There are a lot of websites that also offer free designs for you to create which is great when you are learning and do not want to outlay a lot of money.
Crafts to Do at Home: 50+ EASY Ideas!
Get 50+ ideas for crafts to do at home! These use a lot of household items you probably have in your stash. Great projects for kids and adults – and easy too!
I think everyone knows where they were in March 2020. You know, when we started quarantine? I worked in an office at the time, and I was sent home that Friday thinking that we’d be back to the office in two weeks. I didn’t grab anything except my laptop!
Now it’s years later and that company I worked for is permanently remote, and the world is forever changed. I work out of my home now, as do a lot of people (some still from quarantine!).
One thing I’ve noticed is that I’m not taking the same amount of car trips I used to. I still go to the grocery and craft store, etc. but I’m much more intentional about where and when I go. I’m not as quick to take a trip I don’t need to take these days.
Which got me thinking . . . .
this year I want to focus on really utilizing my craft stash – along with household and recycled items – to make things. Not only will I save money, but I’m looking forward to making a little bit of room using what I have.
Are you on the same creative journey? If so, I’ve got a great list of fun crafts to do at home – with the stuff you already have on hand. Because we all have those supplies that have been sitting around, rightt?
Check out these 50 ideas I think you’re going to love! I tried to put together craft ideas that use (at least mostly) items from your house or that you are likely to have in your stash.
Not only are these things to make at home inexpensive . . . but they are easy as well. None of the crafts on this list are hard, so if you’re a beginner (or even a kid!) you’ll likely be able to tackle them effortlessly.
Take a peek at the projects and let me know what you think in the comments. Which of these are your favorite? Enjoy!
1. LEARN HOW TO CROCHET MODERN BUT BASIC STITCHES
Crochet is not just granny’s squares anymore! Although I do still love them! Crocheting has come a long way with talented artists and designers creating unique patterns and designs that are stylish and totally doable. With a few good tutorials, you will be creating unique baby blankets & scarves in no time.
DIY lessons for free
There are so many tutorials on youtube and links on Pinterest to watch and learn from, below are some of my top 3 go-to’s, all with easy-to-follow instructions.
Bella Coco Crochet – Lots of easy unique modern stitches to try
TL Yarn Crafts – Great tips & tricks from an expert
Sewrella – Lots of beginners tutorials
EASY Tutorials to try that are cool and on-trend
Supplies you need
A Crochet Hook & Wool/Yarn
Crochet & Amigurumi ideas you can make
A Handmade Gift for the new baby in your family or friends circle.
This could be Beanies, Booties, a Baby Blanket for the cot or pram, Rattles and soft toys. I recommend you start small with hair bows, headbands or a Bassinet blanket for a longer project.
For inspiration, you can look here
Decor for your Home.
There are lots of easy quick projects for your home, coasters and pillow covers are the ones to try. Table runners are a great way to bring earthy tones into your home, as are floor rugs, crochet baskets and throw rugs for your bed or sofa.
For decor ideas, you can look here
Unique fashion pieces to wear
A great time to crochet is pre-winter as most clothing and accessories to crochet are cold weather-related, so if you are in Australia like me, now is the time to start. Easy projects to make are scarves & ear warmers, but with so many winter fashion pieces to make the list is endless. Beanies, gloves, socks & cardigans are always popular to make once your skills get better and you can follow a pattern.
For clothing inspo, you can look here
2. TEACH YOURSELF TO FOLD PAPER WITH ORIGAMI
Origami is the art of paper folding a single square sheet of paper into an object without glue or tape. Traditionally from Japan, origami has become popular across the world with children, teens to adults. Origami would be one of the cheapest crafts you could learn, any piece of paper around the house can be made into a square!
DIY lessons for free
Origami has come a long way from paper cranes and aeroplanes, below are some of my top 3 favourites, all with easy-to-follow instructions & unique designs
.Paper Kawaii – Cute, easy & fun paper art to try, fun for all ages
Sweet Paper – Lots of boxes for gift-giving
Paper Art 013 – Great projects for Iso homeschooling
EASY Tutorials to try that are cool
Supplies you need
Square paper
Origami papercraft inspiration you can make
Decorations for the Holidays
Christmas decorations for the tree, fireplace or to hang from the ceiling can look stylish and so pretty, also if the kids have helped make the decor it adds some warmth and love to the room
Easter & Halloween are wonderful times to get creative with Papercrafts, you could make rabbits, ducks, paper eggs, ghosts, spiders & monsters
Projects for home isolation & quarantine
Homeschooling the kids can be costly, draining and hard, so when you can buy a $2 origami-coloured paper pad from the local department store and throw on some youtube tutorials, it can give you an hours of peace and quiet while still feeling like the kids have been productive and creative. The kids can make a mobile for their room or different animals for creative playtime
For origami mobiles, you can look here
Paper gift boxes
There are so many little gift boxes to create that would make any present memorable. They are the perfect size for small gifts like lipsticks, jewellery, money or lollies
For origami boxes, you can look here
3. LEARN HOW TO RELAX BY SKETCHING OR DOODLING
Grab a sketchbook, old notebook or some loose paper because this can literally cost you nothing by just using what you have at home already. Getting creative by drawing can be daunting as most people think they are not skilled enough to draw and can not create any art that they will love. I am here to tell you that is wrong & that you may actually fall in love picking up a pencil and just drawing.
You see every piece you draw does not have to be gallery-worthy, it can just be a basic line art piece or a page of different shaded lines. I find my most relaxing times are just doodling all different shapes and squiggles all over a page for an hour or so.
If you want to learn to sketch and build up your drawing skills, there are many ways to do this and not just with a pencil on paper.
These days almost everyone has a device they can use which can have a drawing app on. So there are no excuses if you do not have a sketchbook, download a drawing app like Pro Create or Adobe Illustrator Draw is free
Drawing tutorials worth watching
Christopher Hart – Cool Cartoon characters for beginners
Pic Candle – Cute Doodles for beginners
the ART gEEK – Super Quick Doodle Pattern tutorial
Projects to draw while bored
Shayda Cambell – 12 easy flower doodles you need to know
Kristy Partridge Art – How to draw faces for beginners
Supplies you need
Any type of pen, pencil or marker & some paper
Projects you can make with your drawings
Handmade Cards
These days with technology, not many people send or receive mail in the post box anymore. So why not bring back cards with a beautiful handwritten note inside and make someone’s day special. Popular cards are Birthdays, Christmas & Valentine’s Day, but while we are all bored at home in isolation, why not make some appreciation or thank you cards for those people in your life you never get a chance to tell how much they mean to you.
Cute funny handmade cards are a great idea to make to cheer up family or friends who may not be coping well at the moment.
Handmade cards have always been popular in my house over the last 20 years, basically, due to the fact I always would forget to grab a card from the shop for the 100’s of Birthday parties the kids would be invited to. So I would fold some cardstock in half and let the kids be creative and write a lovely comment inside.
After a while, this became the norm and to this day my daughters still create their own cards for their friends. Just last week they both made a card each for a dance student of theirs who turned 8 and couldn’t have a birthday party, so for her Quarantine Birthday, we placed some cards in her letterbox to make her feel special.
For card ideas, you can look here
Shrink Plastic Jewellery
Shrink plastic is so fun to try but it can be expensive to set up. Some food packaging containers though have the same properties and work the same way as Shrinky Dink-type sheets from the store. What you need to look in your recycling bin for, is #6 plastic containers, which will be embossed on the bottom of your clear food packaging.
You can draw on to the plastic, cut it, shrink it in the oven and just like that you have created some personalised jewellery. Check out our Tutorial here
For jewellery ideas, you can look here
Turn your Doodles into Colouring in pages
With all those doodles you have been drawing, why not add some more lines and turn them into colouring in pages for the children. Kid’s are getting as bored as us while at home and finding some cost-effective arts & crafts projects for homeschooling that you don’t need to supervise is hard to find. So why not use your own mini craft project, photocopy it on your printer and let the kids add some colour and their own flair to your doodles.
For inspiration, you can look here
Cat Gazing at Stars
A simple background lets this little cat take the spotlight for an adorable result. Leave the piece as is, or replace the cat with a silhouette of your own pet!
Monstera Leaf Watercolor
The botanical trend seems like it’s here to stay, which is great news if you are just getting into painting and have been wanting to create a piece like this to hang in your home! We especially love how artist Ann uses white gel pen to create realistic looking vines inside the leaf!
Easy Lemon Watercolour Tutorial
Of course we had to include some of our very own watercolour tutorials! The Wonder Forest YouTube channel has a ton of beginner-friendly watercolour videos – like this easy, loose lemon that’s perfect for a summertime project.
