Sorority Crafting Sundays: Sorority Snuggly Heating Pad

Grab a box of tissues, your greatest cold remedy, and your sewing machine and let's get started.

     1. Measure the length and width of your heating pad by laying your bag of rice on top of the fabric and cutting around the excess. 

     2. Layer your cut piece of fabric over your second piece and cut it down to match the size. 

     3. Stack your two pieces of fabric with the right sides facing each other. 

     4. Using your sewing machine, sew 3 of the 4 sides shut. 

     5. Flip the pocket right side out. 

     6. Measure the entire bag of rice. I didn't have a full bag of rice, personally, so I made due with what I had in my pantry. Divide the rice into three equal measurements. 

     7. Measure your pocket and divide it into 3 equal pieces. Mark these sections. 

     8. Pour in 1/3 of your rice and sew the first third of your pocket closed. 

     9. Pour in the 2nd 1/3 of rice into the pocket and pin it closed. Sew along the pin line, being careful not to spill any rice into your machine. I totally did and now I'm very nervous what will happen next time I use it. 

     10. Pour your final third of rice in the final third of your pocket. Pin the fabric closed on the edge of the opening, and sew shut. 

Sorority Snuggly Heating Pad Supplies

Sorority Snuggly Heating Pad
I have spent the past week sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and complaining. My Fall Cold is upon me, and I have felt so gross all week. With very little free time, I had to soldier through the week with a smile on my face at work, then crash on my couch every night. When this weekend hit I thought to myself, "I just want a nice warm blanket and a good night sleep."

You know what helps me sleep? A heating pad on my neck. It makes just about everything feel better. So, I set off to make one in my favorite sorority colors: purple and gold.

Let's make one together and all treat ourselves to a mini spa. Melt away the discomfort, and do it in style with the Sorority Snuggly Heating Pad.

What you'll need:

• Two pieces of contrasting fabrics in the size you wish your pad to be. 
• Sewing machine
• Bag of uncooked rice
• Straight pins
• Thread
• Scissors
• Measuring tape

Cozy up and get crafty!

Image and Reputation Week: Knees

Halloween is here. The time has come for girls to break out the hooker heels and fishnets and pretend they are going for a "conservative kitten" costume. Let me warn you about your short hemlines:

You are the face of your sorority!

Stepping down from my soapbox... give me a second. 

No matter what day of the year it is, I urge you to remember you are representing your organization 24/7. Halloween, among all of the holidays throughout the year, is one of the most important days to set your reputation. This is a day that is dedicated to costumes, drinking, and dancing while you're in college. Everyone is congregating at parties on campus and off campus. Booze is flowing, and before you know it you are tempted to dance on a table and stick your tongue out like Miley. Well, look how well that turned out for her. Sure she is getting more attention from the media, but is it really the kind of attention you and your sorority deserve? 

Having attended several Halloween parties in my undergrad days, and trying on several slutty costumes, I can attest you will have so much more fun if your butt is not hanging out of your too-short skirt all night. You won't have anything to apologize for in the morning. You won't have unflattering pictures to answer to in the morning. Pictures, I might add, your future employers and your mother will find no matter how hard you try to hide them. 

On every other day of the year, you don't have to think about the cat ears you might wear and how they will clash with your leather hotpants. But you should still keep in mind the clothing you wear and what it says about you. At an interview, for instance, you don't want to show up with your legs hanging out there in all of their glory. Make sure to be conscious of the length of your skirt. Try it on, and practice sitting in it. Practice walking up stairs in it. Make sure it covers all essentials, and I would recommend it touch your knees. 

When you sit in said skirt, whether it is your recruitment outfit or your perfect interview suit, pay attention to what happens when you cross your legs or ankles. Does the skirt get too tight? Does it gap? These are things you will think about in the moment and become distracted by if you don't test it out first. 

Be prepared. Be modest. You'll be more comfortable in the moments that count. 

Image and Reputation Week: Shoulders

"Sit up straight!"

How many times have your heard that from your mom, grandmother, aunt, etc? This harping on your posture is honestly for your own good. As a woman in my mid-twenties I am starting to see why I was told to push my shoulders back and hold my head up.

Its about two things: Confidence and your health.

People, namely women, are looked at as unconfident when they slouch. They are literally caving in, into themselves. When your body is telling you to cave in, it makes it so much harder for you to stand up and impress.

Try sitting up as if you are trying to touch your shoulder blades together, and watch your brain and your body start to wake up. As you talk to your interviewer or a PNM at Recruitment, try turning your shoulders squared towards them. You'll actively engage in conversation far better than you would with bad posture.

Image and Reputation Week: Head

We've all heard the phrase, "she's got a good head on her shoulders." Whenever you hear that, you know someone respects your level-headedness and responsibility. Let's take that saying a step further, shall we? 

As you travel through life, let's be real: your head does the majority of the work. Your head is capable of all 5 senses. It protects that big, beautiful brain of yours. Your ears are there to listen to criticisms, praise, and stories from good friends. Your eyes help you see all the beautiful things about the world. Your mouth can either set you up for success, or get you in trouble. But what is your head saying about you? What first impressions are you giving potential sisters, bosses, and boyfriends? 

The following are my thoughts on how to give your best first impression, focusing only from the neck up. 

Hair

I have curly hair. For the majority of my childhood I could not understand why my hair wouldn't lay flat like the "pretty girls" in school. So, I would brush it over and over until I achieved something that looked like a triangle. Close enough! NOT. 

Clearly, I had some self esteem issues.. and was horribly confused about where my curly hair came from. Embrace the nature of your hair. If you are not blessed with perfect locks, don't spend all your time trying to imitate the same look as the most popular person you know. Spend some time getting to know your hair. What works? What doesn't? (cough cough, brushing out your curls to a delta shape) You don't need to spend a ton of money on special products. Get together with some sisters and play dress up. Its more fun than simply watching TV or going to the same bar you went to last week and the week before. 

People notice crazy hair styles, and its not always a good thing. Don't be a triangle-head or Over-processed Olivia. Spend some quality time getting to know your luscious locks.  

Eyes

Eye contact. Heard of it? Thought so. In interview situations, eye contact is major. When you can't look someone in the eye, they could think several things:

1. This is weird. Why is she being weird?
2. Does she think she's better than me? 
3. Is she lying? Coming up with the right answer?
4. She's embarrassed. 

The list could go on and on. When you're on an interview, or recruiting new members, you don't want your conversation partner to be distracted by your eyes. You want them to be connected because of your eyes. 

Practice with with girls in your bumping group. Don't forget to blink. That is also really creepy. 

Face

Recruitment is not a time to try something new when it comes to make-up. Always try to go for a natural look. You are spending a lot of time face-to-face with a perfect stranger. They don't know your blue eyeshadow is a new hue you're trying out. They think you always look the way you do when they first meet you. Be the best representation of yourself. And that means:

• Dab a little concealer under your eyes to reduce the blue tint from late nights studying. 
• Cover blemishes as best you can with concealer, but don't get crazy. That can come off looking cakey and dark. Everyone gets blemishes, so she'll understand if you have a little break out. 
• If you're not an eye makeup kind of gal, try out a little mascara to help your eyes seem more awake. Recruitment is tiring, and any help looking less like a zombie will be welcome. 
• If you are an eye makeup kind of gal, stick with an eye shadow that goes with your eye color. Blue eyes pop with brown/gold eye shadow. Brown eyes look great with a light purple or gold eye shadow. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT wear blue eye shadow. This is not the 80's. It won't look as good as you want it to. Sorry, not sorry. 
• Use a pink-hued blush to give yourself a little color on your cheek bones. I revert back to my zombie comment from earlier... you'll want a little more help looking alive. 
• Keep those lips from drying up from all that talking by keeping a small tube of lipgloss in your pocket for in-between recruitment rounds. Not everyone can pull off red lipstick, but I would be willing to bet MOST people can pull off a little shimmery medium pink lip gloss. Try it! 

Beyond the make-up, pay attention to what your face does on its own. Have you heard the term "bitchy resting face"? I know, its horrible. But that doesn't make it untrue. When you are having a short reprieve from talking to PNMs, be careful not to look around the room and scowl. No matter what you and the person next to you are complaining about (my feel hurt, when is this round over? I'm starving!), keep a slight smile glued on your face. Not a scary joker grin, but something that doesn't look like you want to stab someone. Give yourself the opportunity to laugh, smile, giggle, and be generally delighted to be surrounded by your sisters. 

Ears

Do yourself a favor and get out of your head. Be present in your interview or recruitment conversations. You'll be forced to remember details later when you're scoring the girl you spoke to, or if you get called into a second interview for that dream job. You don't want to go blank when you remember back to this one on one conversation. Listen. Actively listen.

Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes...

Knees and toes. Sorry, I couldn't resist!

This Saturday, I'll be hosting an Image/Appearance and Reputation Workshop for the chapter I advise. The Vice President of Recruitment has asked me to speak during their scheduled Recruitment Meeting on the importance of first impressions, and how to dress for a successful recruitment. I realize this could sound incredibly vain and shallow, but hear me out. Appearance is not just how you look, but how you are perceived. Formal Recruitment in its nature is an incredibly shallow process, and first impressions are super important. I'm not dogging your local Panhellenic system, I'm only saying it is a very quick time to talk someone into a very serious commitment.

This week, I will be using this blog as a sounding board for some ideas regarding the workshop. I'm calling it "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes: How to Give a Great First Impression". I will cover clothing, make-up, attitude, body language, and reputation.

Let me know your thoughts! I want this workshop to be successful for everyone involved. I'm no expert, but I have been through over 10 Recruitments in the past 7 years. I also worked in Human Resources for a year. Hopefully that gives me some credibility.

Sorority Crafting Sundays: Sorority Bow Scarf

Let me say this about knitting a scarf with medium weight worsted yarn: it is not a race, its a marathon. Set aside some serious down time for this project. But, it is absolutely worth the effort! 

     1. Make a slipknot at the start of your purple yarn. 

     2. Cast on an odd number of stitches. For the width of my scarf, I chose 25 stitches. 

     3. Knit to the desired length of your scarf. I worked with the seed stitch for this scarf, alternating knit 1, purl 1 across each row. The odd number of stitches will result in you starting with a knit stitch and ending with a knit stitch. My scarf is 40 inches long. 

     4. Cast off the last row and leave a long tail of yarn at the end. Knot and set aside. 

     5. Tie a slipknot in the start of your yellow yarn. 

     6. Cast on the same number of stitches as your purple scarf. For my bow, I cast on 25 stitches in width. 

     7. Repeat the pattern from #3 (knit 1, purl 1), until you achieve the desired width of your bow. You'll know you have the size bow you want by folding the knit over as you knit and pinching it in the center. My bow is about 14 inches long, 7 inches when folded over. 

     8. Cast off all stitches on your final row, leaving a long tail of yarn. 

     9. Using the long tail of yarn, fold your purple scarf over and stitch the two ends together with a yarn needle. Tie the end off. It should look something like this...

     10. Repeat step #9 on your yellow knit piece. It should look something like this...

     11. One last slipknot, to create the center of the bow. 

     12. Cast on the desired width of the center of your bow, making sure it is an odd number. For my bow, I cast on 5 stitches. 

     13. Knit the seed stitch until you achieve a length that can stretch around the width of the box and scarf. For instance, my bow center piece was 7 inches long. 

     14. Line up your seams. 

     15. Lay your bow piece on the scarf, matching up the seams. 

     16. Using your bow center piece, gather the bow in the center and wrap the long piece around both the bow knit piece and the scarf. 

     17. Turn over the scarf, and stitch the ends of the bow center together, binding the bow and scarf together. It doesn't have to look pretty since it will be on the inside of the scarf. 

You did it! How cute do you feel, you cuddly snowman, you?!