CRAFT :: Carolina Cup :: Cooler Days

The South is full of traditions, from summer pig pickins' to bluegrass festivals. Southern Greeks have plenty of their own traditions and I took part in one such tradition this past week.

In many Southern schools, when girls get invited to fraternity events that involve traveling (Formal, Mountain Weekend, Carolina Cup), they paint the coolers that will inevitably be filled with alcoholic beverages for the trip.

Some of these coolers are real masterpieces and I swear the girls must neglect all schoolwork and sleep to finish these babies. While my cooler may not belong in a museum, I was VERY proud of my artistic skill. I convinced myself early on that I was only capable of drawing stick figures and haven't spent much time attempting to improve my lot in life as a terrible artists. When I began painting my cooler, I discovered two things: 1. painting is really relaxing and enjoyable. Who knew? 2. I have some semblance of skill!

Here is the finished product!

Want to paint a cooler for an event? Here's some advice.

1. Paint a white base coat on the entire cooler. This will make sure that your colors are vibrant.
2. Use acrylic paint. If possible, use the indoor/outdoor acrylics
3. Check out the Cooler Connection for ideas on what to paint. There are literally thousands of other coolers to draw inspiration from.
4. Make sure to cover your work of art with paint sealant after you are finished. Otherwise, you face the risk of it getting scratched up on it's first trip out into the world.