Keeping Busy at Home so far

Hi guys! How are you all coping with this brand new normal? Are you keeping busy at home?

We are trying our best to do just that, and now and again, we will share with you what we are up to.

We are used to being at home since we stopped teaching. But something about this feels strange. And to think that most people are home too is an even stranger thing.

Anyway, we hope you keep finding things to do to keep occupied. We are planning an activity a day and hope that you can inspire us with other ideas too. After our latest home project which is our amazing bathroom, we have decided to keep the momentum going.

Keeping it frugal

Of course, we are trying to keep costs to a minimum. We are doing this by using resources we already have, shopping around (online of course), for the best prices, making sure to click on and go through TopCashback first, so that we get some money back, and also repurposing some items. It is also a good idea to complete some projects that you had already started. In this post, you will see some of the items we have completed.

 

We completed the reupholstering of this chair while keeping busy at home

Do you have a chair that needs a bit of love? This is one of ours. It was actually red and soft and comfy but it just didn’t fit in with our decor anymore.

Last year we went to the Bull Ring in Birmingham city centre and actually bought the fabric and some nails. It was ok but just needed the fabric to be more secured on and also we thought it could do with some bling.

Can you see how we have given it the bling? The stud thingy came from Amazon and here is the link: Upholstery nail stud strips. You can see the back view below. Do let us know what you think.

Looking after the birds too

We love the longer days and love hearing the birds singing. These help to brighten our day and we want to encourage it. Leisa came up with this idea of making a bird feeder with a large plastic soda bottle, the lid from a Celebrations box, some twine and some faux flowers. All of these we already had at home.

I suppose this is something which families could do while keeping busy at home with their kids. What do you think?

We will let you know if we have any species of birds at all that stop to check it out.

Crochet projects to the rescue

Can you crochet? I bet you there are more people who can knit than there are people who can crochet.

I’m so happy my mom sent us over to the neighbours house when we were about 10 to learn to crochet. The skills we learned are coming in handy right now. We have spent some time completing some blankets we had started some time ago. We have added tassels to two of them and now they are ready for new owners.

My friend Helen gave me this crochet book for my birthday and we are determined to pull it out and learn to make at least one of the pieces there. They look so lovely and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Pantry Organisation

Do you have a designated room that is actually your pantry? Well, we didn’t until now!

We have a small, narrow room that we used to just store junk in. It had all our baking supplies, filming props, food for recipe developments and Christmas decorations, among other stuff.

Well, it dawned on us that we could use all this time at home to actually completely empty it, paint it, and use it for a proper pantry. I am not showing any pics here but next week you will see the big reveal.

 

A tiered cake stand into a table centrepiece

Leisa’s friend had stored her wedding cake stand for her in Jamaica for many many years. Some time ago, she sent it over and we have stored it in that ‘junk room’ ever since.

We are pleased to say that she is now using some of the pieces to make a table centrepiece. With just some spray paint, the possibilities are endless.

No, this is not the finished look. Check next week’s post to see the finished item and how we style it.

Let’s hope you have got some inspiration of things to do to keep yourself busy and useful while you keep busy in lockdown at home. Feel free as well to share some of your ideas with us. We are up for the challenge, especially if we have the resources at home, because, let’s face it, we are not going anywhere.