photos: oh_hedwig.
There are times when you simply don’t want to or can’t leave your house, no matter if it’s because of the weather, you’re sick or simply to lazy to climb out of your cocoon and just want to enjoy the cozy and warm atmosphere of your home. No-one captures this better than Saskia Bauermeister on her Instagram account @oh_hedwig. For me, she is the queen of “coffee and cake in bed” and “curling up at home” as she turns this mundane activity into an art form. Her charming photographs wrap me up in a warm blanket of comfort and let me forget all the horrible things that are happening outside like heavy rain and dirty, melting snow.
Looking through Saskia’s stream I feel inspired for many activities that you can do at home when you just don’t want to leave the house. And so I thought I transform this into a fine list of suggestions for you accompanied by some of her most beautiful photos.
1. Sleep In!
This is by far my favorite one, hence the pole position on my list. We all have lives that are far more busy than they should be and we forget sometimes to take a rest. Every minute that we linger too long we feel bad for being unproductive or lazy. I call bullshit on that! This is such a German disease and we should definitely do something about it. Such us: Sleeping in more! Forget the alarm clock, push your appointments to the afternoon. Just stay in bed as long as you want and stop feeling bad about it.
2. Have Breakfast in Bed. Every Day.
Breakfast is the best meal of the day, for me at least. How about making it even more fun by having it in bed. And not just on the weekend, why not every day? With your flatmate, or boy/girlfriend, or alone, however you prefer it. The birds will be happy about the breadcrumbs when you shake them off the sheets through the window later…
3. Read more Books
Who has time to read books these days? I sure don’t. I keep carrying books around with me in hopes I would have an our of piece to read them but this moment somehow never comes. Winter is the perfect time to catch up on reading because there are less things distracting us when we’re curled up in bed for days. I recommend reading the wonderful book by our Blogfabrik colleague Jule from im gegenteil. It’s called: “I used to be really undecided, but now I’m not so sure anymore” and the wit of the title has already sold it to me. Also on my reading list are two wonderful Berlin-themed books that came out last year: Berlin, Imagine a City by Rory Maclean and Berlin Now by Peter Schneider.
4. Binge-Watch TV Shows
I love TV show and I’m quite happy that there are so many great ones out, it feels like the renaissance of television. Obviously I don’t actually own a TV, who does? But thanks to streaming websites such as Netflix and Co we have other ways to get out dose of TV. Lately, I enjoyed very much the new (yet quite unconventional) noir superhero show Jessica Jones, the pretty smart Unreal that’s about the production of a reality TV show à la Bachelor, and of course the latest season of American Horror Story. There are also some more recommendations here and here.
5. Catch Up on your Diary
How long has it been since you wrote in your diary? Do you even write one? If not you should start in Winter, it’s the perfect time for it. How else are they gonna come up with all the anecdotes when they are making a movie out of your life, right?
6. Redecorate your House
For hibernation you need a decent nest, so get your DIY skills on and order some stuff online to change up your place a bit. It will lift your spirits and give you something to do that doesn’t require you to go outside.
7. Bake a Cake
I haven’t baked a cake in over 10 years. But I love cake and I’m not bad at it. I just never took the time for it. But Winter is such a perfect time for it because you basically have a free pass for as much cinnamon and sugar as you want. There are now loads of amazing baking blogs, YouTube channels and Instagram accounts out there with the most delicious recipes so you really have no excuse!
8. Invite Someone over for Cake
So, the first 7 suggestions were a bit lonesome, so we’ll start slowly by inviting people over to have a piece of the cake you baked in number 7. How about your parents? You always go over to their house for meals, so why not return the favor for a change? Downside: You have to clean and tidy up the house before they come. Upside: You finally have a reason to clean and tidy up AND you don’t have to leave the house for company.
9. Make a Festive Dinner
Alternatively, or additionally, you could also make a festive dinner for your friends for no reason whatsoever. They will be happy to eat out without paying and you still don’t have to leave the house to have company. (You could go out for shopping, but then there is delivery services for that too these days…)
10. Listen to your old Records
And I don’t mean actual vinyl records (unless you have them), I mean all your old favorite albums from Joni Mitchell, Patty Smith and David Bowie that you haven’t listened to for way too long. Your ears will be grateful to hear some actual music compared to all the shit that they have to endure these days…
11. Throw a House Party
Whilst on the topic of music: Why not throw a house party? This means you don’t have to go to the clubs and bars for some drinks and dancing and you have all your favorite people around you.
12. Make a Photo Album
So you honestly think you will ever look at all these thousands of photos that you have on your smartphone ever again with all the duplicate ones from the same shot. This simply doesn’t compare to the good old photo album that will bring back memories when you’re old. You should go through all the stuff and order some prints of your favorite shots and put them in a cute little photo album. You will love yourself later for doing that.
13. Work Through Your Magazines
You have hundreds of magazines flying around your house that you bought on an impulse on your last visit to Soda but did you actually take the time to read them? You could just through them away, but they were kind of expensive and they just look so cool on your desk. So why not finally take the time and enjoy some good old journalism. The authors will be grateful that you finally acknowledge their hard work.
14. Reflect
The end or beginning of a year is the perfect time to reflect. On us, on our relationships, the things we’ve accomplished, the things that have gone wrong in the past and why. Being a little introverted, contemplative and thoughtful is healthy sometimes. Maybe you even put on a Tori Amos record and cry your heart out. It’s a healthy and wonderful progress to overcome, move on and become a better, happier person.
15. Plan your next Trip
So where are you going to travel this year? Now is the time to pick up your atlas, read some travel blogs and book some flights, out of the grey Winter of Berlin. Or if the budget or moment is not right, at least you can dream about it.
16. Cuddle More
Winter is cuddle time! Stay in bed with thick wool socks, watch movies endlessly and cuddle like there is no tomorrow with your cat, your boyfriend, your best friend, your flatmate, whoever is in need of some cuddles as much as you are. It will make everyone happy. Cuddles are awesome!
17. Write Letters & Postcards
I know you want to only communicate in Emojis on Snapchat and Whatsapp. But you know what? That’s not real!! Get out some of the funny postcards you collected a while ago, take a pen and write down a sweet message to a loved one. Can you imagine how happy they will be to receive it between all the bills and advertising they normally have in their mailbox? Obviously your flatmate will have to bring the letter to the post because no way in hell will you leave the house for that…
18. Wrap a Present
It’s not Christmas yet, it’s not anyone’s birthday. But who says you can only give presents on these two occasions. Make a surprise gift for someone you care for and wrap it up as nicely as you can. It could be one of the books you finished reading in number 3, or the photo album you made in number 12, or some leftover item from a goodie bag. You will surely find something that will make someone else happy.
19. Hatch New Plans
The beginning of the year is mostly extra slow on business and work (unless you’re involved in Fashion Week), so it’s the perfect time to start on a new project. Create a new blog, start to make art, take photos of your coffee cups, round up your friends to found a start-up. Most importantly: do something you feel passionate about.
20. Drink Tea
In Germany we like to say: “Abwarten und Tee trinken.” This means “wait it out and drink tea”. In our case that would be Winter…
Enjoy your cozy time at home!
