As Seen on the Today Show: 10 Must-Make Back to School Projects
Consider yourself an early bird? Then you may have caught Brit on the TODAY show this morning telling the folks there all about our favorite back to school projects! Though we’re well past our school days, we’re all about clever ways to create new school supplies. And guess what? It doesn’t have to be an expensive time of year — here are 10 creative ways to add your own DIY spin to classic school supplies.
1. Chalkboard and Dry Erase Lunch Boxes: We’ll start by making some lunch! If you’re a parent that likes to write notes or reminders to your child, each day, you’ll love this idea: just paint the inside or outside of their lunch box with chalkboard or whiteboard paint so that you always have a spot for your daily notes. Plus it’s eco-friendly!
2. Personalized Pencils: Standard yellow or mechanical pencils are a bit boring, so why not jazz them up with your own favorite pattern? Coincidentally, washi tape happens to be the perfect width to wrap around a pencil. Just tear off strips, wrap, and switch ‘em up whenever you want.
3. Pen and Pencil Holders: Okay so now you have all your decorated pencils, but where do you put them? Here are a couple clever ideas we love. You’ll never lose your pens and pencils again! The pocket is a great hack because you can use it over and over again.
4. Die Cut Book Cover: Now it’s time to hit the books. To create a die cut book cover, first you want to print or draw out the shape you want to cut. We used the TODAY show logo, of course. Wrap your book in white paper, then trace the logo onto the paper. Take the wrapping off and cut out your shape. Then wrap up your book!
Cord Roll
: Of course, school these days isn’t just about pens, pencils and notebooks. It’s about your tech-cessories too. If you roll deep in the cord department, keep ’em in check by making our cord roll. If it’s just headphones you’re dealing with, a snap-button cord carrier should do the trick.
Photo Tote
Pretty Patterned Tote: If you’re not hauling books around, a handy tote should do the trick on the daily. On the left, we’ve created a couple totes using Instagram photos. Simply print your photos on iron-on transfer paper and… iron them on! On the right, we customized totes using fabric paint. Both take under an hour to complete!
9. Neon Acrylic Desk Caddies: We love the neon acrylic look but can’t really justify shelling out the dough for the fancy products we see online. So what’s a DIY-er to do? Grab a neon Sharpie and simply color the edges of a clear desk organizer. #makehacklove
