Food Drive

Each year, my alumni association hosts a Christmas Party on campus at my graduate school. I've been lucky enough to be involved with the alumni association since 2010 (having graduated in 2009). My friend, Calla Lily, and I have taken the lead in planning a collection of items for the food shelf during the party as a way of giving back during the holiday season. Last year, I decided I wanted to make us a sign that we could re-use from year to year, but I didn't get things arranged in time.This year, I had a lot of time to get ready, so I went for it!

As always, I started my craft project browsing at Michaels. I'd seen these glittery red letters on a previous trip and had been mulling over using them for this project. By the time I got serious about accomplishing this project this year, these letters were already on clearance. While I was at first imagining some kind of garland, I didn't have a good plan about how I might attach the letters to the garland - especially since I don't have a drill in my arsenal. But, the letters were on display right by the snowflake, and then it struck me!

 I brought the snowflake home, and first painted it with two coats of plain white paint.

 

 I neglected to take a "before" picture, but this shot of the back side should do the trick. Oh, particle board, you are the reason we are so thankful for paint!

 Next, I covered the white with this glitter paint. Though it might look like it's white in the bottle, it really isn't. The paint is basically clear, with some glitter. I did only one coat.

Then, I glued on the red letters, which were covered with glitter when I bought them. I used Elmer's Glue-All for this project. The applicator tip on my bottle doesn't work the way it should. Despite my best efforts, I have no idea why this is, but I was able to get around it by applying the glue with a paint brush. I put down the plastic bag underneath the project because the glue got all over the place, especially when it came to attaching the outermost letters.

While I was at my parents' house over the Thanksgiving holiday, I sprayed on a fixative because I was worried about the glitter flaking off. Here's the finished product:

One of the concerns when I was getting this sign ready to go was how we were going to display it. Usually, we collect the food on a table that is covered with a standard-issue catering table cloth. There's nothing wrong with that, but we can't really tape anything down. I had a flash of inspiration when I was working on this about just how we could display it!

We're collecting canned goods, right? We'll just use one of them! I bought this jar of spaghetti sauce to use with the sign, and we can either donate it this year or save it for next. I think it will work out perfectly!
While I'd hoped to make this post only after the food drive was over, I've recently learned that I won't be able to make it to the Christmas party because I'll be in the hospital recovering from surgery. That said, I hope that this year's Food Drive participation is awesome. I know you guys won't be at that party, but I hope you'll keep the hungry in mind as you prepare for your Christmas celebrations. Your local food shelf would be happy to have your donation!