Crafty things to do after the exam

Arts and craft ideas for you.

Hoorah! Exams are finally over! Everything is magical again, peace has been restored and the world is healing. We can finally clean up our desks, put away those textbooks, and relish in our much-deserved break. Now the only thing left to do is figure out how we plan to destress over the next three weeks. 

Maybe you have a holiday lined up. I know for certain some of you will probably be off on that Euro Summer everyone has been raving about online. Perhaps you’ll be exploring our beautiful South Australian backyard or maybe you’ve got some work experiences secured under your belt. Whatever your plans may be, I’m sure there will be some days when you’re at home, bored, and wondering what you could do to pass the time. 

Well, how about we put on our creative hats and indulge in some good ol’ arts and craft?

Start a junk journal

Remember those café receipts you collected and kept scrunched up in a box somewhere, those stickers you bought but were too scared to use because you ‘needed the right place to stick them’, and other mementos you’ve been collecting on your travels? Give them the opportunity to shine by starting a junk journal: a book of collages made from those things you’ve been collecting. 

And even if you don’t have any, scraps are pretty easy to come by. You can start with your exam notes, for one. Just let your creativity run free and make pages upon pages of collages to your heart’s content. You can even categorise the collages into specific colours or dates or events. 

Take a look at Regular Bowl’s video for some inspiration and tips.

Customise your tote bags

Ah, tote bags, the bag of our generation and a favourite among university students. You probably have some that you still use and heaps more that you don’t. So, instead of letting those unused ones go to waste, why not upcycle them into fabric patches for your other tote bags? A cute and sustainable way to customise your bags and give them a little pizzazz!

Upcycle your old clothes

And for those of you who are more sartorially inclined, you can rummage through your closet for some old clothes and turn them into new ones! I see so many videos of people turning their grandpa’s old button-ups into adorable tops and even old jeans into handbags – if only I showed more interest in Home Economics. 

But hey, even if you don’t have much experience when it comes to sewing, there are heaps of tutorial videos on the internet that you can learn from anyway.

Make a zine

Now this is more up to my speed. Zines are like mini, more crafty versions of published magazines. I used to make one a lot for my pen pals when I was in high school. It’s just a fun and creative way to tell stories. 

You can make a zine pretty much about anything – your uni life, your pets, your grandma’s best recipes; if you can think it, you can make it. You can even make copies and share them with your friends for some light reading over the break. 

It’s not very hard to make one either. You literally just need a piece of a4 paper, some colourful pens (or not, you’ve got full reigns on the creative direction) and some imagination. I recommend watching this video by Austin Kleon for a tutorial on how to make a single-paper zine. 

Other crafty ideas

•    Make a paper crown – you deserve one after surviving this semester!
•    DIY friendship bracelets for you and your friends.
•    Paint a pot for your plants.

Or, drop by AGSA’s The Studio for some free arts and craft activities.