With lockdowns in the UK and elsewhere in the world, we all need to follow government directions, keep washing hands and binge watch Netflix. But what other, more creative and constructive things can we be doing?

I hope everyone is staying safe and is well. Beyond a fairly lighthearted post about ideas of things to do in lockdown I do understand that things are not easy for a lot of people right now. I hope that this pandemic will pass soon and we won’t need posts about lockdowns 🙂

Top 10 Pandora related things we can do during lockdown.

Just for fun, here are some things that we can do to pass the time that don’t involve screens (for the most part).

1) Organise your Pandora collection.

In the UK we spell it organise and not organize, and if you have a lot of spare time that is something else you could do – study the history of your language.

But this is a Pandora blog and organising my Pandora collecion is something I keep up to date with on an almost daily basis. But if you need a little help you can read this post about how I use Stackers layers to keep my collection in order.

2) Build your local Pandora store in Lego

Lego is a great thing that all the family can enjoy including adults. Search Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL) on Google and see some of the amazing creations they have come up with

This is a great project that you can enjoy with all the family and my husband didn’t need asking twice to come up with the image above. He is actually working on the whole Pandora building inside and out. Please add your pics to the comments below if you are able to create something. We may not be able to visit them in person but we can make tributes to them.

3) Clean your Pandora bracelets and charms

I have two of the new Pandora cleaning solutions and one of my own lockdown tasks is to video how to use it. But it is really not that difficult just give the charms a soak and a gentle scrub.

I will update this page as soon as I have been able to do my own cleaning, let me know in the comments how you get on with yours or if you have any questions.

4) Photograph your jewellery

Dust off the DSLR or use your smartphone camera have a play around with some of your Pandora accessories and most important find some good light.

Photography can be a lot of fun and if you do a bit more than point and shoot you can get amazing results. The most important thing is to do it for you first and share with others second.

5) Catch up on my Pandora Reviews

There is a secret “hamburger” button at the top of this page if you are on a mobile device and if you click it you are given some secret options. The first one is to click on reviews.

It seems like lots of people read the reviews but people seem to comment on the collection previews as they have more to say about those — and that is ok. I am grateful that people are still interested in the reviews, I only buy Pandora charms that I like and will wear. I sometimes am gifted charms but I write wishlists and accept the ones I would buy anyway. The reviews are normally fairly positive because of this, but I am happy to hear other opinions.

6) Buy a bracelet for a friend

“Join the Darkside Luke, it is your destiny.”

Nothing says “friend” more than introducing your nearest and dearest to your favourite hobby. There may be a free bracelet promo in some countries soon, which will be a great opportunity to get them hooked.

7) Catalog all Pandora purchases on a spreadsheet

Yawn, this is boring! Yes, I know. But it is also potentially life saving if you ever need it for home insurance purposes.

I did this myself when I first started collecting Pandora and had a spreadsheet with a stock image, RRP, what I paid for it and where I purchased it. I am way behind with this project and plan to get up to date soon.

8) Start an instagram page

Instagram is how I got started with The Art of Pandora

People use social media for all sorts of reason, but it is important to think what you want to get our of it. People have made lots of Pandora friends on Instagram and useful contacts. Some people are anonymous and some people are happy to post pics of themselves as well. My account is dedicated to Pandora but others put photos of other brands as well.

9) Work on your wishlist

If you are not using the wishlist to sneakily add charms to your basket they do have a primary purpose

With that in mind it is good to set out a strategy: !) Need right now 2) wait for promo 3) wait for sale. I suggest that this ‘Need right now’ list gets stuck to the fridge and then the whole family is on the same page. The pandora.net site also allows you to “share” your list with others. Whatever works for you.

10) Try something new

Donate, gift, trade, swap, exchange…

What I love about the Pandora community is that is the extent of the possibilities. Why not arrange to exchange gifts with someone? Set a budget limit and away you go. Swap charms you don’t need on your bracelets with someone who also has some to exchange. Try and exciting new bracelet style or buy something that you really like but have been thinking just isn’t “you”. Let me know the results or share other ideas that you have.