How To Celebrate International Friendship Day

Did you know that Aug. 7 is International Friendship Day? Probably not, as it's nowhere near the size of most major holidays, but that doesn't make it any less worth celebrating, as cheesy as it sounds. You may be asking yourself, "Self, how do you celebrate International Friendship Day?" After all, you can't just go around presenting people with Christmas wreaths or Valentine's Day cards, because it's August and that would be weird. In fact, you don't have to buy anything at all.

International Friendship Day was originally created by the greeting card industry to drive more revenue, and although that's a sketchy concept which commodifies friendship, the idea of genuinely thanking your friends for being your ~squad~ isn't sketchy at all. After all, your friends are the ones who keep you safe; who bar the bathroom stall door when the lock is broken; who bake you cookies when you've been dumped. It's time to acknowledge all the ways your friends keep you sane and healthy, and in my humble opinion, the best way to do that is by making them something.

Break out your pens, paper, and art supplies, because we're about to have a friendship craft party all up in here.

1. Write a Letter

You probably have some paper and an envelope sitting around, so take five minutes to write down some of the reasons why your best pal is one of your favorite people. It doesn't have to be a novel (though it could be, if you're the dedicated type); it could just be a simple list. Anybody's heart would get the warm fuzzies to receive a handwritten note detailing their best traits!

2. Decoupage Something For Them

Decoupaging is my new favorite thing, mostly because it's so dang easy. When you decoupage something, you wrap it in a layer of paper, wrapping paper, or fabric, and then attach it with Mod Podge, which makes the item durable and long-lasting (not to mention cute as heck). Take a flowerpot, water bottle, or picture frame, and cover it with paper that means something to you and your friend. For example, one of my friends is obsessed with polka dots, so I could use a single sheet of decorative paper from the craft store (that'll run you less than a dollar, by the way) to make her a dope picture frame.

3. Create Custom Beauty Supplies

This is one of my favorite things to make for people, since you get to feel like a Hogwarts student in Potions class. Recipes for bath salts, deep conditioners, face masks, and body scrubs abound, and it's a cinch to mix together items you probably already have, like Epsom salts, honey, eggs, and yogurt. If you know your best bud is stressed out from work deadlines, try making her one of these delicious-sounding masks, like the cocoa powder, coffee grinds, honey, and yogurt one for de-puffing tired skin. If you have essential oils lying around that you use for an oil burner or a vaporizer, mix them with baking soda and Epsom salt for a soothing bath salt mixture.

4. Make a Modern Friendship Bracelet

Remember when you made these at summer camp and bestowed them on your BFF of the day? It's still possible to craft friendship bracelets, but if you give them a little extra sparkle and color, you can make them into something your best pal will actually want to wear as an adult. These tutorials provide how-tos for elegant friendship bracelets that feature stripe and chevron patterns.

5. Send a Text

The tutorials above require minimal artistic effort, but if you're really not into the idea of making something, just send your friends a text, Facebook message, or email telling them how much they've improved your life. Any relationship — not just the romantic kind — requires good communication! Invite your pals out for a trivia night or a round of cappuccinos at a coffee shop none of you have been to before. Or, if your best friends are long distance, set up a Skype date. It hardly takes any time!

Images: Brooke Cagle, Helloquence, Saulo Mohana/Unsplash; A Beautiful Mess; monicore, MarioJimenez/Pixabay