DIY Decorated Composition Notebook

So for everyone just starting school, you probably have all those clean, fresh school supplies ready to go. But they’re also probably very generic, and very unpersonalized. Decorating your notebooks in a more personalized way is so easy, so why not do it?

Materials:
-Composition Notebook
-Scrapbook Paper
-Index Card
-Washi/decorative tape
-White Glue
-Sharpies, Stickers, or any other decorative items

1. Trace any tag shape on the index card and cover with strips of washi tape. You could also just cut a shape out of scrapbook paper. This is the area you can write your name, class period, etc.

2. Trace the front and back covers of the notebook onto the back of the paper you want, and cut it out.

3. Glue the paper to the covers and trim any excess paper.

4. Lastly, glue your tag on, and tape over the spine with washi tape. Decorate further however you want.

I’m so happy with how my english notebook turned out! This is the front, and the back matches with yellow paper with white polka dots 🙂 So cute!

I’d love to see any designs you guys make- email me or send them to me on Pinterest! 🙂

DIY Washi Tape Phone Case

Here’s a quick, easy DIY that’s perfect for a gift! Everyone needs new phone cases, right?

Materials:
-Plain white phone case
-Washi tape of your choice
-Craft knife & cutting surface)
-Mod Podge
-Stickers, gems,  or other things for decoration

1. Put strips of washi tape straight onto the case, slightly bigger than the case. Be sure everything is lined up, and leave the wash tape edges hanging free on the top and bottom.

2. In the best angle you can get, trim off the excess washi tape with the craft knife. When you get to hard-to-reach places like the volume area, the same process applies, it just takes a little longer.

3. Put any additional decorations straight on the washi tape, unless it’s something that needs more preparation (in which case, do that).

4. Once everything is how you want it, paint 2-3 thin layers of Mod Podge over it to help it last longer. I only used one layer, but would definitely recommend more!

That’s it! What craft trends are you interested in now? I LOVE the gold, which I tried to incorporate through the stickers on this case. 🙂

Also, guys please comment on this: Do you like reading these easy DIYs, or would you rather all of my crafting posts be more difficult?

DIY Magnets

Here’s another SUPER easy DIY. More to give you inspiration than tell you how to do it. You can really make a magnet out of almost anything- shells and corks, like in my picture, beads, charms, rocks, whatever!

All you need is:
-craft magnets (these are super strong!)
-Hot glue
-Acrylic Paint (metallic is fabulous)
-Washi Tape
-Glitter
-Shells, Corks, etc. to be the focal point of your magnet

Seriously, all you do is decorate and prepare your focal point by painting it, covering it in wash tape, etc. Then, hot glue it to the magnet. Wow. So. Hard. Right? 😉

I hope this post kinda inspired you to just do a simple craft this week, whether it be for a birthday or other occasion, or just because!

DIY: Tie-Dye Watercolor Easter Bow

Yeah. I got excited with the title. How about “The Most Amazingest Tie-Dye Watercolor Bright Easter Bow Ever” is that better? I like that one better. It’s more descriptive because this DIY is one of my favorites to date!

I’ve tried many different ways to make hair bows. They’re all okay, but I just decided to do my own thing today, and it came out AMAZING! (with everyone making bows out there, I’m probably not the first one to do it this way, but whatevs…)

Materials:
-Piece of fabric about 5″x6″
-Two pieces of ribbon
-Fabric glue
-Hot glue or Super Glue
-Anti fraying glue stuff
-Alligator Clip
-Sharpies (I know those are fabric markers in the pic, but you need Sharpies!)
-Rubbing Alcohol
-Qtips and paper towels

1. Wrap and glue one of the ribbon pieces around the alligator clip, like in the second picture. It should still be able to function normally.

2. Scribble on the fabric with your Sharpies. Leave a little room around different colors because the ink will bleed in the next step.

3. Lay your fabric on top of a paper towel. Soak Qtips in rubbing alcohol and rub all over the scribbled Sharpie areas. The longer you let the rubbing alcohol stay on the fabric, the more the ink will spread. When you’re happy with the design, rinse gently in cold water and let dry.

4. Once the fabric is dry, turn the fabric good-side down. Use fabric glue to glue the short sides about 1/2″ in, and the long sides about 1″ in. Look at the fifth picture.

*tip: apply glue just to the edges of the fabric so when it’s folded, the folded edge is puffy and free 🙂 it will give the bow better shape!*

5. Determine where the half-line is lengthwise, and fold and glue the top and bottom to meet in the middle.

6. Accordion fold the middle to create a bow shape. You may need to play with it a bit to get the shape you want. Once you’re happy, sneak a little fabric glue into the center folds so it lasts longer.

7. Glue an end of the second piece of ribbon to the center of the bow and wrap the ribbon around twice. With the same piece of ribbon, wrap around the bow and alligator clip together twice, then cut the ribbon and apply your anti-fraying glue stuff. Use fabric glue to secure the ribbon that holds the bow and clip together.

Ta-daaa! The folded edges and extra support of the fabric glue make this bow magnificently bow-shaped and amazing!!! I can’t wait for this bow’s debut on Sunday and to make  more bows like this!

Remember, if you like DIYs like this, follow the blog and subscribe! The new month is almost here, and that means… *royal trumpeting sound* a FREE FONT for subscribers!!!

What’s your favorite Easter craft? And most importantly, I want to wish you and your family a very happy and joyous early Easter!!!

DIY Graphic Tee + Gift Box

GOOD MORNING! Or afternoon, or night, or whatever time it is where you live! 😀 Today I’m sharing my Dad’s entire birthday present…don’t worry-his birthday was last week, hehe!

Everything here today is SHIELD/Marvel themed, but you can do these techniques for any image.

Materials for Graphic Tee:

-Tee Shirt
-Fabric Paint
-Foam Brush
-B&W Computer print out of your image
-Craft Knife
-Iron & Ironing Surface
-Freezer Paper
-Scrap Cardboard/Cardstock (ex. cereal box)
-Pencil

1. Place a sheet of freezer paper on top of your image, plastic-side down, and trace your image.
2. With the scrap card stock underneath, cut along the lines of your traced image from your freezer paper. Keep in mind that your paint will go in the negative image, or empty spaces. I really had to think about this!
3. Insert a scrap piece of cardstock and a fresh sheet of freezer paper plastic side up within the t-shirt, smooth out, and place on the ironing surface.
4. Place the cut pieces of freezer paper on your shirt to form a stencil. Remember: the places where your freezer paper is will not have paint on them!
5. Iron the freezer paper onto the fabric! The plastic kinda melts onto the fabric so you can paint without worrying about moving the stencil!
6. Paint away! Make sure to use multiple coats of paint if you want to get a good, opaque color.
7. Once the paint is almost dry to the touch, peel off the freezer paper! I’ve found that it helps to flip up a corner of the freezer paper with the craft knife, and then I can peel the rest off quickly.
8. Let dry for 2 days, or according to the fabric paint directions, then wash inside out. Now it’s ready to be worn and shown off! 🙂

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Now for the 0-8-4 Gift Box! For all you non-SHIELD people out there, “0-8-4” is simply a SHIELD term for an item of unknown origin. Like a present, for example!

Materials for 0-8-4 Gift Box:

-Cardboard Box
-Black Acrylic Paint
-White Acrylic Paint
-Foam brush
-Tape
-Computer print out of text, get mine here (Uses D-Day Stencil font from Dafont)
-Craft Knife
-Cardstock, Black Marker, & Ruler for Mission Card

1. Paint your box with a coat of black paint.
2. While that’s drying, cut out the wording (remember, negative image) this time, the stencil will simply be the paper itself. I recommend cutting the “SSR Item #” and “084” into separate pieces of paper to really get them aligned. Set the stencil aside.
3. Paint a second coat of paint onto the box. I tried to get a light texture by daubing the paint- it didn’t dry textured, but it did get a nice, even coat.
4. While it’s drying a second time, make the Mission Card like I did above: sections for name, date, mission description (body of your card), location, difficulty, weapons, and “commander signature”
5. When the box is completely dry, tape the stencils in position. Use the foam brush to dab white or light gray (mix a little black into the white) paint on the stencils. DAB, DO NOT BRUSH! Using a brushing motion will push paint underneath the stencil, plus dabbing paint with a foam brush gives the paint a perfect effect.
6. Remove the stencils, let dry, and the use le box! If needed, touch up the paint with Sharpie.

If you have a Marvel, especially Agents of SHIELD, fan in your life, I promise they will be absolutely delighted with these presents! And if you don’t know what I’ve just been inwardly fangirling about, well you can still make amazing graphic tees with this fabulous technique! Be sure to let me know or send me pictures if you make a shirt (or box) like this!!!

And don’t forget to follow the blog and subscribe to the email newsletter if you want free fonts, printables, and more fantastic stuff! 🙂

SWITCH Students and Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Hope you had a good St. Patrick’s Day! …We’ll come back to that later…

But first, on an unrelated note, I want to introduce you guys to a really good reference for, basically, life. My church has this fabulous youth group called SWITCH Students, and something new they’re doing this year is a blog to post all the sermons. And the lessons are GREAT! I’m not sure how often they update it (the most recent post is from February but we meet every week), but the posts that are on there now are, in my opinion, super important for teens (and everyone!) in this modern day to read!

You know what the best reference is? Yeah? The Bible. UMM YES! I know, it’s challenging (but totally worth it), so look at the SWITCH page for some awesome ways to implement the Bible in your life!

Now I’d like to show you the bracelet I made for a little green accessory 😉 It’s kind of like a charm bracelet, so I think I’ll just make new charms for each holiday!
You just need: jewelry wire, fabric paint, and metal file (optional)

If you want to read more awesome and easy DIYs and craftsy stuff, be sure to follow the blog and subscribe! PLUS, when you subscribe you get a free password organizer, and a free font each month! Whoo!

What’s your favorite holiday craft?