It’s hard to imagine a time when it won’t be acceptable to wear your sorority letters daily or when you won’t see every person you know while walking to class… or when you won’t even have class. But very soon, members of the class of 2014 will turn their tassels and become adults.
Cope with all these post-collegiette feelings with some therapeutic crafting to celebrate this major milestone! Here are the seven crafts you should do before becoming an alumna. These crafts are perfect graduation gifts to remind you of your school days.
1. The Mortarboard Makeover
Supplies:
- Mortarboard
- School permission
- Brush
- Acrylic paint
- Fabric glue
- Glitter
- Sticky letters
- Rhinestones
Decorating your mortarboard is the graduation equivalent of a mullet—business in the front, party on top. First, check with your school to make sure you’re allowed to decorate your mortarboard. Then, decide on a design—you can glue fabric letter quotes, add glitter or bedazzle the top of your graduation cap to add some pop to the pomp and circumstance.
Hints and Tips:
For a less permanent decoration than paint or glue, consider putting foam sticky letters on your mortarboard or taping card stock to the cap so you can remove it without damage.
2. The Tassel Worth the Hassle
Supplies:
- Glass ornament
- Tassel
- Wire nose pliers (if taking off charm)
- Ribbon
- Glass paint
A tassel Christmas ornament is a great keepsake and decoration for your Christmas tree. It’s an easy alumna project, but we encourage you to get fancy with glass paint or ribbon.
Hints and Tips:
The tassel can be tricky to fit into the bulb, but by twisting the tassel first, it’s easier. If the year charm is too big to fit into the ornament, you can remove it and hang it on the outside. After reapplying the top of the ornament, a ribbon can be tied around it or the tassel loop can be used as a hook.
3. Sew Many T-Shirts
Supplies:
- T-shirts
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Sewing know-how
Though a large undertaking, a T-shirt quilt is a great project to commemorate your alumna status. Bonus: it clears out all that drawer space for real “adult” clothes instead of just T-shirts and gym shorts! It just takes old T-shirts, a little bit of know-how and a lot of patience.
Hints and Tips:
A full-size quilt takes around 60 shirts to make. You can get fancy with color schemes and designs, or you can just make a basic grid quilt.
4. Instagram Coasters
Supplies:
- 4-by-4 ceramic tiles
- Printed Instagram photos
- Mod Podge
- Paintbrush
- Waterproof sealant (like Minwax)
- Circular felt stickers
While your dorm furniture didn’t require coasters, they’ll certainly add some je ne sais quoi to a future apartment. Instead of hitting up the mall, make your own coasters that capture the best memories of college.
Hints and Tips:
Paint the tile with a thin layer of Mod Podge before pressing the photo firmly onto the tile. Paint two to five layers of Mod Podge over the photo, making sure it dries completely between layers. A thin layer of sealant should be applied 24 hours later. The circular felt stickers go on the backside to prevent scratches.
5. String Art
Supplies:
- Wood plaque
- Thin gold nails
- Hammer
- Paint
- Thread
- Desired printed state/landmark
Making string art of a campus landmark or the state where your school is located with a heart around your city is a nice minimalist way to show some school pride. You can hammer out some of your pre-final jitters with this craft!
Hints and Tips:
Consider painting your base a bright color for a fun statement or painting on a wood stain for a more natural look. If the idea of tying the string in a pattern is too much for your finals-fried brain, grab colored thread and wind in happy abandon during a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit marathon.
6. Wine and Design
Supplies:
- Acrylic paint
- Brushes
- Photo of a campus landmark
- Wine
Grab a couple of friends, wine, canvases and paint and host your own “Wine and Design” night where you paint a campus landmark! Wine and Design is the concept of picking out an easy-to-paint image, popping open a bottle of wine and going to town. Not an artist? Doesn’t matter! You have a built-in excuse for not being a perfectionist. Just tell people you were drinking and going for an impressionist feel. This artwork will have memories and more pizzazz than just framing a picture.
Hints and Tips:
Groupon and LivingSocial often run deals for Wine and Design and Painting with a Twist classes if you don’t want the hassle of buying paint and supplies.
7. Painted Wine Glasses
Supplies:
- Plain glasses
- Enamel paint
- Brushes
It’s time to retire your plastic stadium cups and begin your fancy adult life with your own painted wine glasses! Paint your mascot, school name, monogram or whatever you want onto your glasses. The best part? With the right paint, they’re dishwasher safe!
Hints and Tips:
Prep the wine glass by washing it and cleaning it with a lint-free cloth. After the paint dries on the glass, heat-set it by putting it in the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (do not preheat the oven, the idea is to gradually heat the glass to prevent cracking). After 30 minutes in the oven (20 with the heat on, 10 with the heat off), the glass will be dishwasher safe.
Of course, there aren’t enough crafts on all of Pinterest to fully capture the good feelings of college, but we can certainly try. It may be hard to let go of college, but few things are as therapeutic as crafting.