Chances are you’ve compiled a mountain of purple junk somewhere in your room. Instead of just throwing it away, here’s how you can turn it into gifts for your friends and family.
Water bottles/mugs
Still have a few leftover from Wildcat Welcome? With a little paint and some creativity you can beautify any of these less-than-cute plastic contraptions and finally put them to use. With a hot glue gun, some glitter, ribbons, stickers or any other material you’d find in an elementary school classroom, you can turn your mountain of reusable water bottles into a cute gift. Fill them with candy to give your gift-giving cred an extra boost.
Lanyards
Give them a wash, grab some scissors and string, and you can transform your lanyards into pretty ribbons to give to your friends to spice up their Homecoming look. While no one really uses lanyards after Wildcat Welcome, you probably have a friend that would look extra cute (or at least extra spirited) on game day with some purple ribbons in her hair.
Tote bags
Tote bags are the Swiss Army Knife of regifting. You could give it as a gift on its own after decorating it with pins, ribbons or something craftier with the help of a hot glue gun. You could also use the tote as a gift-wrap and fill it with anything else you’d like to give your friend. Hint: You might have a pile of Northwestern t-shirts that someone else will love.
Pompoms
Even if you’re not the cheerleading type, nobody can deny the joy of ruffling purple pompoms. With a little elbow grease and elastic, you can transform them into cute tutus for your younger and cuter siblings to compensate for your lack of pep.
With all the free stuff we get throughout the year, it’s easy to start discarding everything. Next time you get some swag, think about the ways you can revamp it and make someone else happy.