31 Cute Back to School Tutorials

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It’s August, which means two things.  Cooler temperatures coming and time for Back to School!

It’s strange for me to make a big deal about that since I’m been out of school forever and I don’t have kids of my own going either.  But I still get excited when I see sales on school supplies and find myself stocking up on notebooks and such, call them “office supplies”.  And these “office supplies” need a personal touch.

So let the school crafts begin.

Cute Back to School Tutorial Round Up

Pouches and Cases

Because you can’t have enough places to stash supplies.

• Diy Watermelon Zipper Pouch – You can also try making lemon or orange pouches.
• 3 Creative School DIYs: DIY Ice Cream & Piano Pencil Cases + DIY Animal Pencil Cases out of Socks – It’s a video with some cute ideas.
• Monster Pencil Case Back to School Craft for Kids – This one is easy for kids to make.
• Binder Pouch Tutorial – It’s a nice pouch, uses grommets and some vinyl.
• Three Ring Binder Pencil Case Sewing Tutorial – A zippered pouch with two sections.
• Pencil cases – These ones are very cute and use Velcro.
• Roll up Cord Holder – Good for chargers or ear buds.
• Upcycled Soda Box Pencil Cases – This one looks surprisingly cool.

Pencils and Pens

Cute ways to jot down everything from homework to shopping lists.

• Sparkler Pencils – Great for Summer too.
• Ribbon Wrapped Pens Tutorial – My own tutorial.
• Diy Neon Pens – Super easy and cool.
• Painted Back to School Pencils – A classic.
• Diy Confetti Pencils – This one’s my favorite. :)

Notebooks and Binders

Cute binders make organizing fun and notebook make great gifts!

• Notebook Folder Tutorial – It’s like a case for a notepad.
• Fabric Covered Books – A great alternative to store-bought book covers.
• Easy Heart Design Journal – This one is particularly cute and easy.
• Diy Notebooks – Decorate notebooks with pretty paper and labels.
• Diy Washi Tape Binder Covers – This one is brilliant!

Backpacks and Bags

Carry your books or lunch in cute style.

• DIY Easy Backpack from Scratch | DIY Rilakkuma Backpack – Who wouldn’t want a bear shaped back pack?
• Lunch Box Bag Tutorial – Has a more sophisticated look to it, but I would love to see it made from a kawaii print fabric.
• Diy Rainbow Watercolor Backpack – This looks so pretty and easy too.
• Notebook Lunch bag Tutorial – This one looks really cool.

Organization

Because back to school clutter happens.

• Free Printable Binder Clip Labels – Intended for the classroom, but it works at home too.
• Button Bookmarks – Made with paper clips, could use just as clips too.
• Mug Organizer – This one would make a nice teacher gift too.
• Rainbow Crayon Holder – Uses recycled cans and would be good to teach kids their colors.
• Diy Wood Caddy – Similar idea to the crayon holder.
• Organize Office Supplies in Style with a Plastic Parts Chest. – This one is my favorite.

School Supplies for Dolls and Toys

Because they are so darn cute!

• American Girl Doll Diy Mini Notebooks – Teeny little notebooks for your favorite doll.
• Miniature Kawaii Crayons (Actually Works) and Box –  A cute video, make this cute box of crayons or just watch.
• DIY - How to Make:  POKEMON - Doll Draw String Backpack – A simple drawstring backpack with a familiar face.

A few useful supplies:

• Coats & Clark All-Purpose Plastic Zipper
• FolkArt® Acrylic Colors 2 oz.
• Crate Paper Cute Girl Pack of 36 6''x6'' Paper Pad
• Norcom Spiral Notebook 5pk 70 pgs. 8.5" x 10"
• BIC® Xtra Life Ballpoint Pens 10ct
• #2 Wood Pencils 8 ct
• Universal® Mini Binder Clips 1/4" 12 pk

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Another “Book” and An Ageless Skirt

It’s funny, I had intended to post this sooner, but every time I sat down to type I went blank for some reason.  Maybe it has something to do with the weather.  Hard to think when it is just so darn hot.  I suppose I could have just posted the photos and left it at that, but I am so not a Wordless Wednesday kind of person.

Anyway, I decided to do some more crafting with old hardcover books again (see To Mothers and Good Literature).  This one I actually read before cutting into it, it wasn’t good. 

I decided to turn it into a notebook, or I guess notepad is more precise.  After gutting the book, I cut some plain white paper to the right size and punched holes in the top and tied with ribbon.  The ribbon is attached to the cover with a very strong glue.  This makes the “notebook” pretty and refillable.

While I was at it I also made a couple of mini pads with some of my paper scraps.  Just bundle them up with a cardboard backing, fold the back over the top, then stitch across the top to finish.  They’re small enough to fit in my pocket while the book is small enough for my purse.

For the next project, I had some pink fabric leftover from one of my dresses and thought is would be perfect for a skirt for my niece.  The neat thing about this skirt is she may never outgrow it.  The elastic waistband fits her fine, but it stretches enough to fit me too.  It is a pretty long skirt, but if it gets too short for her the tucks along the hem can be undone to add a few more inches.  Now the only problem is what to do when in a few years she decides she doesn’t like it anymore.
Here’s the updated list:

• Notebooks
• Little skirt
• Red dress
• Red purse
• wallets
• Tiny wreaths
• Stockings
• Ornaments
• Trees
• Doll makeover

Two down, eight more to go.  The next couple of projects will be up by Friday.

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Decorating and Launching

I managed to finish everything on my list within the past few days.  Yay!

 First up, this wallet.  I decided my old wallet was getting a bit cruddy, so of course I had to whip up a new one.

I used some scraps leftover from the skirt I made and decorated it with some bows and a scrap of lace.  It has a bill fold, two roomy pockets on the inside, one on the outside and…

 

…a zippered pocket for change.

This is a necessity for me.  I love getting change, but seldom have a place for it in store bought wallets.  Guess that would explain why I bother making them instead of buying them, not just because it’s fun. 

Next is a notebook.  I got this notebook as a promotional freebie some time ago and I never leave the house without it.  It is the perfect size to tuck in my bag and has a pen holder that actually works.

Of course years of being tossed into my bag has left it a little roughed up.  Easy to fix that.

 

A touch of paint, some adhesive gems, glitter and Modge Podge all come to save the day.  This photo doesn’t do it any justice, it looks so good now in person.  Now I love taking it out to jot something down.

Now this basket, I rescued it from being tossed, a good basket is always handy to have around.  I thought it would be a great place to store all my laces and other trimmings, but it needed some “trimming”.

How’s this?  A glue gun and scraps of lace are all it took to turn it from a plain Jane basket to, well what would you call it? 

I wish I had more baskets lying around now to decorate, these would look lovely on a dresser or in the bathroom.

Now the last and most ambitious project, a forum site.  Click the image to check it out, hope you all like it.  It isn’t too much at the moment, these sort of things are never fully “complete”, but that’s what makes a forum so much fun.  They are always changing to fit the user’s needs, evolving into a better being or whatever.  I just hope I can keep up with the future needs, it should be a blast.

(Update: The forum is closed now, but it was fun while it lasted.)

Here’s the updated list:

Sunflower dress

Black headband

Update pioneer dress

Prettied up shoes

Pleated skirt

Wallet

Makeover notebook

Trim basket

Forum

Nine down and out.  No time to rest though, I now have a forum keep up and two holidays to plan.  My Christmas project list should be up in a few days, look forward to it.

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