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When we decided to make pickles I thought it would be a big production involving canning and all of that. Turns out you can also make small batch refrigerator pickles and they are SO easy! I’m talking you can have them prepped in a matter of minutes. I made 8 jars in 30 mins the last time and then they only take a few days to be ready to eat! I told you guys…. easy peasy!

Below are 3 of the recipes we’ve used that I recommend! The fun thing about making pickles too is you can experiment and get a little creative on the spice side of things. Pickling cucumbers are preferred for these but honestly I’ve used just normal cucumbers too (because that’s what we grew in the garden this year) and they turned out great!

Sweet Pickles

This recipe fills about 3 pints jars of pickles

• Couple of pounds of cucumbers

• Yellow onion

• 3 cups of sugar

• 1/4 cup Kosher salt

• 2 cups white vinegar

• 2 teaspoons mustard seed

Make them sweet and spicy (my favorite)

• Add 1/4- 1/2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to each jar (depending on how much spice you want)

Directions:

1. Wash jars and rinse cucumbers and onion. If they’re homegrown cucumbers be sure to rub off the spikes too.

2. Roughly chop onion and cut cucumbers how you’d like them — you can keep them whole if they’re pickling cucumbers or try quartering them or slicing for bread and butter pickles (my go-to)

3. Mix spices and vinegar mixture into bowl and stir well

4. Fill jars with cucumbers and a couple tablespoons of onion then top with pickling mixture

5. Put lids on jars and shake each a couple of times.

6. Put in refrigerator and shake each day for 2-3 days and then enjoy!

The pickles will be good in the fridge for about a month and I do want to note if you make spicy pickles they will get spicier the longer they’re in there so just keep that in mind.

Dill pickles

This recipe fills about 3 pints jars of pickles

• Couple of pounds of cucumbers

• 1.5 cups white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

• 2 cups water

• 1/8 cup of Kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

• 3 sprigs of fresh dill

• 6 garlic cloves

• 3 teaspoons dill seed

• 1.5 teaspoons black peppercorns

Make them spicy

• Add 1/4- 1/2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to each jar (depending on how much spice you want)

• As an alternative, you can also add sliced jalapenos or serrano peppers to the jars

Directions:

1. Wash jars and rinse cucumbers. If they’re homegrown cucumbers be sure to rub off the spikes too.

2. Cut cucumbers how you’d like them — you can keep them whole if they’re pickling cucumbers or try quartering them or slicing for bread and butter pickles (my go-to)

3. Mix vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a bowl until dissolved

4. Add a sprig of fresh dill, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns and chili flakes (optional) to each jar. If you don’t have fresh dill you can double up on dill seed or if you’re in a pinch you can use dried dill it just makes the mix a little messier.

5. Fill jars with cucumbers and then top with pickling mixture

6. Put lids on jars and shake each a couple of times.

7. Put in refrigerator and shake each day for 2-3 days and then enjoy!

We can all admit that we’re living in some crazy times right now and while I’m super thankful to be able to work from home and ride this out, I’ve def needed some time to unplug. In the biz community, there’s been SO much pressure to pivot your biz or creating the next BIG thing and I have to admit, I’ve gotten sucked into it some. There are definitely some moves we’re making at our biz and projects we’ve moved from the back to the frontrunner, but I realized I had spent an avg of 15-16 hours on my computer each day since all of this had started.😳

So in an effort to rein things in a little and give myself some adequate rest, I decided I needed to spend this weekend (and the upcoming evenings) relaxing a little more. Because while there’s a whole lot out of our control, burning ourselves out on top of everything isn’t going to do us any good! While I enjoy a good binge-watch sesh here or there, doing things that are creative or trying new things is def more my style. I think as adults, a lot of us write these things off because we say we aren’t creative or we don’t know how to, but to me, it’s much more about the process than the end result. Sometimes things turn out great, sometimes you find out you really like something and others it’s a big ol’ fail but there’s something magical about focusing on something new that clears your mind!

So to help try and keep us all sane right now, I put together a list of different creative ideas and DIY projects I’d recommend. Either from things I’ve tried or things that are on my list! I also tried to pick things that need minimal supplies that you either might already have or things that were in-stock online.

Writing

It’s no secret that writing is one of my go-to’s, plus you don’t need any supplies to make this happen. It sounds so simple but it can be such a therapeutic experience. There’s a lot of different ways you can do this but I highly recommend giving some form a shot.

• Freewriting: When I’m feeling overwhelmed, sometimes I’ll take a freewriting approach where I’ll set a timer for 15-30 mins and just write everythingggg that is on my mind. Sometimes the sentences flow together and sometimes it’s just sporadic thoughts but I’ll keep writing anything on my mind until the timer is up.

• Journal prompts: If you’d like something with a little more structure, I recommend trying a journal prompt. There are a ton of different options out there to see what feels right. Girlcrush Collective has a really great blog post with a lot of different options too.

• Creative writing: Another great option is to write your own stories. Writing fiction is a great way to escape from the world we’re in and write your own story. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the next J.K. Rowling, again it’s all about the process!

Watercoloring

This was the creative outlet I decided to start with this weekend! I had bought a set of watercolor paints years ago, but have never used them so I thought it was the perfect time to try it out. Full disclosure, I know nada about painting but that was kind of the beauty of giving it a try. There are a lot of cool tutorials and Youtube channels out there and I def recommend checking out Makoccino’s channel. She has some really great tips and content!

Makeup & Hair Tutorials

Another thing I’ve spent a little time doing lately is watching makeup and hair tutorials. I’m not really that into makeup normally, but I’ve always thought it was fun watching these kinds of videos on Instagram or Youtube. Right before all of this went down, my friend Brittany hooked me up with some really awesome makeup to try out too so I’ve actually been using it instead of just watching the videos! She recommended I check out Tati Westbrook, so I’ve been watching a decent amount of her videos and then usually I just look through the #makeuptutorial hashtag on Instagram. Then for hair, Melissa Cook has some great braiding ideas and then I also love looking through Pinterest for ideas. I actually have a Pinterest board with ideas I like too if you’re interested in checking it out.

Tie-Dye

I don’t know why, but I’m obsessed with the idea of tie-dying stuff right now… it just sounds like fun and you can get kits pretty inexpensively at craft stores online. It’s not just about the rainbow-colored hippie-style tie-dye either. There are lots of different colors and techniques you can do to get the vibe you’re looking for — ice-dying, reverse tie-dye and different folding methods.

Refrigerator Pickles

If you’re looking for something creative you can eat, this one is for you! When people think of canning or pickling, they usually think it’s complicated and you have to make a TON, but that’s not the case! In fact, you can make small batches without having to can them and it’s a lot easier than you think too! As long as you can get your hands on vinegar, jars (or some kind of sealed container), cucumbers and a few spices you’ll be in business! The fun thing about making small-batch pickles too is they’re ready within a couple of days and you can easily make different varieties by adjusting what spices you put in each. This is my go-to brine I use for dill pickles, the key to the brine is the vinegar, water and salt and then the others are optional based on what you’d like to try. Then this is my go-to brine for sweet pickles which I just LOVE!

Freezer Jam

Another thing I always thought was complicated (but it’s not) is making jam! This idea is even better for summer when berries are in season but you can really do it whenever. You can find a lot of different recipes online but this is one I’ve used before on berries from the garden. I’ve used raspberries but also a combo of raspberries and strawberries and it’s turned out delicious every time!

Glass Etching

Another DIY project I learned around Christmas time this year was how to etch glass. If you have a Cricut or Silhouette machine this project is awesome because you can make totally custom stencils. Even if you don’t (those suckers are pricey) you can still get stencils and have just as much fun. I made Evan some custom whiskey glasses for Christmas and was surprised how easy it was to do this project — well, as long as you get the stencil on right! This blog has a great tutorial on the process though and it’s a fun project or gift idea.

Paint Pouring

Admittedly, this is a messier project, but a fun one at that. You can paint canvases, wooden letters, coasters, or notecards — whatever you would like! It’s all about pouring paint onto your surface and then you can move it around so the paint mixes together and creates cool patterns. I was first introduced to the technique at one of the Martha Stewart events I went to with her marbling medium for paints, although you can do it other ways. This blog has a great tutorial that walks you step-by-step through the process.

Calligraphy

Something that has been on my to-do (admittedly for a long time) is learning how to do calligraphy! I’ve always admired people who can do it and now would be a great time to learn. You don’t need too many things to get started either. Plus there are a lot of great online courses including this one from Brit & Co.

Hand Crocheting

I know I’m not the only one who is smitten on those big, chunky yarn throws that show up on home decor shows. they just look so cozy right?! Well, why not make your own? All you really need is a bunk of the yarn and some time it looks like. This website has a great tutorial for learning how to make one for yourself.

Macrame

Macrame is another great idea if you’re looking for something new to try plus something cool to jazz up your house right now. If you’ve got the time, why not try and learn to make your own hanging piece or plant hanger too? I did a little research on the topic around Christmas this year because I got Faith a book and this stood out as a really great option, “Macrame: The Craft of Creative Knotting for Your Home”.

Start Garden Seeds

Gardening season is just around the corner which if you haven’t tried before, I SO recommend! Even if it’s just a balcony or herb garden. I have a whole blog post on getting started with that, but now is a great time to get seeds started and you don’t need anything complicated. Just some seeds, dirt and an egg carton or something else to start them in. This video has a great tutorial on getting started and then you’ll have something to watch grow during this time which is always kind of fun.

Hope you’ve liked these ideas and I’m always pinning new things that sound like fun on my Pinterest account so be sure to follow this board if that sounds like fun!