With strict social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders in place, many of us  are looking for fun and creative ways to pass the time. From closet clean-outs and home improvement projects to taking up new skills such as cooking or yoga, it is important to use our creativity for our well-being. For us college kids, besides spending hours completing assignments and scrolling through Tik Tok, there are many fun DIYs you can do in your home at low-cost to help relieve some stress. Keep reading for three DIY ideas that can help keep you busy and elevate your wardrobe. 

Trending DIY: Tie-dye

A popular trend in fashion right now is tie-dye. Tie-dye is a simple, yet intricate form of DIY. My brother and I have been tie-dyeing nearly everything white in our homes. From t-shirts and pillowcases to tablecloths, nothing is safe from the vibrant color splashes and rainbow spirals.

To  tie-dye at home, you will need: 

• White garment of your choice
• Gloves
• Rubber-bands or elastic hair ties
• Hot water with salt
• Squirt / spray bottles or buckets
• Color Dye

For tie-dye, the best dye on the market is RIT Dye. RIT is a personal favorite of mine because it is both affordable and effective. I first heard about RIT from a friend who has a passion for tie-dye. I found my favorite color, “Kentucky Sky” blue at Mood Fabrics in NYC. Since many of us can  only go to a few essential places, RIT can also be found on Amazon or at local grocery stores for anywhere between 2 to 10 dollars, with many different colors to choose from. When it comes to the tying of your garment, you can rubberband it however you choose. These images best serve as a tutorial, including all sorts of designs like the classic spiral, bullseye, rainbow and more.

The best part about tie-dye is that if you think you messed up, you can always add more colors or re-band it. Tie-dye rarely turns out badly! When you are adding the dye into your buckets or bottles, make sure you mix it with hot water and a tablespoon of salt to achieve the best pigmented color (the hot water and salt act as a glue to the color to bond it together). If you are excited to see the results, you can take your rubber bands off after coloring and leave it to dry, but if you have some time and patience, let it sit in a ziplock bag overnight.

Trending DIY: Rhinestones

Another popular DIY tool is the Rhinestone Hotfix Applicator, otherwise known as a rhinestone gun. This fun tool heats up and allows you to cement your favorite gems (included with purchase) to anything and everything you want. You can add a little sparkle to your handbags, clothes, denim jackets, shoes and almost anything else you can think of. Below is a picture of the rhinestone applicator and a thrifted handbag I upcycled!For just $20 on Amazon, this kit includes the applicator, a full pack of rhinestones in a variety of sizes and colors, tweezers to accurately place the gems, white pencils for outlining, seven different iron applicator tips for different sized gems and a steel brush to clean off any residue from the hot tips. 

Trending DIY: Grommets

A grunge favorite and quite trendy in stores like LF in Manhattan, is grommets. Grommets are traditionally used for home purposes such as hanging shower curtains, but fashion has given grommets a new purpose. From denim jackets with grommets and chains, to grommet belts and skirts, this feature will add some edge to your favorite wardrobe staples. 

You can even add grommets to your favorite St. John’s tee – perfect for game days and Tip-Off!

 For $16 on Amazon, you can purchase an entire grommet-making kit. To add on grommets, all you will need outside of the kit is a hammer. You will cut a small hole in the fabric and line the grommet with the front and back piece, placing it on the small steel piece, and insert the grommet sealer. Hammer until the grommet is sealed shut! 

As you may or may not have noticed, Amazon has truly been a friend during quarantine. Thank you to all of the workers and delivery drivers that help us out on a daily basis, and especially now during these unprecedented times

There are a lot of different ways you can go about these three DIYs, but hopefully this guide serves as a source of inspiration. If you complete any of these projects or other DIYs at home, show us your creations! Tag or DM us on Instagram with your pictures  (@sju_torch).