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8 Creative Things To Try Out At Home When You've Run Out Of Ideas

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Yaya Norazman •  May 25, 2020

[Updated 13 May 2021]

How's everyone hanging on at home? After multiple rounds of naps, ASMR baking shows and stand up comedies, I realised that the things I do to pass time during this pandemic have been so... predictable. If you've run out of ideas like me, perhaps you're also looking for creative things to do at home. To keep you high-spirited, we've come up with this list of creative things you can try out at home so you won't feel so trapped even while physical distancing.

P.S. We've also listed 10 Ways To Beat Cabin Fever When You're Stuck At Home so do check it out if you haven't already.

1. Host a #StayHome party

There's always a reason to host a gathering, even if it's nobody's birthday. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you to ditch physical distancing! Here's how you can organise a party without leaving your house and tempting your friends to leave theirs:

If you live with your family, a party is a great reason to play dress up and serve food that you normally wouldn't on a daily basis ????It doesn't matter if you cook or order in, no one's going to judge? And since all your family members are at home, make things more exciting by creating a whole-day agenda for everyone to participate in. Maybe a cookie-decorating competition in the afternoon followed by karaoke night?

Live alone and miss socialising with friends? Level up your usual virtual hangouts with food and online games! Order from your favourite pizza parlour and get your friends to do the same. You can also impress your friends with any of these cafe-worthy drinks you can make at home

To rid of the quarantine blues, my friends and I enjoy a good laugh over an online game of Cards Against Humanity, which you can access on Playingcards.io. See the full list of multiplayer games by Elite Daily here! Even though you're not outside, the company is what matters. Leave no room for the sad vibes and start organising, guys ?

2. Get creative on a blank canvas

Painting, or any other method of filling up a blank canvas such as paper marbling, is a satisfying outlet to express yourself. Feeling calm and collected? Or blue on a stormy day? Pick up the brush, your favourite colour palette and go wild ? If you're wondering how to begin, YouTube is always a good starting point. Always.

Find yourself enjoying yourself too much that your house is filled with artworks? Artworks make great presents, so gift them to friends and family! Alternatively, put them up on Carousell and earn extra bucks while you chill at home, occupying yourself with art therapy.

#HHWT Tip: You can skip the artist canvas and personalise your belonging blank t-shirt/canvas bag/shoes etc instead! ??

3. Start a home garden

This point was actually inspired by my mum, who sprung up with the idea of growing our own beansprouts when the Movement Control Order (MCO) was announced in Malaysia. She gathered 3 empty bottles, a packet of green beans and a wipe cloth, and got down to business immediately. After 2 days, we found ourselves a generous portion of kitchen-grown beansprouts, ready to be tossed into our char kuay teow!

Starting your own garden doesn't have to be complicated. A fair warning: once you taste the joy of harvesting homegrown vegetables, you'll never want to go back to scouting at the farmer's market. If you're going for herb and vegetable garden, it's best to do some reading on what would grow best in our climate. Curry plant, mint, and chilli are few of the beginner-friendly plant options you can start with.

Now, this all sounds straightforward if you live in a landed property. What about urban farming-enthusiasts who live in high-rise residences and find space to be an issue?? Apart from utilising your corridor/balcony spaces to do fit the soil-filled pots, you can also consider hydroponic farming, which means growing plants using mineral solvents instead of soil.

Aerospring, a Singapore-grown business, introduced a chic and effortless vertical garden system that allows you to grow your green buddies in the smallest of spaces. The watering system can be set on a timer, making it the perfect solution for anyone who has little time on their hands to maintain a garden. Every tip you'll need is available on their website, so go ahead and check it out ?

4. DIY upcycle project

If you have a sewing machine or at least a sewing kit at home -- hear me out. Take that fabric, your old dress, oversized t-shirt or overstretched denim; basically clothing items you can't remember the last time you put them on and upcycle them into something functional.

When I got my first antique sewing machine years ago, I went crazy with it ? I had thrifted a corduroy dress, which I later found out was not a great idea for Malaysia's climate. So I took it apart and DIY-ed a gorgeous crop top and a cute drawstring bag. Trust me, the process of upcycling something into a whole new item is very satisfying, and I couldn't help but feel proud of my amateur sewing skills! I later sold the crop top (got a compliment for it, too!) and gifted the drawstring bag to a friend, who still uses it until today.

Upcycling doesn't stop at repurposing fabric. If you have any item at all lying around in the house i.e bottles, piece of furniture etc, take a minute to Google what can these items be transformed into. You'd be surprised at how creative things can get, and how you're reducing waste at the same time, for the greater good of our planet ?

5. Try a new recipe

Remember when you were a kid and you used to love coming back home to the smell of comforting home-cooked meals? Well, if you haven't been picking up your spatula lately, this is the perfect time to do so.

We all have our favourite recipes at the back of our minds that we can whip up right here, right now. That's no fun. When was the last time you tried cooking a new dish? Or do a twist on an old-time go-to? If there's one thing that the bottomless Internet can teach us, it is that the possibilities in the kitchen are endless.

The best motivation for this is to think of your favourite order at your favourite restaurant, browse the cookbook/Google the recipe, and off you go into the kitchen! Nothing is as hard as it seems. All you need is patience and tell yourself to cook with love, just like what your parents did when they cook! Of course, the other thing(s) you'll need is the ingredient, and don't think we don't have you covered: here are 21 long-lasting grocery items you should buy to last you days, if not weeks ?

#HHWT Tip: You could also get creative by picking 3/4 random ingredients in your pantry and challenge yourself to make something you've never thought of before! Google is your best friend so give this your best shot ?? Check out this list of recipes you can try (using 4 ingredients or less!)

6. Reconnect with your old hobbies

When was the last time you reconnected with your old hobby?

Growing up, I was an unstoppable force whenever I have a pencil and paper with me. From Disney princesses to my hyperactive feline friends, I love to draw any image that came to mind. It gets my creative juices flowing, and helps me relax and enjoy the time I had to myself. This quickly became a thing of the past the moment I got occupied with school and work, and I'm sure many of us can relate ?

It's easy to forget how we used to have more control over our imagination and personal expression when we were kids. Our hobbies make us happy, and whatever they may be, they certainly are far more rewarding than scrolling social media feed on hours' end.

With the time that we have in our hands now, why not rediscover what we used to love doing? If your lonely piano is in the living room collecting dust, take over and learn a new song! Used to love building model planes or solving jigsaw puzzles? Well, take them out of your attic! Be a kid once again and we promise you'll have a good time ?

7. Give your space a new decor (#WFH edition)

For the next few months, we're all going to spend a lot of time in the comfort of our home. That means we have to work, play, and rest, in the same space.

A good way to start is by asking yourself 2 questions: "What is the purpose of this room?" and "How can I design/reorganise it to serve its purpose?". Simply put, here's a comparative example: our bedrooms should give us the serene, restful vibe vs our home offices should be a distraction-free space and encourages productivity. To help you with the latter, Real Homes has outlined a few tips on strategically designing a home office, even if you don't have a dedicated room for one. Once you've identified this, the rest will follow ?

#HHWT Tip: An indoor plant makes all the difference in the corners of your home. It freshens up the air in your home, reduces one's stress levels, and can help you concentrate hence become more productive! A research by Spinoff (NASA's publication) revealed that houseplants can remove up to 87% of ambient toxin within 24 hours? Google up the nearest nurseries and have them suggest what kind of plants would fit your criteria of the perfect new member of the family i.e easy to care for, requires minimal sunlight, etc!

8. Journaling

We're currently living in a pandemic, which is a unique phase for all of us. The days pass by so slowly when we're not out and about, and that can take a toll on us if we don't take the time each day to process it.

Journaling is a great way to transfer and illustrate in words what you've been brewing in your mind ? It can be a very relaxing activity, too! There's no hard and fast rule in journaling, so let loose and jot down whatever comes to mind! Begin with 1 sentence a day, or even 1 word. Remember, the only person who's gonna read your entries is yourself (unless you become a famous person ?).

A lot of people think you need multi-coloured pens and faux alligator-skin notebooks for this, but no. Even if you write down your thoughts in your built-in Note app, it's still journaling.

#HHWT Tip: If pen and paper is not your thing, consider blogging instead ? Why invest in stationeries when you can personalise everything the digital way?

That's all I have for you! Hope this article gives you ideas on what to do if you need to be inspired, or you're looking to high-kick that boredom away while at home. Stay safe at home and practice physical distancing, please!