Cool Gifts for Your New Little Part 4 – Initiation Basket

Check out the final part for crafting for your little, the Initiation Basket! (part 1, part 2, part 3) The time is finally here, your new little is getting initiated!  Here are some great things you can put in her initiation basket.  There are some simple ways you can personalize items to your little, your family or your organization!  Your little is going to be most excited about things you put in your love making special for her, and you will feel great when the everyone is telling her how cute everything looks!  I would like to make a special shot out to my family for being amazing and sending me all of the pictures I needed for this series (especially Cayte and Colleen, sorry for the late notice!), you are all the best!

Contents:

1. Flowers – get your little a bouquet of flowers or a bouquet of your sorority flowers, they will brighten up her day and her room!

2. Wall Letters – Use wool letters from the craft store and craft your littles initial or your

organizations letters! (check out the wood letters in this dorm decorating post for a how to!)

3. A Family Tree – a great item for your little to keep for years to come. You can make very cute family trees out of wood cutouts and ribbon.  Use a sorority symbol, paint them, and write the names of all of your family members.

4. Pin box – pick up a small box from the craft store, paint it and use a cute quote on the box with a paint pen.  You can make a small pillow for the inside.  This box can be used to store your pin, lavalieres and even mascot charms.  Use a straight pin through the loop of the charms to hold it in place on the pillow.

5. Letters / Shirts – though your little probably has made her own letters, this is a great time to give them special letters you have had passed down or special family letters.  You can even make  big / little letters!

6. Stuffed Animal – get a stuffed animal of your sorority mascot.

7. Quote Plaque – Use a small wood plaque from the craft store to write a quote that is special to you and your little!

8. Stool – this is a traditional gift for many

organizations, you can purchase a unfinished stool from the craft store and make it super cute with paint and mod podge (mod podge can come in a glitter finish or simply glossy to finish all of your painted crafts)!

9. Paddle – for me personally this was one of the things that I was the most excited about, however, these can also be the most expensive.  This about developing a theme for your family and varying the colors year to year to fit the colors in your littles room or her favorite colors!  Get a bunch of your sisters together and order your paddles online to save money on shipping costs!

Here are some tips on crafting and buying for your little:

• Spend your money on items that your little is actually going to keep and use, not fillers that just make your basket look bigger!
• Make everything you can! It means more when it come from the heart!
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  If you are not good at writing with puffy paint and your friend is, offer to paint something for her solid colors while she helps you with your projects!
• Pass down everything you can.  Don’t be afraid to re-gift items, it is the sincerest compliment to the person that gave or made it for you!
• Get together with a bunch of sisters and share crafting supplies like paints and brushes, that way you all don’t have to spend your money on the same items!
• Split pack of items –  candles, markers, etc.
• Try to chose an overall theme for everything you make, this will keep you focused and not questioning what to do on everything.  Use the colors of your littles room so she can display them proudly on their walls! (as you can see for my little the theme was pink black and white / zebra print.  I carried this through most of the crafts that I made for her!)
  

  Traditional Blue Eyed Family stack after initiation! (Bayley, me, Cayle, Kelly & Colleen!)

Remember its not how expensive the baskets are, it is the heart you put into it that counts!  Even if you do not have a lot of money to spend, and who really does these days, you can make great gifts for your little on a tight budget by planning smart and starting now! Look for things on sale, the dollar spot at Target is a grate place to find little gifts  you can personalize later!

Kendall Meyer is an intern with College Lifestyles (TM).  She is an Interior Design major at James Madison University and a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority.  Ask any of her little and grand littles, her favorite past time is crafting for all of them!

Check out this great post, Newbie Scrapbooker Must Haves, for some sweet tips on scrapbooking, a great way to keep all you great sorority memories!