#GeorgiaDeephersOnTop !!

I'm sorry, please indulge me. I am over the MOON. My undergrad chapter, Alpha Epsilon at Kennesaw State University just won Homecoming! These women work hard, play hard, and don't mess around when it comes to showing pride for our organization.

Here are some of the entries from this week's competitions.

Lip Sync Competition

Yell Like Hell Competition

Banner Competition

Parade Float Competition

Proud to be a DPhiE!

Sorority Crafting Sundays: Sorority Mascot Hoodie

Halloween is on its way. After this craft, you'll be ready for all those dress-up sisterhood events. Plus, you'll be super comfy!

     1. Gather your favorite fabric scraps for the mane and tail. The more patterns, the better. 

     2. Measure and cut strips from your fabric scraps. My strips were 7" tall x 2" wide. Cut about 20 strips in total. 

     3. Measure from the crown to the base of the neck on the hood of your sweatshirt. Leave room on your hood for a horn and bangs in the front. My hood measured 16 inches. Using some scrap ribbon, measure 16" (or the length of your hood) and cut.

     4. Using your cut scraps of fabric, tie each one to the ribbon. Leave .5" at the start and end of the ribbon to sew it to the hood. 

     5. When you've finished tying on the scraps, it should look something like this. 

     6. Sew the ends of your ribbon of scraps to the hood of your sweatshirt by hand or a sewing machine. Using a needle and thread, use a whipstitch to secure the rest of the ribbon to your hood. When you're done, you'll have a mane. 

     7. Using a contrasting color fabric, measure the length of your horn. Mine was about 8" tall. You don't want it to be too tall or it will become heavy and tilt to the side. Cut straight across. 

     8. Fold the fabric in half, with the dull side on the outside. Sew across it at a diagonal, from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. Cut the excess fabric off. 

     9. Turn the horn right side out, and stuff with your polyfil stuffing. 

     10. Using a needle and thread, hand stitch the horn to the space left at the top of the hood.

     11. I had left over scraps, so I decided to add bangs to the front of my hood. Simply stack your scraps and fold them over so they are 1/2 as long. Fan them out a bit so they cover more space, and sex them along the folded edge. Attach them in front of the horn on the hood and sew across. 

     12. The final step! Using the remaining fabric, cut longer thicker strips. Mine were 3" wide and 12" long. Stack the strips so the top edge lines up. Fold over the top edge, and sew across to make an even seam. Sew this even seam to the bottom of your sweatshirt. Now, you have a tail!

And there you have it! I told you it looks ridiculous. I'm so excited to wear this to chapter on Tuesday, and my next Halloween party. 

Sorority Mascot Hoodie Supplies

Sorority Mascot Hoodie 

I'm warning you now. This craft is too ridiculous for those of you who aren't 100% devoted to your sorority's mascot. We Dphie's have the unique honor of calling the UNICORN our International mascot. This is a fact I love, and sport unicorns whenever possible. 

Tomorrow we will make a Unicorn Mascot Hoodie together! 

Here's what you'll need:

• Hoodie
• Sewing Machine (you could use hot glue, but it won't last long and you can't wash it)
• Polyfil Stuffing
• Fabric Scraps in Purple and Gold
• Scrap ribbon
• Matching thread

Time: 1 hour

Yesssssss! This will be so fun!

Keep Your Heels, Head, & Standards High

As an outsider looking in, I have the gift of hindsight. When I was an undergrad, there were only two sororities on campus. The same two sororities for at least 19 years. Founded in the same year on that campus. Constantly compared to each other. We were pinned against each other from the start. Being that I live in Georgia, and this particular sorority was founded in the South, they always seemed to come out on top. Recruitment was a breeze for them. They were so well known, women attended KSU to be in that chapter.

Delta Phi Epsilon held our own, but for a while we were really struggling. We wouldn't make quota, and didn't have the best chapter image. And what did we do? We judged our opponent, and judged them hard. When they won competitions, we would say really catty things about them and hate on them extensively. It wasn't pretty, but it made us feel better for not being everyone's #1 favorite.

Well, now the high heel is on the other foot. In five years, Delta Phi Epsilon has risen to the top of the pyramid. Among five sororities now on KSU's campus, my sisters are the vision of a thriving chapter. Making quota, killin' it with events, and working their butts off to compete in Homecoming events.

Problem: When one rises to the top, everyone will scramble to make them fall down. To that, I say good luck.

This is a problem I'm sure many campuses face. I urge my sisters at KSU, and the women of other chapters on that campus to please practice tactful sportsmanship. Be better women (we once were in their shoes) than those who slander, gawk, and make fun of achievements and shortcomings.

To my DPhiE sisters, hold your heads high and the standards of excellence expected of you even higher. Be sportsmanlike and beautiful. Be kind. I have learned in my experience of being everyone's last pick sorority to the sorority conquering every Homecoming and Greek Week that cattiness does not take you far. Clap for your fellow Panhellenic sisters even if you think they don't deserve the recognition. Give them zero reasons to want to knock you down.

I'm proud of my chapter at KSU. These women have shown me what PRIDE in your chapter should look like. It looks like a group of women who goes hard to achieve nothing short of the best. It looks like a group of women who do not publicly mock other sororities when they succeed. I believe their strength, kindness, and determination motivate me to be a better alumnae sister.

Book Review: I Heart Recruitment - Who Does All This?

We used to say something in my chapter when I was a collegian. 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. I had no idea there was a factual principle out there that supports this. Its called the Pareto Principle, also known as the law of the final few.

We always used this rule when we thought about how an event would turn out. That 20% of the chapter would be involved in the planning. The blood, sweat, glitter and tears. And 80% of the chapter would reap the benefits, or choose not to attend at all.

As a chapter, I challenge you to stop leaning on the coordinators and leadership team to carry the load. In I Heart Recruitment's chapter, "Who Does All This?"they pose a great question most readers would ask. Is this all more work for the Recruitment Coordinator? The books states, and I agree, that in practicing the techniques and ideas in this book the job of Recruitment Coordinator will be lessened. The work will begin to get done all by itself.

In believing in and practicing dynamic 365 days a year Recruitment, your chapter will be strengthened and vitalized.

So reach out to a stranger, create a recruitment roundtable of all kinds of sisters, and communicate the values of your letters. Watch your chapter grow!

Book Review: I Heart Recruitment - Repeat

Plans don't become effective overnight. There is no magic genie waiting in your chapter room to grant you three wishes. You betta work. 

I love what the authors of I Heart Recruitment say, "Practice makes permanent". In order to truly catalyze change in your chapter, you have to keep at it. 

An excellent idea, and one I'm planning on trying out at the chapter I advise, is to create a roundtable. This group can be ANYONE in the chapter, not just those with positions. Think about the women who ran for positions and didn't get elected. They have all of this raw untapped energy and ideas going to waste. Employ those women in a roundtable discussion about recruitment. 

I think what we'll try is create an optional meeting inviting women passionate about recruitment to discuss the challenges and possible plan for future recruitment efforts. No I didn't say a mandatory meeting. Mandatory implies it will be governed by people in positions. Optional implies the people in the room will make the magic happen. Try it out. You won't have a giant turn out, but the people who want to be there will be more inclined to speak up and bring new ideas. 

Sorority Crafting Sundays: Chevron Sorority Canvas

This one takes pretty much an entire afternoon, due to dry time. Make sure you have time to lay on a coat of paint and walk away for a bit. Here we go!

     1. Using your painters tape, spell out your sorority's Greek letters in the center of the canvas. Curved letters are difficult, but not impossible. 

     2. Paint over the entire canvas with your lightest color paint. The finished layer should look something like this. I painted my canvas with 3 coats of gold paint to get the smooth finish you see here. 

     3. Once your first color of paint is COMPLETELY dry, begin to tape out your chevron print. I'm sure there are very calculated and scientific ways to do this, but I went with a mixture of measuring and eyeballing it. Measure the width of the tape you are using, and make sure to leave exactly that much room in between rows. Use a straight edge or measuring tape to keep the points of your chevron in line across the canvas. 

     4. When you are finished taping, it should look something like this. 

     5. Using your darker contrasting color paint, cover the entire canvas with at least 3 coats. Paint over the tape, but be careful not to lift the tape as you paint. It leads to smudging and your lines won't be as crisp.

     6. When the paint is dry and you're feeling very brave, begin to peel the layers of tape off. Do this step very slowly. Some paint has a little elasticity and could stretch while you peel, leaving strange stringy strips of paint all over your new masterpiece. 

Voile! Your work of art is complete. Feel free to add any touchups as needed. Maybe add a sweet bow to the top, or some glitter to the letters. This is yours to make your own.