• 8 Absorbing Projects to Bust the Winter Blues

    The weather outside might be frightful, but this is a great season for creativity! After all, the cold gives you an excuse to sit still and make. Today, we’ll go over eight projects that will captivate and entertain you!

    Here in Boulder, we’re alternating between being super snowed in to mildly snowed in. As someone who doesn’t do well in the cold, I have decided that it’s best to embrace the great indoors and capitalize on my creativity! For this article, I compiled a list of recent TPK projects that are fun and engaging. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably seen all of these before (and my hat’s off to you). And if not, hopefully you’ll find something that sparks your creative energy! Here we go:

    1. Make a Sketchbook Page

    Besides chasing after my toddler, sketchbooking has been my #1 boredom-busting activity this winter. I just rolled out a couple of tutorials over how to tailor the spread pictured below to a significant day in your life! First, you make the layout; then, you add color. For more information on sketchbooking, you can see this article! (As a side note, I recently picked up a copy of Draw Your Day, and I found it to be very inspirational. Another resource to check out if sketchbooking appeals to you, for sure!)

    How to Add Color to Your “Day in the Life” Sketchbook Layout
    My “Goldilocks” sketchbook is from Shinola. So many thanks go to Jess for recommending it to me!

    2. Create Calligraphy Artwork

    When I wrote the Woman’s Silhouette Calligraphy Artwork Tutorial, I wasn’t sure how many people would attempt it. As it turns out, there are a lot of brave creative souls out there! Every rendition I saw — be it via email or Instagram — was absolutely fabulous. If you like the look of projects like this, give it a shot. My lady is framed in my bathroom, and guests compliment me on her all the time!

    Calligraphy Artwork Tutorial: Woman's Back | The Postman's Knock
    This project looks complicated! However, the free printable included in the tutorial makes this woman quite easy to create.

    3. Make a Bullet Journal

    Beware: bullet journals can make hours go by in the blink of an eye! Keeping one fires up your creativity, ignites your dreams, and helps you to plan. Recently, TPK’s Geni let us take a peek in her bullet journal. The results are incredibly inspiring! If you missed that article, it’s definitely worth a read.

    Snooping Inside a Bullet Journal - Ideas + Examples
    Geni’s bullet journals are comprehensive and inspiring! You can take a digital look at them here.

    4. Draw a Flower

    Dreaming of warmer weather? Try drawing a summery flower! I just made a neat little lily tutorial that’s getting a lot of love on Instagram. I’ve also got tutorials over how to draw geraniums, poppies, and sunflowers!

    "You Made This?!" Lily Drawing Tutorial
    I love this gold, black, and gray lily! You just need a gel pen, water, and some gold watercolor to create it.

    5. Make a Botanical Letter

    Botanical letters can easily consume a happy afternoon, and the results are gorgeous! Believe it or not, this is a great project for watercolor newbies. The simple blending techniques used to make each flower pop can be applied to future creations!

    The completed letter!
    I drew a “B” in my sketchbook, but you can tailor the tutorial to suit any letter! (I’ve also done a “J” in the past.)

    6. Create a Cactus

    … Because what’s cooler than a lush cactus with vibrant flowers? Put an inspirational quote on it to add a punch of personality!

    Watercolor Cactus + Quote Artwork Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    You can find a tutorial over how to make this fun cactus here!

    7. Make Some Mail Art

    This mail art was inspired by Mexican tiles. The tile designs are simple, so they’re easy to draw (and my tutorial walks you through how to draw each one)! Put the tiles together, and the result is a visual feast.

    (Seriously Gorgeous!) Talavera Mexican Tile Mail Art Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    This mail art concept is great because it only requires three supplies: a pencil, a pen, and an envelope! The pizazz comes from the technique, not the materials.

    8. Illuminate a Letter

    The only thing better than an artistic initial? An artistic initial that incorporates a lot of gold. I’ve seen successful renditions of both the original illuminated letter tutorial and the next level tutorial popping up all over Instagram! This is a project that a lot of people connect with and are able to do well.

    The Cheater's Illuminated Letter Tutorial
    This is the simpler of the two illuminated letter tutorials, but it results in a fabulous project! I noticed that several people on Instagram incorporated these letters into gifts.

    I hope that you liked this summary of recent creative projects! Sometimes, it’s nice to lay everything out all at once and get to pick and choose what you might like to make. If you liked this round-up article of creative projects, you can find a few others here on the TPK site. They include:

    Thanks very much for reading, and we’ll reconvene this weekend with a neat little tutorial!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock