Pretty Supplies

Not wanting to put things off too much (since when?), I got started right away and completed two projects.

First, I got these pens at Wal-Mart for 74 cents for a 15 pack.  Cheap price and they write quite well.  The problem is how plain they look.  How to fix that?

Modpodge anyone?  I cut strips of tissue paper and brushed on Modpodge before wrapping around each pen.  When they dried, I gave each pen a coat to protect.  Simple to do and the results are pleasing.  For the four pens on the left, I experimented with using scrapbook paper.  They look pretty cool, but it isn’t something I would recommend.  The scrapbook paper is a little too thick and it makes it hard to stick the caps back on.  Tissue paper is a-ok. 

Next is the binder.  I still have my old binder from last year, but I needed a second one.  This one I already had lying around the house.  It just needed the special touch.

Enter the binder cover.  Just like the last one I made (see Clean and Covered) except this one is pink and lacy.  I added a couple of tiny bows because not only do they add such a nice touch, but without them I can’t tell which side is the front side.  See I can be practical sometimes.
Here’s the updated list:

• Pens
• Binder
• Lunch bag
• Backpack
• Button
• Scarf
• Doll house

Two down, five to go.  The next one will be up either tomorrow or Friday.

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Clean and Covered

More with the school crafts today.

Believe it or not I found this old binder in a small recycling bin on campus that was marked “paper only”.  Someone had dumped a huge amount of large sized binders in the bin.  They were each full of paper so I guess that’s why someone thought it would be okay to toss in them in binder and all.  What’s remarkable is that these were the same sort of binders I see selling at Office Max for $5 or more.  Roughly about $50 plus worth of binders.  I was thinking “Why? They’re plastic,” and  “Aw, such a waste of money,” and “Whoo Hoo!  Free binders!” all at the same time.  Of course the real point, I found this binder in the recycling bin and it needed my special touch.

And it certainly got my special touch.  After cleaning the binder, I made this cute cover for it with some green plaid and ribbon.  You can probably tell that I still have trouble sewing ribbon to fabric, see the not so slight puckering of the fabric.  Maybe I should have glued it on instead.

Anyway, you can see here how the binder slides into the cover instead of the cover being glued to the binder like in similar projects I have seen.  This way I can remove the cover to wash if it gets dirty.  And if the binder itself breaks, which is likely to happen eventually, I can use the cover on a new binder or even a book.  Yay, it’s reusable and pretty.

Here’s the updated list:

• Slippers
• Handkerchiefs
• Cases
• Pens
• Binder
• T-shirt
• Skirt
• Bag
• Background

Six down, three to go.  Almost done!

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