With area-wide stay-at-home orders, weekends might feel like a foggy blend of 48 hours. One minute passes and its suddenly Sunday night, and you’re still in the same sweatpants from Saturday morning. While you can’t go out in your Sunday best to get tipsy at your favorite brunch spot, or gather with friends at the bar down your block, there are plenty of local businesses offering DIY entertainment to keep your sanity, and their accounts, afloat through the coronavirus shutdowns.
9 a.m.: Be Your Own Brunch Spot
Cereal and milk may have gotten old by this point, and the Eggo waffles you haven’t touched in years might be freezer-burnt. If the stay-at-home orders have left an avocado-toast-sized hole in your heart, the Van Ness bakery Bread Furst is offering staple groceries suited for a build-your-own-breakfast. With fresh eggs and weekly loaves selections, you can place a pick-up order online for locally-sourced breakfast eats. If you’re yearning for a boozy brunch, Piccolina da Centrolina is selling $40 make-your-own “bottomless” mimosa kits, and Stable DC is selling a tamer to-go mimosa kit for $23.
10:30 a.m.: Get Crafty With D.C.-Themed Embroidery
Staying inside means missing out on D.C. activities that we love. Until we’re all allowed to return to our favorite spots of town and social watering holes, you channel your affection for the city with embroidery. Shop Made In DC offers a $35 embroidery kit for delivery complete with hand-painted D.C.-themed fabrics and three sets of colored thread. Step-by-step instructions can guide even those less experienced crafters.
12:30 p.m.: DIY Some Lunchtime Ramen
During anxious times, a bowl of warm ramen could be just what the soul (and stomach) needs. Uzu Ramen is selling its at-home ramen kits at Hana Market. Stop by or place a delivery order online for either Shoyu or vegan miso ramen kits, including noodles, spinach, garnishes, and pork or tofu in one container, and broth in another—plus instructions, of course.
1:30 p.m.: Get Your Hands Dirty With Gardening Kits
Local gardening business Hortiki Plants has dozens of options for small-space gardening kits that allow you (and little ones, if you have them) to connect with the outdoors with some dirt under your fingernails. Whether you’re looking to eat your own sustainably grown food with their Baby Greens kit ($39.99) or treat your furry friends with indoor pet grass seeds ($34.99), a little afternoon horticulture breaks up the day. Plus, all items are free to ship.
3:30 p.m.: Have Dessert Before Dinner, Who Cares
If you’ve run out of yeast from making one too many loaves of bread, there’s another way to spend time in the kitchen that’s just as entertaining. Sprinkles Cupcakes is offering daily at-home cupcake kits that should occupy at least an hour or two. The sets come with four or 12 assorted, un-iced cupcakes plus frosting, sprinkles, and a spatula for you to do the edible artistry yourself. If you’d prefer to do the baking as well, you can order their retail set of cupcake mix, baking cups, and a Sprinkles spatula for $22.
5:30 p.m.: Prep For Next Week’s Zoom Happy Hour With DIY Cider
Starting on April 24, ANXO will be selling three different $75 at-home cider kits to meet every level of fermentation expertise. First timers can order the one-gallon kit, outfitted with all of the necessary equipment and 1.25 gallons of fresh-pressed Goldrush apple juice. For those who have their own fermentation set-ups, kits are available with 6.5 gallons of fresh-pressed juice. And if you’re already an expert in pressing and fermenting, you can order 100 pounds of GoldRush apples. All packages come with one pound of apples for snacking, two four-packs of ANXO’s Cidre Blanc, and an instructional video from ANXO’s cider connoisseur.
6:30 p.m.: Build Your Own Dinner
Geppetto Catering is offering a range different meal kits at reduced pricing. Their $25 dollar at-home pizza kit comes with pizza dough, locally-farmed tomato sauce, cheese blends, and a choice of a topping. If you’re looking for a more romantic night, and little less DIY end to your day, their “Stay In and Wine Down” for two includes an artisan cheese and charcuterie board, a choice of two hors d’ouervres, and a bottle of wine, all for $30.
9:30 p.m.: Reach Out To A Friend With Some Snail Mail
Stay connected with your loves ones, both locally and around the world, with Cherry Blossom Creative’s stay home kits. Their $25 correspondence kit comes with six different D.C.-themed greeting cards, writing utensils, and stamps so you won’t need to make a trip to the post office. For a more introspective night in, their writing kits come with journals and colorful pens for you to scribble out all of your quarantine stresses.
Colleen Grablick