Do It Yourself: Arts and Crafts

By Lexi Carder

Valentine’s Day is moving closer and DIYs are a cheap and easy way for college students to give their loved ones a gift. In the upcoming weeks, WVU Parkersburg is hosting several arts and crafts events that students can participate in.

Hosted by the Student Government Association, the first event will be on Monday Feb. 10 from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in the student lounge. The Cookies and Carnations event is free for students to decorate sugar cookies with different types of frosting, sprinkles and other decorations after a tutorial given by SGA members. After decorating cookies, students can post pictures of their creations or have an afternoon snack. At the end, students will receive a free carnation as a thank you for participating in the event, that they can keep for themselves or give to a special someone.

On Tuesday Feb. 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a Stuffed Animal Workshop in the student lounge. It is free for all children accompanied by a relative with a valid WVU Parkersburg student ID. Adult students are more than welcome to participate, however, if they bring their child, they are forfeiting their animal to the child. All participants will receive one eight-inch unstuffed animal and you can choose from a variety of animals in different colors. It will be a similar experience to Build-A-Bear Workshop, where you are involved in every step of the process. You give your furry friend a heart filled with love, however, there will not be voice boxes for special sound effects.Participants will receive one outfit of choice from a variety of different outfitsand a birth certificate for their new friend at the end.

On Wednesday Feb. 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., there will be a DIY Day where The Watering Can Art Studio of Vienna will host a mobile pottery event in the student lounge. Students will receive one free pottery piece per person to paint. There will be paint available in a variety of colors, as well as painting supplies. When the piece is complete, students will need to turn it into the SEA table with their name and contact information. If students are already familiar with the process, then they are welcome to take their pieces elsewhere. All pieces will be dropped off to The Watering Can Art Studio to be glazed and fired in their kiln. It will take one to two weeks for the pieces to be finished so don’t expect to gift this as a Valentine’s Day present. Once they are done, the Student Activities Coordinator, Samantha Suggs, will pick them up and contact participants for pick up from office 1535.

For more information on these events, contact Student Activities Coordinator Samantha Suggs at samantha.suggs@wvup.edu.

If you are unable to attend these events at WVU Parkersburg, there are plenty of events happening in the community, although most of them may cost money. There is an Adult Craft Club hosted by the Vienna Public Library on Thursday Feb. 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. where you can make and take a Valentine Cookie in a Jar. You can decorate a jar with paint markers and ribbon, then fill it up with a cookie mix. The Artsbridge, the arts service agency of the Mid-Ohio Valley, also has arts and crafts events planned every day in February, according to their website. Visit their website for more information at artsbridgeonline.org or contact them at mandy@artsbridgeonline.org. There are always fun events to attend and an abundance of resources and ideas for things to create with friends or partners around Valentine’s Day.