How to Make Awesome New Years Resolutions

Hanging out with friends talking about all the amazing memories you have made and all the many many more you will make for the upcoming year. Celebrating with friends and popping a bottle of champagne to ring in the new year. It isn't all about what has come out of this past year, it is mostly about what you want to change or improve for the following year. Weight, love, friend relationships, dietary, studies, being a better you and so many other things are the different new years resolutions people usually make.

Making these resolutions are only half of the challenge. Here are some of the top resolutions: spending time with family and friends, getting fit, quit smoking, enjoying life more, get out of debt, learn something new, help others, and get organized. Thankfully most of this list I am ok on but I know myself and the whole “working out thing” is NOT me. I do feel well.. ok looking in the mirror but there is definitely some room for improvement considering the fact I eat nothing but junk and can’t tell you the last time I have stepped into a gym… and not just to look at the guys and people watch.

The one and only way to stick with whatever awesome new years resolution is, is to keep focused and make reminders. Sticky notes, inspirational pictures, friends who support you in whatever you are doing. Make an inspiration board for yourself. Mine would be of beautiful fit women, and someone else's could be of DIY stuff to do throughout the year. We make our own future and our own year. If we truly wanted to complete our resolution within the new year, the only person stopping you from doing it is you. Get out of your own head and chase after you goal, seriously run towards it and don’t stop. The moment you hesitate or think about stopping everything will go down hill. Girl, you got it within you to complete the resolution you thought about, lets make this year the one we actually complete it!

Happy new year and may the odds of you completing your resolution be ever in your favor. Hope it brings lots and lots of glitter!

Breaking Sorority Sterotypes

Everyone thinks of all of sorority girls as Lilly Pulitzer loving, crazy partiers, bows, crafters, and most of all boy crazy women. I have always wanted to be in a sorority since I was little, thinking about all of the women, having a family away from home and having a bond that is indescribable to most people. "From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it." This amazing quote says so much to us as sorority women but how do we prove it to those looking in from the outside?Breaking these stereotypes is something as Greek women and as a Greek life we need to do. We need to prove to the community that we are the exceptional people we think we are and prove them wrong that the drunken, slutty, no studying and party hard days are just in the movies… or at least not what they see. We want to keep everything on the down low and shine a bright light on the outstanding things our sisters and sorority do for philanthropy.

Within our philanthropies, we help children, animal shelters, and different cure foundations all around the United States. It is something to be proud of and advertise like crazy all around campus. Make shirts, banners, posters, announcements of any kind to promote your sorority in a positive way.

The best way to break sorority stereotypes is to always wear your letters in a positive way. Dress up, look nice and wear your letters, the idea seems like such a simple idea but you have no idea how many girls dress like sloppy messes in sweatpants. Another thing to remember when wearing your letters is to WATCH WHAT YOU SAY! Oh, you went out partying this weekend, hate a girl in another sorority and oh you decided to smoke a joint? Well did you know that all of the people around you are listening, watching, and observing you and all they see are Greek letters on your chest saying this ridiculous nonsense? When wearing your letters talk about positive things and promote what you stand for and love your sisters, do not talk about one another in a negative way.

You are always wearing your letters whether or not you’re in them. Being a positive role model and standing above and beyond what the non- Greeks  do and think is something we have to strive to do. Even though this is a super tiny thing to do, it could make a huge difference in the views everyone has on your sorority and Greek Life.
Here is a picture of me and my best friend at a baseball game. You could still be friends with other people in other sororities and still uphold a good outlook. We had a great day at a baseball game and didn't talk trashy or make others look at us. Yes, we had our letters on. Yes, we are apart of Greek life, but no matter where you are you need to watch what you say because you never know who is listening.

Campus Representative Spotlight: Paige Heaven

Our campus representatives are an imperative part to Little Problems and how we get the word out about our products and social media accounts. We currently have almost 45 campus representatives repping the brand at tons of universities all across the United States. Today we want to spotlight a campus representative, chosen at random. Today we are spotlighting Paige Heaven:

Sorority: Phi Sigma Sigma

Major: Marketing

Why did you choose to Go Greek?: I wanted to get involved, so I went to a winter recruitment event to see what the whole "sorority thing" was all about and I fell in love.

What is your favorite part about Little Problems?: I love the women I work with. They are all fun and down to earth so it makes getting the job done that much easier.

What do you like to do in your free time?: When I have free time, I love to craft for my littles. They are my pride and joy. I also love to paddle board, hike, and read. 

Home for the Holidays

I'll be home for the Holidays. 

It's that time of year!! Finals are over (hopefully) and you've made the drive or flight back home. Now the problem is dealing with being at home. How do you switch from staying out all night, having sleepovers every night of the week, and making plans whenever you want.

Curfews
How do you deal with having a curfew again? It's strange to be at school for x amount of semesters now and come home to rules again. The best thing to do is probably to talk to your parents about a reasonable time to be home.


Old Friends
Break out the old memories because you're about to rehash every single one of them. It never fails. We come home every break and the same embarrassing stories are told from "that one time in high school." We have to put on our big girl pants and deal with it!

Chore
Those things still exist. It's weird to come home where you have to do dishes again and set the table. I know, personally, I got spoiled from always having clean dishes ready for me at school. But at least we don't have to scrounge for quarters to make the washing machine work for a couple of weeks! ;)

Enjoy your break!

Holiday Beauty Looks

With the holidays here, we all have an event or two we'd like to glam up for. With tutorials on sites like Youtube and Pinterest, mastering new looks is easier than ever! Below are a couple of my favorite tutorials for this holiday season. They work for every skin tone or hair color, and can be tweaked to complete every look from a simple family Christmas dinner to a wild New Year's Eve night out on the town.

First is a gorgeous holiday makeup tutorial from the lovely Allison Anderson. This look has a soft and rosy skin, a neutral, shimmery eye with a slight cat-eye liner. The focal point that really makes this look pop is the bright red lip.

• TWEAKS:
• Lighten or darken the eye shadow
• Add dark or black shadow to the crease line to add drama
• Change lip color (bright red isn't for everyone)
• Leave off the false lashes

The next look is for the hair and it's by my favorite Youtube beauty vlogger, Nicole Guerriero. Big, Kardashian-esque curls are all the rage right now, and this is a nice holiday twist on that look. The curls are a little more like ringlets and give a more formal look and it can be worn up or down.
Click here to see the video

• TWEAKS
• Without extensions
• Curl hair with a curling iron or straightener instead of a wand
• Hold hair around the iron less than 10 seconds for looser curls
• Spray hair with product before beginning or spray each strand as you go
• Leave hair loose rather than setting with pins for looser curls
• Leave hair as is at any point in the tutorial
• Tease the crown for a bigger, more voluminous look

It's also important to remember that often times, the women in these tutorials get lots of courtesy goodies for the brand promoting they do. Many also work for cosmetic companies or as licensed cosmetologists. We don't all have pockets or connections as deep as theirs, and cannot always afford the high end cosmetics they use and THAT IS OK! Use whatever you have or whatever you want to get the look you desire!

Above all else, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The point of makeup and hair tutorials is to make yourself feel good and confident in yourself. There is no right or wrong way to do any of it. So glam up, go out and, most of all, enjoy yourself this winter! Happy Holidays!

xoxo Melissa

Website Spotlight: Fun Express Village

Christmas is just around the corner and, with that, comes Christmas shopping for the Big and Little. And, at this point, many of us think we've probably exhausted our resources, gone through every Pinterest board, browsed through every Etsy shop, even wandered through the online catalogs of Vera Bradley, Tiffany&Co., and any Greek related website we can get our hands on.

But I think I may have found just the thing to save us all from our holiday hysteria.

It's a fun little website called Fun Express Village, founded by two young men named Mark and Colin in 2001. Mark and Colin describe themselves as "online retailers and all around cool dudes since '99," and have built Fun Express Village as a trendy little empire of the latest fashions and accessories. The website itself caries a stock of jewelry, home accessories, handbags, coastal gifts, and sunglasses, but the real treasure would have to be their bracelets.

Fun Express Village carries a variety of different, leather bracelets, that coming in a myriad of styles, colors, and sizes. They are sturdy and made to last, and are extremely comfortable. For Christmas last year, my Twin bought us both matching bracelets, and they look a little something like this:

Look how bright, how pretty, oooo

Some of my sisters have even invested in these great finds. One of my sisters bought a set for her entire line:

Gosh, these are so cute.

The ones shown above are the most varied of the bracelets. They come in extra small, small, medium, and large. Of the three I have already shown you, they are two extra smalls and a small, so they're sized pretty large. There are 13 different combinations of colors available on the site in this specific style. There are three other styles available as well, as shown below:

I suggest that everyone browse the site. They're great quality and last a long time. Just try not to take showers with them, because they eventually fade (but they do turn butter-soft, so it's such a conflicting situation). I've just ordered a set for my Little and I, and I know that they make a great gift and a great surprise for not only the holiday season, but for any special occasion, from birthdays to "just because's."

The boys also come with their own YouTube Channel (that they, admittedly, haven't updated very recently), where they post videos about their projects, fun craft ideas, and other amusing tidbits.

So I hope you guys found this helpful in the rat race of holiday deals and gift-giving. I'll see you all soon!

Surviving Finals

December is one of the happiest, yet most stressful times of the year.  Most college students are so close to being home for the holidays, but we still have to deal with finals.  Over the years, I've found a few ways to get through finals with my sanity... well, most of it.  Remember that what works for some people might not work for you, and it you have to find what works for you.  This is just what works for me.

1. Create a plan.  For me, this means planning out every hour of finals week.  I roughly plan when I'll have meals, when I'll take breaks, and when I'll study.  I use lots of sticky notes, Google calendar, and my planner to keep track of everything.  Being organized will ease the stress of finals, and having a schedule will help you feel more prepared.
Pinterest has great printable planners!


2. Take care of yourself.  I'll admit that it's much easier (and extremely tempting) to just order food everyday of finals week.  It'll be a lot better for your body and your wallet if you eat healthy foods.  Of course you should still eat foods you want!  If Chipotle is calling your name, head down there.  Schedule gym time to get yourself out of the library, even if it's only for 20 minutes.  If you stay healthy, you'll stay alert and ready to go!

Don't want to go to the gym?


3. Take breaks and relax.  Don't stress yourself out.  If you feel like you can't read one more word of biology or do one more stats practice problem, walk away for a minute.  I like to schedule about half an hour before bed to catch up on blogs, but I also take five minute breaks throughout studying.  If listening to music relaxes you, turn on Pandora!  Light a candle, do some yoga, grab some Starbucks!


  The night before an exam, I make sure I have all of my materials together.  I also pick out a cute, comfortable outfit.  This helps me feel confident in myself!   Good luck!

Getting Involved With Your Sorority Without Being a Leader

Holding a leadership position in a sorority is a great resume booster--but not everyone who is involved in sorority life has a nice title to back it up. Sometimes you are just you and that is okay. You can still be involved in your sorority without being a "leader" holding a chair position or being on exec board is nice, but you can be a leader in many different ways. Here are some ways that you can get involved without holding a leadership position.

1. Participate in a dance

2. Play intramurals

3. Cheer at intramural games

4. Help paint a banner

5. Be a door greeter for alumni at an event

6. Be attentive during chapter meetings

7. Ask questions during chapter meetings to clarify things your sisters are confused or concerned about

8. Get to know a new or old member

9. Help raise money for your sorority by participating in fundraisers and philanthropy events

10. Be a good face for your chapter by going to your classes and being a great person

11. Raise a motion in meeting

12. Comfort a sister in need

Image from Lilly & Letters

13. Get a little sister

14. Hang out with your big/little sister

15. Be an example for younger and older members alike

16. Attend a tailgate

17. Go to events your sisters are a part of

18. Get involved with activities outside of your chapter

19. Show your sorority pride to anyone who will listen

20. Wear your letters with dignity an respect

These may seem an awful lot like being a good member--the important thing to realize is that simple tasks are getting involved. By volunteering to help hold doors or paint that banner you are helping your sorority out in the long run. Attending the events that you can go to and cheering on your sisters along the way is important. If everyone realized that all the small things they do help the chapter out people would get more excited to do the small things.

Next time your chapter needs a volunteer or as a game and you can help or attend--do so. Obviously you have a life, you can't do every single thing--but you can help out to the best of your ability. Start realizing that the small things you do matter as much as the things that people with leadership positions do. What you do matters more than you think.

Apply to be a Little Problems Campus Representative!

Little Problems is seeking new campus representatives at this very moment. If you would like to join the ranks of these sorority women all across the country that are coming together to do amazing things come on and join us.

Campus Representatives come from all of the US. We are at different stages of our sorority careers, and we love Little Problems! Little Problems is a non-profit organization that seeks to spread the word about the bond that bigs/littles have as well as to help our chosen philanthropy the Wounded Warrior Project. WWP holds a special place in our heart.

If you want to join the ranks of this amazing organization check out the application here.

Need a little more convincing? Little Problems Blog has spotlighted many of our amazing campus reps over time, and we have many more spotlights to come. Check out those spotlights here.

We hope that many of you all decide to apply to be a Little Problems Campus Rep! We would love to expand on to your campus!

South for the Winter

It's getting colder, which means several things: hot chocolate, pretty scarves, snowmen, and winter balls. But what else does it mean? It means birds flying south for the winter and leaves falling off of trees and all the bugs have gone into hiding (yes!!). But there's one last thing you're forgetting. You know what it is.

All right. I'll give you a hint: Squirrels.

That may sound bizarre to you, but it actually has a lot to do with this week's Snack How-To. What am I making, you may ask.

Acorns.

I was stalking Pinterest (not unusual) when I stumbled upon a picture of these little acorn bites and I knew I had to try them out! A couple of my sisters and I made them in my kitchen as an experiment, so this recipe is based on what we did, as I couldn't find a precise one on the internet. As a warning, this recipe involves the use of peanut butter crackers, though alternatives have been used. For the sake of authenticity, I will still be using peanut butter crackers in the recipe.

South for the Winter: The squirrels are doing it, and so can you!

Prep Time: 30-45 minutes

Cook Time: None

Ingredients Include:*
Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookie Bites
Hershey's Kisses
Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Icing

*Note: How much of each ingredient you need depends solely upon how many people you're making for. For the purpose of this recipe, I will direct you in making ten of them.

Directions:
1. Take out five (5) Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookie Bites
2. Separate the two halves so that you have ten (10) cookies

3. Unwrap ten (10) Hershey's kisses

4. Spread chocolate icing over the flat bottom of the chocolate kiss and the peanut butter side of the cookie

5. Stick them together and wait for it to harden*

6. After the icing has hardened, take out ten (10) chocolate chips

7. Spread icing over the flat bottoms and stick them to the top of the "acorn"

*Note: Be sure to place them standing up so that the icing may harden and they don't slip.

Once you're done and they've sat out for a while, your little cuties should look something like this:

Those squirrels are gonna be so jealous, man.

These little guys go fast and they're a perfect bite-sized snack for any fall or winter occasion! They're also pretty easy to store and even easier to make! You can squirrel them away in any part of your dorm or set out a bowl of them for everyone to enjoy. And, if you want to make something quick for the multiple Friendsgivings that you will, no doubt, be attending, or even for your own family Thanksgiving, these are the perfect option!

So when you decide to disappear into your room during finals week, or just to escape the cold, be sure to have these with you to keep you company. No hibernation is complete without them.

Everyone have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

Philanthropy Spotlight: Earlier.org

When I learned that I would be writing a post about a philanthropy, I knew immediately which one I wanted to share.  Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test is the only organization that is dedicated only to research about earlier breast cancer detection.  As of now, breast cancer can only be detected after it is in the body for five to eight years.  Needless to say, this is a huge problem.  By developing an earlier way to detect breast cancer, lives can be saved.  Breast cancer, actually any cancer, does not discriminate against who it will affect.  It's extremely common, it's deadly, and it needs to be treated early.

Martha Kaley, the founder of Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test, is a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  In fact, she is a sister of my chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  It's an amazing feeling to support women everywhere, but it makes me so proud that we are supporting such a wonderful sister.  We support this philanthropy by hosting a 5K, the Tar Heel Trot, every fall during family weekend at Chapel Hill.  In addition, we have a "Kappasta" dinner each year as well.  This year we raised over $14,000 for the organization, and I know we will raise even more next year.

If you would like to get involved with this philanthropy please check out their website Earlier.org!

What are your favorite philanthropies?

Relationships in the House

When you choose to live in the sorority, the only thing you're thinking about is who your roommate is going to be. Are we going to get a 2 person or a 3 person? I can say from my own experience that the only thing we were thinking about was which floor we wanted to live on and how we were going to get a room with a view of the lake! I never even thought about how I wasn't very close with most of the girls that were going to be living in the house with me.

Now that I have lived in the house for almost a whole semester, I can say I have better relationships with a ton more girls in my sorority. I did not know very many of the girls very well on my floor, but I've had some interesting experiences with all of them.

Here are some of the ways I've made some good friends:

Exchanges: Getting ready for exchanges was really where we got to know each other. We all had some crazy theme and a lot of girls got ready in the bathroom, so we could ask each other to borrow things. Just being in the same room was a way for us to start talking to each other.

The Morning Class Buddies: For me, I have a 9:30 class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so I will go to the community bathroom to brush my teeth and whatnot. The other girls on the floor that also have a morning classes usually see each other in the bathroom. It's an unspoken bond that cannot be replaced.

TV Room: Living in the house makes it so much easier to just go downstairs to watch TV with other girls. There's rarely ever no one in the TV room, so y'all can laugh at whatever is on. Cough Cough SVU Tuesdays…

Meals: The meals at the house have also made getting to know other girls so much easier. We have big dining room tables that we can all sit around. Especially with having a common bond, loving our sorority, we obviously have something in common, so it's not hard to find something to talk about. Heck, talk about how good the food is! Fried Fridays are where it's at…

In the end, you cannot go wrong living in the house!!! It's like a big sleepover every night, and let's not forget how many closets you obtain when you move in!

Results are In!

So the post you have all been waiting for, we have the results of the Little Problems giveaway!!! Drum roll please...... Congratulations to Lauren Kline who is a Delta Zeta at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and Savannah Tarpey who is a Delta Sigma Pi from Texas!  You lucky ladies have each won yourself a gift bag full of Little Problems items, perfect to give to your greek fam or keep for yourself for an early Christmas present!

XOXO- Your LP Team

Philanthropy Spotlight: Wounded Warrior Project

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a non-profit organization that is a veteran service organization that offers various programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001.

The Wounded Warrior Project's mission is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. This organization wants to foster the most successful, well adjusted generation of wounded service members in our Nation's history. WWP raises awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, helps injured service members aid and assist each other, and provides unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

Little Problems believes strongly in WWP and sees the benefits of the organization. Little Problems got involved with when the creator of Little Problems personally saw the effects of WWP. The creators boyfriends was deployed to Afghanistan and one of the men on that team was injured; he had both legs from the knee down amputated. When the rest of the team returned home they were welcomed by the injured member of the team with two prosthetic legs. These prosthetic legs were given to him through the WWP. 

Little Problems gives back to WWP by donating a portion of the proceeds from merchandise. Since Little Problems has started to give to WWP, we have been able to donate hundreds of dollars with the total ever rising. 

If you would like to give back to a wonderful organization check out our website and spoil your big or little with some of our merchandise.   

November OOTD

Now that November is here and cold weather is sure to follow, it's time to find some cute cold weather outfits!  I personally feel like it's easier to dress cute during fall and winter.  I absolutely adore layers, scarves, and boots.  I have two go-to looks when it comes to dressing for cold weather.

The first look is pretty casual and comfortable.  I am a huge fan of basic pieces with fun accessories and layers.  Throw on a white tee, some black leggings, and a fun cardigan!  I'm seeing patterned cardigans everywhere, and I am obsessed with this trend.  As you would have expected, I would of course throw on some cute boots and a scarf!  Quick, comfy, cute!

OOTD post 3 by samantha-katherine-bender featuring t shirts

The second outfit is a little dressier.  Chambray shirts are the perfect piece for any season.  Pair it with some khakis for a cute, classy look.  Take advantage of the season by adding a beautiful quilted vest, fabulous riding boots, and a fun scarf.  I'm a sucker for leopard print, so this was the perfect pattern for me when envisioning this outfit.

OOTD post by samantha-katherine-bender featuring 7 for all mankind skinny jeans

What are your favorite cold weather outfits?

Fun and Simple Fashion for Meetings

Chapter meetings are super fun to go to, but if you are like me deciding what to wear can be a huge pain! Depending on the day I could go through quite a few possibilities before I decide what I want to wear that night. I decided to curate some simple and cute outfits that you could pull of with clothes you may already have.

1. Wear Your Mascot or Symbol:

Skull-Tastic by amandaadenine 

My sororities mascot is the skull and crossbone and our symbol is the sailboat. Obviously you can interchange this for something that relates to your sorority but it's always awesome to show pride for your sorority by showing off your mascot or symbol in your attire.

2. Wear a cute dress and boots:

Coral Cute by amandaadenine

You can obviously do this in any color combination that you like but I am in love with coral and brown together. I think they work perfectly together and dresses and boots are a match made in heaven. This simple outfit will definitely make meeting comfortable and cute!

3. Show School Pride:

Purple and Grey by amandaadenine 

You may look at this and wonder how it truly differs from my symbols and mascots post and at my school it really doesn't. My sorority colors are purple and white and my school colors are purple and grey so there is a lot of overlap between the two outfits--but hopefully if you wore a similar outfit at your school your sorority colors and school colors may change significantly from one another!

I hope you enjoyed these outfit inspirations for chapter meeting outfits. What is your go-to outfit for dressing up for chapter meeting?

Little Problems Giveaway

Hey ladies, exciting news! Today marks the start of our LP giveaway, which comes at a perfect time for big little reveal or if you want to get a head start on some Christmas presents for your big or little! Whats even better is that we are not only giving away 1 package full of Little Problems gear but 2, which means 2 of you lucky ladies will be winners!  All you have to do is enter the giveaway below and then browse through and enjoy the LP blog!

XOXO- The LP Ladies

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Quote of the Week: October 24, 2013

"Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got" 

-Art Buchwald

This quote just makes me remember each day is precious.  College is short and time flies.  You may not realize that your freshman, or even your sophomore year, but by senior year you will understand.  Even in the most stressful moments just remember to relax, take it all in and enjoy the ride.  If you like country music you will recognize this reference but its like the Trace Adkins song "You're Gonna Miss This".  So don't take life for granted, enjoy every second of college while you're there and don't regret anything, even if you mess up it usually at least makes for a good story!

XOXO- Taylor S

Instant S'mores

It's about that time again. And no, I don't mean nap time, or even that awesome time where Amanda comes out with a new How-To for all of you to try (hint hint, it actually is). It's actually almost time for Halloween! And that means cute, holiday themed snacks and Christmas music on the radio. Today, we're taking a campfire classic and giving it a creepy twist. That's right, s'mores.

Now s'mores may seem like a relatively easy thing to do and you're right, but what if you're mighty pressed for time? What if you have a Halloween social or a Halloween event desperately in need to warm, gooey treats to bring some love to the night? That's what this recipe is for. You see, these s'mores that I'm about to tell you about are special: they don't need a campfire at all!

Some of you may think that, without a campfire, a s'more is not really a s'more, and you may have a point. With the weather getting colder (at least here, up north), there are less and less opportunities to start a bonfire in the fire pits without freezing your limbs off. So, for those of you without the fire power, here's a sweet and fun alternative!

Instant S'mores: The s'more you know, the better it works! (buh dum tss)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 seconds

Ingredients Include:*
Graham cracker squares
Chocolate hazelnut spread
Marshmallow fluff

*Note: How much of each ingredient you need depends solely upon how many people you're making for. The original recipe is for four people and called for 8 cracker squares and 2-3 tablespoons of each spread, but the amount of each ingredient is relative to who's making it.

Directions:
1. Place cracker squares on clean, dry work surface
2. Spread half of the squares with chocolate hazelnut spread
3. Spread the second half of thee squares with marshmallow fluff
4. Smoosh your little beauties together
5. Place on microwave safe plate
6. Microwave on high for 30 seconds
7. Make 'em creepy!*
8. Serve immediately!

*Depending on what you plan to use to decorate them, you might want to do this step before you microwave them, as they harden up pretty quickly, and you'll have to warm them up again.

Now that you're got your cute little squares of deliciousness, it's time to creep them up! My sisters and I have found that simply using orange, black, yellow and purple sprinkles are a great way to give them color and make them pop out. You could also use spider shaped sprinkles or even black sugar to coat the warm edges of the s'more. After decorating them, your treats should look a little like this:

I can't even look at them, they're so tasty.

Another way to make your s'mores stand out is to substitute different ingredients. Local supermarkets also sell chocolate graham crackers for you to use. Similarly, you can substitute the chocolate hazelnut spread with peanut butter, to give some variety to your treats.

Presentation is always the answer to a simple snack. Buy Halloween themed plates and napkins, drink some fruit punch and pretend it's blood, show up in costume and pretend to suck the blood of your sisters. Though there are endless possibilities, there is always a way to spice up an event and a treat. All you need is a little imagination! These instant s'mores are a great thing to plan for sisterhood events and Halloween socials. They're fun and easy, and there's no need to buy charcoal or skewers.

(They also happen to be the only thing I've eaten since I discovered microwavable s'mores, but who's keeping score? Really?)

Have a happy and safe Halloween! Now, you can have all the comforts of a bonfire right in your dorm! (Without the severe fire hazard, of course.)

How to Survive Midterms

It happens to everyone at some point.  You're going through school pretty smoothly when you realize that you have all of your midterms back to back.  I don't know about you, but that kind of situation really stresses me out.  I thought I would offer some tips about how to get through your midterms without stressing out too hard.

1. Take care of yourself.  Exercise, eat healthy, and get plenty of sleep.  If you don't take care of yourself, you won't perform as well as you potentially could.

2. Set goals.  Maybe spend a couple of hours a day on each subject if you have multiple exams coming up.  If you have time, you could dedicate a day to each chapter that will be on an exam.  Just do something that works best for you!

3. Take breaks.  It's important that you don't wear yourself out.  Meet a friend for coffee for an hour, take the time to paint your nails, or spoil yourself with an episode of Gossip Girl.  Just make sure you don't end up procrastinating!

How do y'all survive midterms?

Optimize Your Chapter's Social Media

I know that many people, including me, have wondered what they could do to use their chapter’s social media more. EVENTS! Every chapter has events: socials, formal/informal recruitment events, philanthropies, etc. Everybody, you have to admit it, wants the world to know what their chapter is doing, and how awesome it really is! Social media is the easiest and CHEAP way to do it! 

Using social media is simple! I have been saying this all along. If you are the planner or programmer of the event, if you have the time and knowledge of social media then do it! If you don't have the time or the knowledge find someone who does. If you have never learned the term delegate - social media is the best place to do it. 

Me personally, I don't use every social media platform, but there is someone in my chapter who does. I have delegated it to them to work on those platforms. If there is something that I want blasted across all medias I will just send an email with the photo or information to post! Super easy right?!? This is the quickest and best way to promote your chapter all year long, especially when an event isn't happening. 

You're probably thinking about how you can use Social Media to promote your event, well let me help! Break it down: Pre-Event, during the event, Post-Event. 

Pre-Event

Get the word out there. Make sure that you aren't solely relying on social media though. You will potentially miss an older audience and your school's community and the town surrounding. Make sure that you table, visit businesses, hang banners and flyers, and what ever else you do, but just add in the social media component. 

When you are spreading the word about the event make sure it is factual, has all of the information needed that a participant might need. Also, share your flyer in posts so that way viewers can share it as well. 

Another thing to consider is doing a mock video to get others noticing your event. Once chapter on our campus did a Harlem Shake (when it was cool) to advertise their poker tournament. Other chapters at a near by school have done a video to show the different way people run in a 5k for their event. My chapter is adopting that this year and making a video of the different kind of bowlers out there. In case you didn't catch that, we do a bowling tournament for our bigger philanthropy. 

Incorporate #TBT to your event from the past year, talk about how successful it was and how you want to make it even better this year! 

During the Event

Post pictures! Pictures of your members working the event, participating, etc. This works really well if it is a come and go event! In the spring we had our Pancake Feed, Flapjacks and Snapbacks. All throughout the event we were posting pictures of girls making and serving the pancakes, the guests at our event and women in their snapbacks. This lets those who haven't come yet or are questioning if they want to buy a ticket at the door to get over to your event as soon as they can because they don't want to miss out. Also, just reminding the community that the event is going on helps! Some people may not have looked at their ticket or have gotten swept up in the way of life and forgotten what day it actually was. 

Chapter Members at Flapjacks and Snapbacks. This photo was actually used in a "during the event" post.

Post Event

Let the community, family, friends, those who came, and those who donated how successful your event was. As soon as you know a total amount raised, share it! This will reassure that what the community and those who came to the event gave was well worth it and that it is going to a great cause! 

If you haven't been promoting a philanthropy, make sure that you let everyone know how much fun was had, if it was recruitment related: the number of women you got, or how that specific day went. A sisterhood retreat: show the craft you made or share the most memorable moment of the day! Get others interested and coming back to hear more information! 

Don't Forget!

Make sure when you are using social media that you take the time to explain what your philanthropy/event is for. 

Give a shout out to those who have donated money (if it applies). This will most likely want to get competitors to donate as well!

I hope that this will help you make your event even better! Rock that social media and get your chapter some time in the lime light. 

Until next time! 

Quote of the Week: October 17, 2013

"I'm not telling your it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."

I think I'm taking this weeks quote in a new direction considering I think it was originally referring to relationships, but I connected it to something a little different.  If you read my post last week you would know I was on the struggle bus for a week straight while I was studying for all my exams.  This week I am riding a high as I found out that all of my hard work paid off.  I made A's on all 4 of my exams and even managed to set the curve and score a 100% on one of my hardest tests of the week.  It's amazing how great it feels to know that all my hard work and all-nighters actually paid off.  

(I made all these notecard throughout the week)

What was even better was that as I was walking to my last exam I was greeted with texts from some my sisters wishing me good luck.  They knew how hard I had been working all week long and how ready I was for the week to just be over, so the fact that they were thinking of me just helped me calm my nerves and finish my last exam strong.  

College in general is not an easy time, you are faced with adversity, stress and a whole lot of schoolwork, but just knowing that your sisters are there for you to lean on helps relieve some of that stress.  College isn't going to be easy, but the education you gain and the friendships you form are definitely worth it.

XOXO- Taylor S

Big/Little Reveal

It's that time of the year!  Recruitment is finally over, and you've spent the past couple of weeks getting know the new members in your chapter.  You've selected your favorite new member as your little, and now it's time for reveal!  Seriously, this is my favorite part of the year.  I have a few great ideas for reveal that I hope you'll love!

At the Epsilon Gamma chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, we do reveal by leaving hints for our new members.  They follow the trail of hints to a certain room, where all of their Kappa family is happily waiting!  My family's theme is the yacht club, so we do nautical themed hints!  When our newest additions arrive, they will see nautical themed decor and attire in the room.

Some sororities do reveal by leaving costumes for their littles, and then changing into matching costumes.  The bigs will wait in one area, while the littles change.  Once they are in their costumes, they run to where their bigs are to see who they match with.  My roommates' sorority does this, and it sounds like a lot of fun!  If you don't want to do costumes,you can also do matching shirts!

Another cute reveal idea I've seen is wrapping the bigs up like presents and letting the littles unwrap them.  It's like Christmas in October.  Plus, it's quick and easy!

What does your sorority do for reveal?

Quote of the Week: October 10, 2013

It is currently 6:31a.m. here in Lexington and the only reason I am awake is because I actually went to sleep last night.  Now if this doesn't make sense let me clarify.  I'm not sure why, but 4 out of the 6 of my professors decided that they should schedule exams at the same time, and the other 2 scheduled them last week, so needless to say I have been pulling all nighters like it was my job to get all my studying in.  Last night I actually decided sleep was more important, but now I am regretting it, as I wake up at 6a.m. to start studying again.  I know many of you are in the same boat with midterms coming up, so this weeks quote is a little motivation to just keep going.

Though these meme's will always be there for you, don't forget during tough times like struggles with school, family, or anything else, your sisters are the ones you can really lean on.  Honestly they may just be the ones sending you meme's like this.  So if they're having a tough time help a sista out, you'd want them to do the same for you.

XOXO- Taylor S

Big/Little for CHEAP

When you were getting your presents from your big, did you walk by all of the big baskets of canvases,  candies, wine glasses, and so one and think "Holy Cow! How am I going to be able to afford this stuff for me little???" I did! I had no idea how I was going to be able to give my little so much stuff just like my big did for me!

Well, ladies, I figured it out. As with everything you do, start early!!! Be on the lookout for things you may need like paints, brushes, glitter, and little things. Over the summer, Michael's had a sale going that was 3 acrylic paints for $1. Usually those are about $1 a piece. Needless to say, I bought a ton!

Get on Hobby Lobby and Michael's email lists. They send out great coupons every week! Start stocking up if you haven't already. I can promise you, you will need so much more than you think you do. Hobby Lobby has a web address just for their weekly coupons. Michael's has one too!! Download their apps as well. You can show the coupon straight from there without the worry of printing a coupon out. 

Don't be afraid to check out the $1 aisle at Target, Walmart, or anywhere else. They have all sorts of stuff to give your little that they will love! I found owl Post Its, which were perfect seeing as it is one of Kappa's symbols. I loved when my big gave me glow sticks and bubbles. If you're lucky like I was, Big/Little week was around Halloween. Can we say Halloween candy???? Baked good go a long way too, and that is not expensive at all!

The first day of gifts for my amazing little. Shout Out to Lindsey Hopewell for at least pretending to like everything I gave you. ;)

Fright Night - Socials for the Holiday

With recruitment winding down (for most of us anyway), it is time to get our new members introduced to the Greek Community. What better way than through mixers, socials and functions. Every campus does it differently but no one can ever have too many ideas of ways to interact with those fraternity men. I have some Halloween themed ideas that can be transformed for any social, mixer, themed dance you name it.

Fright Night

This is the "cooler" way to name a Halloween themed event, that is simple and everyone can have their own creativity. At a Fright Night event the attendees wear any Halloween costume that they desire, but paired costumes are always preferred. 

Thriller

Everyone knows Michael Jackson's "Thriller". Come to your event dressed like those in the video. Here are some examples: 

Ghouls & Goblins

Take this social back to the day when you were a kid, growing up with Hocus Pocus, Halloween Town, Gremlins, and all the other classics that make you think of Halloween. Dress for this themed social as one of those things that make you scream when you hear something go bump in the night. Or even something simple and classic, like a witch, a ghost made from a sheet, a jack-o-lantern. Use your creativity on this one and bring your DIY skills! 

Other Ideas

We all know that probably our favorite types of socials are our themed dances, but the holidays can go much farther. Do a mixer (what my school calls a social without a third-party vendor for alcohol) where everyone can crave or paint a pumpkin, your chapter supplies the tools and the paint, while everyone is BYOP, bring your own pumpkin! 

Have everyone bob for their own apple then decorate it with carmel, chocolate, crushed candy, sprinkles you name it. It is a blast watching everyone try to grab their apple but then that satisfaction when you get to eat that decadent treat. 

When you are planning a themed social, especially for the holidays make sure to keep it simple and classy. Think about the little things that will make your event a success, turn your punch orange, bring a spooky trail mix, hang cobwebs from the ceiling. You make think that the small touches go unnoticed, but they are what truly makes your event fit for the holidays!

Hope these ideas help you make the most out of your holiday themed socials! 

Quote of the Week: October 3, 2013

"You can take the sisters out of the Sorority, but you can't take the Sisterhood out of the Sisters."

I have been reminded of the truth in those quote many times throughout this year.  My chapter is the second newest on campus and our first pledge class of founders just graduated this past year.  These girls joined a sorority when there was no sorority.  They created it, they grew it, and now we are one of the top chapters on campus after just four short years.  These founding members put everything they had into the chapter.  They had faith when others did not, they had dedication to make the chapter succeed, and they gave love to not only the sorority, but every member that joined their sisterhood from that point forward.  Now that the founding class has graduated its amazing to see that their faith, dedication, and love for our chapter had never wavered.  We had sisters join us and celebrate on bid day and others just congratulating us from afar on welcoming 86 new members into our sisterhood.  We are happy to have many alumni attending our annual philanthropy event this coming weekend, and we even had a founder come back on big/little reveal to see how her family has grown.  These girls show the true meaning of sisterhood, and that though you can take the sisters out of the sorority, you can't take the sisterhood out of the sisters.

XOXO- Taylor S

Switching to Fall Formal Recruitment

This year my school decided to change our recruitment up a little bit. In previous years we had spring formal recruitment or deferred recruitment. This meant that students with less than 12 hours could not go through any form of recruitment formal or informal until their second semester of college. This gave students a chance to get themselves situated on campus for an entire semester and make friends outside and inside of Greek life before they decided to join.

Don't you love fall? Photo found here.

The decision to switch to a different time of recruitment was based on a lot of factors. Numbers played a role because ultimately people were very excited to join in the fall and so it's important to catch those people before they decided not to join. By switching to fall formal recruitment we gained about 100+ potential new members at the start of formal recruitment from the numbers we had the previous spring. This made all the classes of new members much larger than they would have been if we had done spring formal recruitment.

It wasn't an easy switch though. There were many questions that came along with it such as grade point averages, the size of the classes, and the switch in general. It wasn't easy financially because of the fact that we had to prepare for back to back formal recruitments. It wasn't easy mentally because that is a lot to go through for a class that has just been initiated a few months back, or for the classes that had to go through two formal recruitments on the sorority side in a row.

Ultimately it was well worth it in the end. Was it difficult/nerve-wracking/hard to deal with? Yes. Was it amazing/lovely/earth-shakingly great? Yes. As organizations we have to be willing to move and shake with the times. It was definitely a hard thing to deal with, but in the end I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.

Photo credit to my lovely sister, Christina H.

Finally, my advice to you if your school is planning to switch to formal recruitment in the fall: go for it. It can seem daunting or nerve-wracking but it is honestly such a great experience. The transition is going to be an icky time period but the ends will justify the means in this situation!

Quote of the Week: September 25, 2013

This week I'm not actually going to share a quote of the week but rather a story about life.  I found this while browsing the internet and I think everyone can take something away from this article.  So read this story, it might give you something to think about.

XOXO- Taylor S

How To: Recruitment Edition!

This month’s craft project comes straight from our formal recruitment. Our recruitment chair decided that because of the mold incident (our campus decided to turn off the AC in our Greek Village resulting in mold growing EVERYWHERE. It ruined everything) we would have to make all the preference night decorations. She passed around sign up sheets at the meeting and I thought that making “puff-balls” couldn’t be too bad. Well, I thought wrong. We had to make 30 of the suckers. In all honesty, they are actually super simple to make, just not when you’re making 30 of them in one sitting.

To start, you need a package of tissue paper in whatever color you want (we went with white), a stapler, scissors, and lots of patience. Grab the package of tissue paper and count out 8 sheets.

Take those 8 sheets and fold them accordion style. When you’ve got it all folded cut off any excess, if there is any.

Next, staple the middle of the paper. I folded it in half to figure out exactly where the middle was.

Then, cut the edges. The ‘puff-balls’ look weird if you leave the edges uncut plus they’re easier to fluff later.

 

HUGE CRAFTING TIP: if you can do a little extra work now to make it easer later, DO IT. You’d be surprised how easily things go when you get the hard work out early on.

When we cut the edges, we made them either pointed or rounded. After you cut the edges it is time for fluffing! And yes, I mean exactly what you’re thinking when you hear ‘fluffing’.

Once you get the ‘puff-balls’ fluffed you can hang them by tying a piece of rope around the center part to whatever you want to hang them from!

 

Website Spotlight: Craft Cuts

Hey ladies! How have we all been the past few weeks? I hope recruitment has been going great, and I want to give a huge congratulations to all of the new member classes that we've all had the chance to take on this Fall semester!

Today, we're doing something a little different from my usual how-to. Since initiation is just around the corner for some of you, I'd like to share with you a great website that my mother found while browsing the internet one day. She had been looking for a present to get me over the summer, something she knew I'd appreciate and would last me a while to come.

Wooden Greek Letters.

If you'll remember correctly, most of us have large, Greek letters, something creative and cute to show off at events and rituals. You may remember that they look a little something like this:

Aww, lookit how cute, letters~

I'm sure that jogs your memory. I'm sure we've all posed in front of our letters and held them up, proud to display the letters that we wear across our chests and across our hearts. And, though many of us may have gotten these done by a carpenter, or someone we know, or some other hole-in-the-wall place that many of us, collectively, may have never heard of, I'm here to tell you that there's a place where you are get all of this and more for a cheaper price than you'd expect.

It's a website called Craft Cuts.

My mom should have been particularly proud of her self when she found this one. Craft Cuts is a division of a company called Woodland Manufacturing Inc. that specializes in craft lettering and shapes, small Greek letters, custom stencils, and decorative vinyl designs. Of their products, which specifically include unpainted and painted wooden letters. When ordering, you can specify a size and a width, ranging from  6inches in height to 48inches and 1/8inches in width to 2inches. They're incredibly easy to order from and have a lot to choose from. Their customer service is fast and friendly and they know what we want.

Shown below are various examples of purchases that my sisters and I have made over the past couple of months since using their website:

A set of portable letters my roommate made for tables and club fair.

A small set of letters, 6inch height and 1/4inch width, for a crate for my Little.
There were painted by the manufacturer and sent to me this way.

1 1/2inch thick and 9inch high, these are perfect for the window of my suite.

Each set of letters has been a great addition to my crafting collection as a whole. They're so convenient to have around (I buy them in sets at a time), and they're sturdy and made to last. I cannot tell you how often I've dropped the bottom set, or how often the letters on the crate get shoved into a wall while hiding it from potential littles.

As far as pricing goes, they're reasonable and cheap. Including shipping, I paid $15 for an unpainted set of 6inch letters, similar to the ones in the middle picture. My roommate paid $35 for the ones on the top, a 14inch height with a 1/4inch width.

Not only does Craft Cuts sell Greek letters, they also sell the English alphabet, stencils, vinyl wall decals, and carved monograms. On top of their painted, patterned, and unpainted finishes, Craft Cuts also sells letters made specifically for the outdoors, starting at $12 before shipping.

Craft Cuts is one of the best finds I've made since sliced bread. It has everything I could need as a demanding sorority girl and has given the answers needed to every #sororityproblem I've ever had. This site, along with Little Problems, has been the answer to many "What Am I Gonna Do For My Little?????" themed questions.

I hope everything has been going well for us all, and I hope you'll continue to follow us here at the Little Problems Blog! We love to have your smiling faces here everyday, and nothing will stop us from bringing you the best of our best. Again, congratulations to all of the new members of Greek life and a happy Bid Day to all of those to come!