One of the hardest things for me to leave behind when I moved to college was my art supplies. My first few weeks as a freshman, I felt bored and lost trying to find new hobbies I thought would be easier in a dorm; I picked up running, reading, and playing incidental amounts of Wii Sports with my roommate, but nothing fulfilled me as much as art did. Now, as I’m beginning my senior year, I have found my art groove without the luxury of taking over my parents’ entire dining room.
The current bedazzling trend is one of my favorites, but I would like to think I was a little bit ahead of the curve since I got into the hobby three years ago. I began bedazzling a license plate, but have since bedazzled alcohol bottles for 21st birthdays, picture frames and more. This month I worked on three projects: a trophy for my Dancing With The Stars fantasy football-inspired draft, a blazer for my dad to wear to a rhinestone-themed event; and my roommate’s Christina Aguilera Halloween costume. Bedazzling has become a meditative practice for me. After a long day of work and class, I can sit and mindlessly apply the rhinestones while binging my favorite sitcoms. I have also found it to be very accessible, as the skill is easy to pick up and the supplies (glue, tweezers, rhinestones) come all together in an affordable pack on Amazon. I have loved being able to personalize simple gifts and everyday items.
In between bedazzling projects I took breaks to work on a simple sewing project. Last year, I struggled to find game day outfits. I felt like I had overdone the basic logo t-shirts and hoodies. I scrolled through and eventually decided to begin making patchwork game day shirts. However, in a rush to get out the door, I accidentally cropped my shirt for parents’ weekend shorter than I would have liked. Although I loved my first design, a mix of different black and white patterned fabrics that spelled out the word “Boulder”, there was no chance I could rewear it this year. Instead, I decided to make a similar shirt for the gold rush-themed game this year. This is another very affordable project. I reused tops I already owned both times and positioned the fabric to cover stains. I spent less than $10 on fabric, this time a mix of yellow patterns to spell out “Sko Buffs”, and hand-stitched the letters on. It was easily one of my most complimented game day outfits, and I was able to wear a unique piece of clothing I knew no one else owned.
On the theme of game day, I spent less than an hour painting a very simple parents’ weekend banner. We were hosting dozens of our friends and their families and hoped to distract from our backyard’s dead grass and rusted metal fencing. I picked up banner paper at Michaels and used three acrylic paints to create a super easy backdrop for everyone’s family photos. I now own a whole roll of banner paper, and I am getting too excited thinking about what I will create for Friendsgiving, birthdays and graduation.
This month, I also completed my most ambitious project yet.. I would in no way describe this as an easy project, especially in a rental house, but I could not bear to look at my plain dresser anymore. In an attempt to make my move as cost effective as possible I picked up a lot of used furniture. My nightstand was handed down from my roommate who had graduated. While the green shade it was originally painted matched her aesthetic nicely, it stood out in my room which is filled with shades of blue and pink. When I eventually got around to repainting the nightstand I was in between leases and living with my parents, so having access to tools and a garage made this project easier. When I moved into my house, I got the RAST dresser from Ikea. My intention was always to paint it to match my nightstand, but I figured this would be a project for Thanksgiving break when I was home. After looking at my raw wood dresser for the past two months, I knew I needed to do something immediately. I laid trash bags across my bedroom floor and painted my dresser. My roommates thought I was crazy and were definitely stressed I would ruin my stark white duvet cover or my rug. But I successfully customized my dresser and did not get paint on anything. While I still need to pick up the matching gold nobs, it looks significantly better and adds personality to the space.
Art has become a much-needed stress reliever for me throughout college. I have relied on my creativity to pull me out of the depths of mid-term stress this past month. While not every project I have done is a logical or easy task, I feel that I have become more accustomed to crafting in a smaller space and in a more cost-effective manner. Plus, I have been able to customize my room, outfits and gifts with intention. I hope my projects over the past month give other people inspiration to customize their clothes, room, and parties.