Do you give/decorate paddles?

[ambición6]

If you have a pledge kid, or a little, do you give them paddles at their initiation? if so, do you leave the wood as is and just put on the letters or do you paint, gloss, and really go all out on the paddle?
Just curious. I am planning to decorate a paddle for my pledge daughter and am debating wether to paint the wood and gloss it or leave the wood natural but paint the letters and then put the gloss on it.

Any ideas?

[TheEpitome1920]

Well I liked paddles that are painted, both wood and letters, and have the gloss on top of that. But its up to you.

I have a friend who knows how to put pictures on paddles. There's some kind of transfer paper that makes it so you can put images on the wood itself.

[Glitter650]

If you use those fake tatoos or arts and craft stores sell larger pictures that work the same way, then go over them with gloss it looks really nice.... I know there was an A phi at my school who did that with Ivy all around her paddle and it looked really cute ! I kinda like to leave the actual paddle wodden, or paint just a little bit of it I don't like the look of it when the whole thing is painted especially if it's one that already has a finish to the wood.

[ambición6]

ohh Glitter650, i didnt even think of that idea! i'll have to head over to the arts and crafts store and see what they have...

[shadokat]

We do this, and my paddle from my little sister is wood, and it's lacquered. There are letters and words glued on in wooden letters as well, with some cute painted irises and our crest.

[honeychile]

ADPi doesn't do paddles any longer, due to its negative connotations to non-greeks.

But I was pre-paddle ban, and mine was stained azure blue. My big sister decoupaged our names, initiation date, and a photo on it. She then lacquered it, and put on of those felt crests that lok like they should be on a blazer on it.

I used to hang it up all the time, until some friends who went to schools without a greek system saw it and one said, "See! I told you sorority was nothing but paddling and pillow fights!"

I took it down that day, and replaced it with our Creed. It says much more about what Alpha Delta Pi means to me!

[efcheerBB]

We do paddles. I have quite a few considering I was only active for three semesters.

We paint both the letters and the paddle itself. One of my sisters is awesome and is able to paint scenes on the paddle. Her lil is one of my pledge sisters and the paddle she got for big/lil paddle exchange is amazing. It's has a tropical scene with a sunset and palm trees on it.

One of my paddles has a picture of my plegde class on it. I think that one is my favorite. It's in the shape of a bear which is our mascot and in the center is the picture.

[LovedOne]

In our chapter the littles give paddles to their bigs. I would never completely paint the actual paddle, other than stain and maybe lacquer, because I just can't get myself to paint that much over wood grain, the grain just looks so nice to me. Mine I made a combo of the wooden letters, which can be painted or not, and painted on designs of our flower and stuff like that. We also write a note to our big on the back of it.

[ISUKappa]

We switched from paddles to wooden keys my sophomore year (again, due to the negative connotations associated with paddles, but I like the keys better, anyway!)

In my undergrad chapter, most people just stained/laquered them and then glued letters and whatnots and tied a pretty ribbon to hang them from.

In the chapter I advise, they go a little more funky with the paint. Gitter and feathers seem to also be favored decorations, the gaudier, the better.

[Measi]

We also did paddles, but in reverse-- the little sister made her big sister a paddle. The big sister gave her little sister a pillow.

~ Mel.

[LovedOne]

Originally posted by Measi
We also did paddles, but in reverse-- the little sister made her big sister a paddle. The big sister gave her little sister a pillow.

~ Mel.

Yep, that's what we do too

[aephi alum]

My local sorority did paddles. We just left the wood as is. Bigs made paddles for their littles and littles made paddles for their bigs. I still have the "paddle" my big gave me (actually a little wooden cut-out with two people holding hands; she put our names on the figures and our letters on the base).

AEPhi doesn't do paddles, but encourages other types of crafty gifts. I made a cross stitch once.

[AXORissa]

We had a "paddle party" where Bigs AND Littles would make "paddles" for each other. (this would be a week or two before Initiation). Paddles are in quotes because mostly no one actually made paddles-- people would make all sorts of things-- Mirrors, cabinets, one girl made a giganic standing flower-- anything goes. I made a wooden rocking chair for my Big- painted it blue and stuck letters all over. And I put a little teddy bear in it it was so cute.

[veemers]

We don't do the paddle thing. I don't know if it ever was a part of what we did, but once a pledge made a paddle, and we have that on our mantel. It's kinda cute, but it really looks out of place among all of our flowers and faces!

[PlymouthDZ]

We don't do paddle, so to say.. we do "plaques." They're in different shapes. In our chapter, Littles make the Big Sis the paddle.

My little made mine in the shape of a turtle. On the front, it has 3 inch Delta and Zeta, and our chapter name. Also, our symbols are on it (she found little wooden cut outs and a big fake jewel for the diamond) Then, ona different piece of wood, she drew the crest. Finally, on the bottom was a plastic pocket type thing with a picture of us in it. The turtle is painted then shilacked (sp?) over. I love it

Def. check out craft stores.. you NEVER know what you'll find.