We have officially reached the fifth week period with classes at CNU and just like any other college student, I was bombarded with exams, papers, and projects. Talk about stressful, am I right? Luckily, CNU puts up great activities that are free to attend, fun to experience, and help ease the stress of the semester. Recently, I found myself going to a DIY shag rug coaster making activity being held in the Torggler Fine Arts Center. 

Upon walking in, I was greeted by someone in the lobby who was very friendly and running the table. There was a good sum of people who were there that were willing to help give me and others a basic rundown as to how you make the shag rug coaster. I will admit, before starting it, I had convinced myself that I was not going to be very good at it. However, after starting it, the process had become easier and a whole lot quicker the further I got into it. They also had an assortment of fabric scraps you could pick from, but I chose to stick with an earthy-colored style. 

Not only was this event a way to ease my anxiety and stress from my classes, but it was also a great way to make new friends that you don’t often see around campus. Because of the limitation of places to sit in the Fine Arts Center (near the table of fabric scraps), I had found myself sitting with someone I did not know all that well. We had a very nice conversation and actually ended up becoming really good friends. It just goes to show that you can make friends practically anywhere at CNU.  Go to the activities, it’s worth it!

I would say that the process in general took about forty minutes to an hour depending on how big you wanted your coaster to be. Sadly, the scraps of fabric ran out pretty quickly with many people tuning in to the activity. However, once I had gotten back to my dorm, I had used my crafty skills to cut the rest off I could not finish and glued cardboard to the bottom to make sure the coaster does not fall apart.  

Overall, I would rate this activity a solid 9/10. The activity was great for easing stress, making new friends, and experiencing something new. However, to make sure everyone gets the same experience, more fabric scraps might have to be present if this activity happens again. If they do put this activity on again in the future, I would definitely go again and recommend this to all my friends!