If you find your dorm room or apartment lacking in Marquette spirit, or if your walls are looking plain and you need some artwork to spruce things up, find your way to MU Craftness and make something that will satisfy your creative side.
Marquette Craftness will take place at 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 in the Alumni Memorial Union Monaghan Ballrooms. Students can register for this event on the Homecoming website for free.
Charlotte Hingley, a senior in the College of Communication and MUSG Programs Vice President, attended last year’s event and said she had a great time. This year, along with her two program coordinators, Emma Garry and Paige Hunt, she is helping plan the event.
“Craftness has always been a very popular event and we wanted to give students the opportunity to have fun Late Night Homecoming events,” Hingley wrote in an email. “Craftness usually happens during this week so it was a natural fit to add to the Homecoming schedule.”
Hingley said that planning is going quite smoothly. Some of the art projects that will be available include canvases with paint, picture frames and hand towels.
With an array of items to craft, here are some ways to make your artwork pop.
1. Quotes
Adding a quote is a great way to add some flair to canvases, frames, mugs and jars.
Julie Borovicka, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, went to MU Craftness last year. She painted a canvas and added a quote from “The Great Gatsby” on it.
Katherine Stein, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, also attended last year and plans to go this year.
“It was really easy to create what I had in mind,” Stein said. “Last year I made a canvas with one of my favorite quotes on it.”
2. Glitter
One way to make crafts stand out is to add glitter. Glitter is eye-catching and makes any art project sparkle. Whether it’s a light dusting or a complete dousing, the addition of glitter to your project is sure to make a statement.
Christina Curtis, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, coated her water bottle in purple glitter before returning to school this year.
“My favorite color is purple and I love glitter, so I decided to dress my water bottle up a bit,” Curtis said. “It wasn’t hard to make and was a nice way to relax before starting the school year.”
3. Personalization
Another way is to add a personal touch. Adding things like your initials, a symbol of personal importance or a picture of something you love is a great way to give your piece character.
Christina Hochla, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, personalized a mug last year by using sharpies and drawing Harry Potter designs.
“I made a Harry Potter themed mug with sharpies and then baked it,” Hochla said. “I made a (Harry Potter themed) swear jar acrylic paint, patterned tape and sequins.”
These ideas aside, remember that whatever you end up making will be made by you, and that makes it irreplaceable. Even if you do not consider yourself crafty, you can still have a good time.
Kaley Rohlinger, a sophomore in the College of Communication, went to MU Craftness last year because she loves being artistic.
“I’m not good at being crafty, but I just think there’s something so fun about crafting, and I had a bunch of friends who wanted to go too,” Rohlinger said.
