Book bedazzling with Sigma Tau Delta and Gandy Dancer
Photo courtesy of staff writer Geri Teal
On Mar. 3, Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society on campus, partnered with Gandy Dancer, a SUNY-wide literary magazine based in Geneseo, to host a Book Bedazzling event. The event was held in Multipurpose Room B on the first floor of the Milne Library from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Food was provided, and bedazzling materials like jewels and glue were set out for students to use. Attendees had the option to bring one of their own books from home or grab one from the free book library in Welles Hall. The jewels that were offered were available in a multitude of colors, and there was no limit to what you could create with these jewels on your books.
The multipurpose room had rectangular tables, with two or three pressed together in each row, and students could go and sit wherever they wanted when they arrived. The atmosphere was easy-going, making it a great way to relax after classes or to spend time with friends, although you could go and work on your own if you wanted. Friends would sit together as they worked, comparing designs and passing supplies as needed. On the first table you saw when entering were the small tubes of glue and the jewels, laid out separated by color. On a separate table at the side of the room was the table of food; people could snack on brownies, pizza, and a selection of fruits and veggies throughout the event.
The books people brought ranged from books they did not use or books they were hoping to become more encouraged to read by bedazzling them. Attendees could bedazzle the titles on the covers, create patterns on them, or bedazzle the images that were already on the cover. Gluing the jewels to the books, however, was a little difficult. The glue was passed around as needed, and some people put little blobs of glue on the plates that held their jewels. Other bedazzlers put the glue directly on the cover in their intended design, but no matter which route you chose, jewels were added one by one using tweezers, and the jewels typically matched or were similar to the colors on the cover.
While students talked, conversations started around the room. Some attendees came with friends, a few sat on their own, and others chatted with new people who sat nearby. There was not enough glue for each student to have their own to use on their projects, so requests and calls for glue were common to hear. Throughout the entire event you could hear other students and attendees ask for glue, questions about the designs students came up with, or snippets of someone’s day. Everything was relaxed, and that made talking, snacking, and working much easier to enjoy.
Overall, the event was great, and I think it was a great way to relax and take a break from classes, and it made books much more fun to look at and pick up. The people were wonderful and welcoming. By the end, the glue was scattered around the room and still being passed around, extra jewels were put on an empty plate in the front of the room to be sorted out later, and everyone was having fun. In the end, everyone got to go home with a bedazzled book that they made themselves.