In order to master the art of creating a “frat cooler” you need patience, time, a ridiculous of paint supplies, and perhaps an artistic flair. Aside from the time commitment, it is a somewhat entertaining and addictive activity (not to mention your date will love it!)
Here are 10 tips for creating a beautiful and impressive cooler without stressing yourself to death in the process…
1. Start ASAP. When you are asked to a formal, you should start thinking about cooler ideas for your date right away. Waiting until the week before to start will only stress you out, especially if you are detail oriented.
2. When thinking of cooler ideas, make sure to keep your date’s favorites in mind – their favorite beer, favorite sports team, favorite songs…you get the picture. These are, typically, the best ideas for his cooler! If you put things he loves on it, ipso facto he’ll love it!
3. If you don’t know your date very well and aren’t sure of his favorite things, then Pinterest is your new best friend! Pinterest has so many ideas; you can’t go wrong with almost any of them.
4. Aside from logo and quotes, it might not be a bad idea to add his fraternity and his name onto the cooler as well!
5. If your friends are going to the same formal, or even if they are going to different formals, go shopping with them and share art supplies! After all, sharing is caring when it saves you money.
6. If you’re a perfectionist, ask around and see if you can borrow one of those small projectors for your logos, letters and other images. They can help to get your pictures just the right size and shape. If you cannot find a projector, then print out the logos or letters, offline, and trace them onto the cooler with a pencil.
7. Make sure you do several coats of paint over the course of a few days so that the paint looks dark. Remember to double check that you didn’t miss any spots.
8. Buy a can of finishing coat from Hobby Lobby or Michaels to spray over your paint once you are finished. If you don’t spray the cooler with a finisher, the paint will chip quickly and look old, fast. The spray also gives it a nice, glossy look!
9. Don’t forget the inside! It’s always a nice touch to add some kind of saying to the bottom inside of the cooler. There are a lot of ideas on Pinterest for this, too!
10. As a final touch, put some of your dates favorite candy or liquor inside his finished cooler before you give it to him. It’s the cherry on top, plus you can snag some of the candy on the car ride to formal!
