Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Crafts to keep you busy in quarantine

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Photo Illustration by Arielle Bader | Senior Photo Editor
Masks are difficult to find and expensive to buy, but there are ways you can make them using items lying around at home.

If you have a TikTok, you’ve probably seen people bleaching jeans, cutting their bangs and sewing old T-shirts to keep themselves busy in quarantine.

They might seem like teen activities, but they’re undoubtedly going to get you through a boring day in quarantine. From hair dye to clothing alterations, here are some crafts found on TikTok and other social media accounts that will help you stay busy.

DIY mask

If you do have to leave your house during self-isolation for any reason, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you wear face coverings, like a mask, to cover your nose and mouth. Most people don’t have medical or N95 masks, but there are many ways to make one yourself and use while you shop at a grocery store or go for a walk.

You’ll need a bandana, hair ties and a coffee filter to make a mask. Fold a bandana horizontally in thirds, placing a rectangular-shaped cut piece of coffee filter in the centerfold. Then, take two hair ties and pull them through the bandana. Join the ends of the bandana in the middle and tuck them into each other. Place the hair ties around your ears and adjust the bandana to cover your nose and mouth.

If you don’t have a bandana, you can also cut up an old cotton T-shirt, fold it and secure it with bands.

Temporary hair dye

If you were nervous about trying out a new hair color before, you no longer need to worry about seeing people. You can purchase several inexpensive hair dye brands like Garnier, L’Oréal Paris and Wella Charm from drugstores, like CVS or Walgreens, or on Amazon. They’re all under $10.

You can try an ombre look, highlights or start off with just a few pieces to test out a new color. Put on some gloves, apply the hair dye starting at the roots and work your way down to the ends of your hair. Make sure your hair feels wet and saturated before leaving the dye in for about 30 minutes or however long is prescribed on the box for the dye.

Watercolor or acrylic painting

All across Instagram, you can find videos of artists painting with watercolors. These videos are relaxing to watch, but it’s even better to paint yourself.

You’re bound to have some old watercolor or acrylic paint sets from your childhood lying around your house, or you can purchase some on Amazon for about $26. Pull them out and get to work. There are countless art videos and tutorials online, like @watercolor_guide on Instagram, that you can look to for inspiration. Once you are finished, label the painting with your name and the date and keep it as a memory of something you did in quarantine.

Redecorate your bedroom

You likely left all your room decor in your residence hall room when you left campus, and now your childhood bedroom may need some updating. There are plenty of DIY room decor ideas online to help spruce up your bedroom.

You’re probably missing your friends while in isolation, so display pictures of them and make your room cute at the same time. String up fairy lights or Christmas lights that might lie around your home. Then, use clothespins or clips to attach printed pictures, polaroids, postcards, tickets and other mementos to the light string.

Check out Pinterest or search “room decor” on TikTok to find some more ideas on ways to decorate your room.

Alter old clothes

You may have only brought a limited number of clothes home when you left campus, leaving you to wear the same clothes every week. But you might still have some old clothes in the back of your closet at home. Instead of tossing them out, give them a new life by altering them.

One easy alteration is to tie-dye a white T-shirt using three items: food coloring, vinegar and rubber bands. Soak the shirt in a mixture of half-vinegar and half-water, then tie up the sections you want to be dyed with rubber bands. Add a mixture of food coloring and water to the sections you desire. After letting the shirt sit overnight, rinse it, dry it and it’s ready to wear.

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