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Me and a few housemates have rounded up some local doors and bricks from the street and have made them into a canvas in the back garden during lockdown. Here's  some photos too!

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During lockdown I have been crafting: including sewing, glass carving and model building.
I have found that crafts have distracted me and filled the time I would normally spend out with people. I also found it kept my mind sharper as it kept me thinking of inventive ways I could improve my pieces.

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For me it has to be exercising, weight lifting in particular. I have some cheap weights bought as pre owned on ebay and they have helped me get into fitness again as a hobby. And the rewarding aspect of it, physically and mentally especially is greatly beneficial during these difficult pandemic times.

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Over lockdown I learned quite a few new piano pieces, and I've attached a video of me playing 'river flows in you' to my friends cat hiro who I was cat sitting while they were away during summer 2020.

I've been playing since I was 7 years old (almost 13 years!) and find it a good way to relieve stress- enjoy the video on the ~mildly~ out of tune piano :)

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At the beginning of the first lockdown, I decided to try and learn to knit. My nan let me borrow some of her knitting needles and I attempted to learn how to follow a pattern from YouTube. Several days, mistakes, and restarts later I managed to get something- even if it was more vase shaped than the square it was supposed to resemble! Undeterred, I started a scarf (turned out mostly straight, wooh!) then a hat and most recently in this lockdown, I've expanded to include spool knitting (or French knitting) and I've created a little fox, caterpillar, owl and bat, and I only accidentally got hot glue on myself twice! So, it's been quite successful overall.

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my recent lockdown hobby is making mood board/collages. I was inspired by the social media app Pinterest and thought it’d be fun to collage some of my favourite images that create a certain aesthetic. The first one is one I made for myself as room decor and the second one I made as a Mother’s Day gift.

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I joined the Nursing and Midwifery Association Knit and Knatter Club shortly before lockdown and continued practicing over the first few weeks. I then became a little addicted and started knitting baby hats to donate to Nottingham University Hospitals Maternity Units, which has been so much fun. I've lost count of how many I've made now!

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My hobby is making handmade greetings and birthday cards.

I was introduced to this craft in 4th grade through a very talented YouTuber (Kristina Werner) and fell in love ever since!

Using your creativity to bring joy to others is such a beautiful power that I value. Everything about card making is beautiful, and it is very fascinating how new and innovative methods in card making appear each year. Creativity in this field just never stops.

Unfortunately, I don`t practice it as much as I used to, but to this day I still enjoy practicing this skill which is rare as I get bored of things so quickly 🙂

The joy my cards bring to others is worth all the time invested in them, and it keeps me going with this hobby.

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Please find attached a photo of a new hobby - recycling bottles into plant pots. I used milk cartons and plastic bottles, cut them to size, and decorated with paint and marker pens.

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Since lockdown started, I decided to stay put and complete my field data collection. While I was abroad, I enjoyed kitesurfing! Kitesurfing is a wind-powered surface watersport using a kite and a board to move across the water. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind through a large parachute type kite to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a kiteboard (similar to a wakeboard). I love it!

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After completing a basic dressmaking course I have gained confidence in my sewing skills. I have been really enjoying sewing my own clothes. Even though, the process of making a dress takes many hours, after I am finished, I feel immense satisfaction and pride whenever I wear the finished garment. It is not just ‘any dress’ that I have made, it is ‘my dress’.

I Love sewing because I get to choose more sustainable fabrics (which is not always an option when buying ready-made clothes). Fashion industry is heavily polluting, so I encourage anyone to reconsider how often and what quality clothes they buy. Final tip: look for clothes or fabrics that are GOTS or OEKO-TEX certified.

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Recently I have really gotten into arts and craft specifically painting little ornaments. My favourite so far are the bird houses that I painted and put up in my garden. These are especially rewarding as I am hoping that some animals might get to enjoy my craft as well as me. I have found that in these stressful times painting and crafts have really helped me destress and have been a really good bonding acting for my housemate and I.

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My hobby that I've been doing a lot more in lockdown has been painting. I've always loved painting and having to stay at home has given me more time to practice. I think painting is really therapeutic and when you make something you love after putting in the work it can be so rewarding. I think it's important being able to do something you love when stuck in lockdown for your mental wellbeing.

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I’ve started doing puzzles as a new hobby in order to relax and to have a break from looking at screens all day.

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I have been knitting, listening to a lot of audiobooks and reading! I am really enjoying ‘Romantic Outlaws’ at the minute.

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Over lockdown, I have learned and developed a completely new skill for me of digital animation. Now I feel like this hobby is something I can be proud of.

I have tons of different projects I have done but if I have to just showcase one, I think it'll be fair to showcase the one that has gotten my the most views on my account on social media.

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Before lockdown, I started to attend adult ballet classes. Unfortunately, in-person classes had to stop when the UK restrictions were implemented in March 2020. I really wanted to continue my newly found hobby, so...I started taking online classes via zoom and YouTube. I managed to make do in my tiny one-bed apartment using my computer chair instead of a dance beam. No other equipment needed. Dancing acted as fun away to get my body moving when we couldn't leave the house.  Learning new choreography made me feel challenged and as my dancing improved so did my confidence. Continuing ballet really granted me a sense of accomplishment during the covid-19 pandemic and helped me connect with a new community.

Here is a picture of me with my dance shoes on! 😄 💃

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Since lockdown has begun, I have re-discovered my love for reading books for fun. As a law student I feel like I spend a lot of time reading quite 'heavy' books, and this has taken me away from seeing books as something fun. Over lockdown I have started spending an hour or so a day reading a book I enjoy, this is useful as it's a great way of getting off screens for a little bit! I recently finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury which I loved! I'm now reading Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, it's been difficult to get to grips with the slightly unorthodox language used, but I'm gradually learning to understand it better!

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My new hobby since the first lockdown has been indoor gardening and growing seeds from different fruits including apples, lemons, avocados, strawberries and mangos. It's rewarding to watch them grow and adds more colour to my room!

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At the start of lockdown I managed to dig out a sewing machine from the recesses of the loft and got to work making masks masks masks for anyone and everyone I knew. I made literally dozens of masks out of old t-shirts and pillow cases and odd scraps. I fell in love with the sewing machine and have been progressively making bigger and more ridiculous projects to keep myself entertained. My latest project, in homage to where I started… Yes it’s fully functional and filtered! I also made the hood-scarf!

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During the first lockdown I learned to knit and crochet. I absolutely loved being able to use my new skill to make gifts for friends and family (and myself too!). I knitted a cardigan for a new baby and made 'mini spa sets' to give as birthday and Christmas presents. I find knitting and crochet relaxing and rewarding, and so many balls of wool have been used in the process! My current project is knitting a blanket for the charity 'Knit for peace' which provides knitted or crocheted items to those in need.

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I like being active and keeping fit. So, when the gyms first closed, I knew I needed to do something to improve my physical and mental health. I never was much of a runner, but on one particular day, I put my trainers on and went for a run. My yorkie, Phoebe also joined me, and she made it much better. We now go at least twice a week for around 40 minutes. Some weeks, it's a struggle, others it's easy. But I don't time it, it's just for fun and to get some fresh air.

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Since March I have learnt playing basic songs on 3 new musical instruments (guitar, mandolin, and clarinet)

and excelled further on the musical instrument I already played (violin).

Now I am trying to make songs using all 4 instruments and a computer software.

I am very excited about this new hobby, even though I am finding

quite challenging to combine all 4 in a rhythmic manner🙂