It’s that time of year! Sorority women are invading Michael’s and making daily trips to Wal-Mart. Big/Little Week is one of the most exciting parts of any new member experience. It’s like a week-long Christmas in Sorority World. Even as an initiated sister, shopping and crafting for your littles and grand-littles is so much fun and it can make your sisterly bonds stronger!
For those of you who don’t know, Big/Little Week is the period where new girls and initiated sisters are paired up as Big Sister and Little Sister. A Big Sister acts as a mentor to a new member, guiding her through initiation and her entire college career. The week leading up to “Reveal” is filled with gifts, crafts, and tasty treats. The Littles don’t find out who their Big is until the end of the week at Reveal.
Many sorority women start collecting gifts for their littles at the beginning of the school year, or even before that. But with Big/Little Week approaching for most sororities, everyone is last-minute crafting!
Here are some fairly easy craft ideas that your little is sure to love!
Small Block Canvases
I’m obsessed with these little canvases! They are great for your letters, monograms, or symbols. Just paint a background color, then a letter or symbol over it, and add words with puffy paint. Or you can opt for a 3D option by painting a background and hot gluing a bow or little pearls on.
[pagebreak]
Wooden Letters
Everyone loves to get these from Michael’s for monograms and sorority letters. But here’s a way to switch it up. Instead of just painting them a plain color, try adding a unique pattern! These were designed based off of a Lilly pattern. They are actually a lot easier to make than they look! After applying your background color, my sorority sister painted the light blue outlines of each shell. Then she took a fine-tipped paint brush to add the darker blue lines in for shading. And she finished it off by using puffy paint to dot some of the edges of each shell!
If you find the Lilly print too difficult, try something similar to the “J” in the second picture. Paint a solid background and use a hot glue gun to add a bow to the top. Make it unique by adding a pattern of stick-on rhinestones or pearls from Michael’s!
Crafting Kits
These little critters came in a kit with the pieces already cut out. All the materials are included and all you have to do is assemble them. These owls are from the American Girl collection and they are perfect as little mascots of Chi Omega! Michael’s has a ton of these crafting kits which are great for those of us who aren’t that great with a paintbrush!
[pagebreak]
Homemade Lilly Pulitzer Mug
You can buy one of these mugs from Michael’s for a dollar and print out a pattern of your choice. Just cut it to match the template that comes in the box and slip it into the clear insert. It’s a great way to get the Lilly look without the Lilly price!
Flower Pen Vase
Everyone loves a cute flower pen, so why not make a whole vase? You can find fake flowers and a vase at Michael’s or Wal-Mart. Roses are always a popular choice. Or make it special by using your sorority’s flower! Get marbles and “stem tape” from Michael’s. Use dark colored pens so the tape blends in. Cut the stem so it sits about a third of the way down the pen. Tightly wrap the stem tape around the stem and the pen until it covers the entire stem.
Crafting Tip! Sometimes the stem tape doesn’t stick that well at the end. If you are having this problem, just use a hot glue gun! Add some marbles at the bottom of the vase to hide the pen tops, and then add your bouquet!
Infinite Sorority Love
This can be done with any sorority name. It’s extremely easy to paint or draw, yet it is a classy representation of your sorority’s eternal love!