Looking for a fun activity for you and your friends? Consider a craft night!
My roommates and I absolutely love a craft night. We often work on separate projects in the same space or even collaborate to make something together! Planning a craft night with your roommates or friends can be a great way to make gifts, accessories, and personal decorations for your space. Choosing fun, versatile crafts is a great way to get everyone involved. Here are some of our favourite craft night ideas:
1. Collages
Collaging is a great way to use materials you already have, like pictures, stickers, fun-coloured tape, and newspaper. Consider thrifting magazines or fun-patterned paper. Don’t stress if the final product isn’t what you imagined; collaging is meant to be messy. Try laying out each element before gluing to map the final product.
Try framed collages to make a keepsake of special memories. You can choose a frame you already have or thrift something unique. Add your own photos and polaroids, concert tickets or other passes, handwritten notes, or even pressed leaves.
2. Keychains
You have probably seen the beaded fish keychain that went viral this summer. Keychains like this can add a super cute touch to your house keys or serve as a bag charm. Don’t feel obligated to only make fish – there are loads of patterns online for animals, flowers, and more! This craft definitely takes more patience, but is so rewarding.
Another favourite in my house, the Shrinky Dink. If you aren’t familiar with how these work, it’s pretty simple! Draw your image on the paper, then use a hole puncher to make a hole for attaching the keychain. Cut out your design, leaving some space around it, and then follow the instructions for baking. The Shrinky Dinks shrink into smaller and more compact versions of the original design. My roommates and I have made Shrinky Dink keychains of our dogs, ourselves, plants, and so much more. Simple doodles can become adorable additions to your keys.
3. pennant name signs
These signs add a personal, adorable touch to your house. My roommate made these for us before we moved into our new apartment, and they turned out to be the perfect housewarming gift. This craft can be a great way to get all of your roommates together to craft. We chose two of our favourite colours and made the signs with hot glue and felt. Try personalizing these signs by cutting out different shapes, adding lace, ribbon, or even glitter. They add lots of dimension to a boring door!
4. party decorations
Trying out some fun decor DIYs is the perfect way to prepare for birthdays, holidays, or any celebration. There are so many ways to craft decorations instead of buying them. This is such a fun way to surprise friends with custom decor for their special days, or to add personal touches to party decor. You can use construction paper to make paper chain-link streamers and hang them from the ceilings or over doorways. Consider printing pictures of friends and cutting out party hats to string on garlands. You could make your friend’s birthday crowns with paper or felt, using their favourite colours or adding the age they are turning.