The health and safety of our community is paramount, and with the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, many are required to self-quarantine in order to prevent the potential devastating affect on the entire country’s population. With more people staying home from work or school, there’s a newfound amount of unexpected free time that’s full of possibilities…..for your closet, home and peace of mind!

Mass cabin-fever could be a new sickness that results from COVID-19 (who even knows what that might bring to our communities), however, there are many activities and things that we can all learn to keep our minds stimulated. Binge-watching Netflix and Amazon shopping sprees might be enticing, but here are 5 productive things that you can do and/or learn that you might have been putting off for a while.

1.) Finally Learn How to Sew a Button

We all likely have items in our closets with loose or missing buttons. It’s a fact. I mean, I definitely do.

And these very pieces, that were once beloved, are now destined for donations or the trash because of the state of their buttons.

With now more open schedules at home, we all have more time to actually repair our buttons, thus, saving some of our once-favorite clothing items.

Here are some sites that provide tips and tricks for sewing buttons with ease:

2.) Clear Your Wardrobe of Clutter

Staying in is the perfect reason to give your closet some spring love. On a peaceful afternoon, play upbeat tunes, and organize your wardrobe!

“What pieces should I donate?” What items should I see if my friend will want?”

These are some questions to ask yourself as you minimize the size of your closet.

Last year, Jakia provided some great tips on using bins to organize your closet. Scroll to her tip about using boxes to organize clothing.

3.) Experiment With Your Closet

But reviewing your closet space doesn’t only mean downsizing. Take this time to experiment with your fashion items too! Here are some thought-starters:

  • Put together some looks inspired by some of your favorite fashion bloggers, like the ones on here. Use your closet’s items to replicate your fashion heroes.
  • Experiment with pattern-mixing, texture play, and color-blocking.
  • As you experiment, post your looks on Instagram to see what your friends think! Create polls and ask for their input.
  • Try layering for the spring. See what scarves, jackets, blouses and skirts can work together in ways that you might not have thought of before.
  • Play around with creating 10 outfits using only 20 pieces of clothing and accessories. Test your closet’s versatility!

4.) Upcycle a T-Shirt

Not only do we have shirts with unruly buttons, I’m sure we all have at least one t-shirt that we don’t want.

Instead of throwing it away, try using it for a DIY project! There are so many ways to use t-shirts in new and exciting ways.

Why not try a no-sew online project to change the style of an over-sized shirt? Can you use your t-shirt to make a bouquet of flowers? The options are endless. Here are some projects to get you started:

5.) Put Your Pens, Pencils and Paper to Good Use

This couldn’t be a more perfect time to finally put down the phone and use a pencil, pen and paper to do things like nurture relationships, hone your writing skills and/or start journaling. With a pencil and paper, the sky is the limit.

  • Instead of writing emails and texting positive snippets to friends (that may have been inaccurately auto-corrected), you can finally whip out that pen and paper to hand-write a thoughtful letter that they will cherish forever. With the era of technological innovation, hand-written notes have become very underrated. However, when we all received them, our hearts become warm. Take the time to show friends and family that you truly care with an original creation that comes from the heart. PLUS, this is a great opportunity to practice your cursive and calligraphy skills. https://www.destinationdecoration.com/how-to-do-fake-calligraphy/
  • Being inside can result in a lot of deep self-reflection. Instead of keeping all of those thoughts inside your brain, write ’em down! Start a journal and make it a routine. If you document your life on a daily basis, hopefully this behavior will stick and you’ll continue to write for years to come! Who knows what writing will help you discover about yourself. https://www.themuse.com/advice/8-ways-to-stop-thinking-about-journaling-and-actually-start-journaling
  • Have a printer? If you have crayons, markers or colored pencils, find some coloring pages online and put your art supplies for a peaceful drive. Coloring pages can be a therapeutic way to relieve anxiety and stress. http://www.supercoloring.com/collections/coloring-pages-for-adults

These at-home activity recommendations are just touching the tip of the iceberg. However, we hope they inspire you to put down the technology (except when you need to find tips/directions or coloring pages) and try some new things that you may not have had the time to do before.

Stay stay and healthy, everyone!