One aspect of Greek life that the movies leave out is the insane amount of crafting. I know that nobody wants to watch a movie about painting or gluing, but it definitely would have been nice if Hollywood had prepared me for my new lifestyle. Whether it’s for your new little, for Big Sis Appreciation, or to decorate your room, joining a sorority definitely comes with a lot of crafting, and as the child who always had trouble coloring in the lines I was definitely concerned.
It’s definitely rough being a subpar crafter in the world of Greek life; you see all of your sisters making some ridiculous art school-level sculptures or whatnot, and you feel self-conscious. You don’t want your little or your big to feel like you don’t appreciate them, and you don’t want your room to look like it was decorated by a kindergartener who needs glasses. What are you going to do? Well, speaking as someone who has been in a sorority for three years and still not learned how to make things with her hands that look like they were made by a functioning human, here are some of the sneaky methods I use.
Stay off of Pinterest.
This sounds like counterintuitive advice in an article about crafting, but let me tell you why. Pinterest is full of adorable crafts and great ideas, but when you don’t know how to paint or glitter or weld, it can be a dangerous place. It’s very easy to find a craft, think, “Oh, this looks cute and simple!”, and then proceed to destroy your entire house with your attempts. Not only that, but it is scientifically proven that looking at adorable Pinterest crafts when you yourself cannot craft is very harmful to your self-esteem. Just don’t do it. There are other ways to find craft ideas.
Figure out easy things to do.
I’ve learned that there are some extremely simple crafts that look great. One trick that I’m particularly fond of is gluing. Turns out that it actually doesn’t take that much talent to put some hot glue on the back of a rock and glue it to something. I’m a fan of hot-gluing multicolored gemstones onto things (letters, paddles, picture frames, THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER), because it looks cute but doesn’t require a degree in craftology. Another easy idea is buying those cute little decals, letters, and flowers that you can just glue straight onto things. Basically, if you can’t craft, learn to glue. I would cross-stitch that into a frame for you to remember, but I can’t craft
Buy things.
I know that college students don’t have very much disposable income, but if things are really getting desperate and you have no clue what to do, buying things isn’t the worst option. If you are going to give someone store-bought gifts, make sure that they’re either unique or useful. Go to dollar stores or costume stores and find the most ridiculous gift items out there, or buy them things like food and toilet paper. Because yes, a hand-painted wooden sculpture of my head is nice, but would I use it like I use pizza? I don’t know.
Ask people for help.
We all know people who are just walking, talking Michael’s stores, and oftentimes they’re down to help people craft, because it means that THEY get to craft more. It’s definitely okay to ask people for help or for crafting supplies, and maybe if you ask for enough help you’ll eventually become a respected crafter. Everyone needs a wise master.
Don’t stress.
Most importantly, don’t think of gift giving or decorating as some kind of grand contest or animal mating display. More than anything, you should try to put effort into what you’re doing and tailor it for the purpose. I don’t think your boyfriend or your two-year-old cousin is going to care for a hand-glittered heart as a present, nor is it a good idea to spend an astronomical amount of money on poorly hand-crafting picture frames when you could just buy a nice set from Target for a fraction of the price. Your best effort is not the same as someone else’s best effort, because you are not the same person. So as long as you’re doing what is right for you, you’re fine. Lastly, stay away from puffy paint. That stuff’s trouble.
