottom of the skirt; in the end, I just did a plain hem and then added some nice old-fashioned eyelet trim to the hem of the underskirt.
And that’s it!  I put the dress over a tulle pettiskirt for extra fluff and added a little white eyelet bolero that was mine when I was a little girl.  Target stocked the glittery shoes and Toto in basket, thank goodness.  I have to say, I’m so glad I took the time to make this costume  and my Olivia is, too!
 
 
 
Happy Halloween!

How to Make a Ruffled Spiral

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So…I love a ruffle.  It’s not exactly breaking news.  Ruffles are just – fun!  In spiral form, they make a big impact.  Pillows, umbrellas, fancy dress accents.  
 Here’s the how-to:
Grab a good chunk of fabric and cut strips selvage to selvage twice the width (plus seam allowance) you want your ruffles.  I cut 4 1/2″ wide strips for the pink pillow, 8″ wide or so for the umbrella.  I used about 9 strips (that’s about a yard of fabric) for the pillow.  It took yards to cover that umbrella. 
Now, join the short ends of each strip one to the next to make one continuous strip.  Press seams open, then press the full strip in half lengthwise.  
If you have a fabric that frays easily, you may want to serge the open edges now.  
Now, send your strip through your ruffler foot and ruffle that strip up!
Now, you’re going to make your spiral.  Begin the spiral on the outer perimeter and work your way in.  Depending on your project, you can pin and sew the ruffle or hot glue it.
And that’s it!  Have fun!

Layered Lace Skirt

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Today I’m sharing the details on the Layered Lace Skirt that I originally made for the Skirting the Issue event over at Simple Simon & Co. 

Participating in the Skirting the Issue series is truly heartwarming and I couldn’t be more excited to see Liz and Elizabeth successfully pull together such an amazing blog event. 

The skirt that I created for this event is a simple, but elegant layered lace skirt. To construct the Layered Lace Skirt, I cut a total of four panels of fabric for the main skirt – two lace panels and two underskirt panels (from a coordinating cotton). I wanted the skirt to be very full and flowy, hence I cut the panels quite wide at 40″ per panel. The length should be cut depending on the individual or you can follow a standardized guide when sewing for an unknown recipient. You should take into account the added length from whatever style waistband you will use. 
 
Begin by sewing together the two panels for each layer; sew the two short sides right sides together to form a tube of lace and a tube of underskirt.  Next, hem your underskirt – I used a narrow hem, which was so quick with my narrow hem sewing foot – get familiar with the optional feet for your sewing machine – they will save you SO much time!!  Now stack your two skirt layers together, matching side seams and the bottom edges.  Baste together along the top edge if desired.  Run two parallel gathering stitches around the top of the skirt.  Prepare your waistband (I used a knit interlock to make a simple waistband), gather the skirt, pin, and stitch it onto your waistband.  Add a removeable bow if you’d like and you’re done!  
 I love this skirt because it is easy to make, it’s age-versatile, it can be dressed up or down, and it is sure to make any girl feel fancy and beautiful.

 How cute is my model, by the way??

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