I’m not one to brag, but I think over the past two months I’ve done a pretty good job of erasing any evidence of ‘school’ from my life. My backpack is hidden in some corner of my room out of sight, my school uniform is crushed underneath a pile of clothes in my cupboard and every time someone mentions “studying”, I throw something at them. Clearly, summer’s having a great effect on me.

So you can imagine the shock – the betrayal, really- I felt when the other day I went grocery shopping with my mum and find a whole display of school supplies. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s just disrespectful.  I mean who gave that supermarket the authority to crush my dreams? It’s not even like there’s one small school supply section. Oh no, they’re EVERWHERE. How am I supposed to forget about school when I walk into the cereal aisle ready to buy some cheerios and end up surrounded by shelves of set squares and colouring pencils? (On a side note; I’m not even sure where that joke came from, I don’t even eat cereal).

Anyways, all this to tell you guys that I have finally faced reality and accepted that I’m going back to school soon. So much so, in fact, that I decided to do a couple of back-to-school DIYs. I have to say, I’m really happy with how these ones turned out! I went for a black and gold/yellow theme with geometric designs, and I think they ended up lookin’ pretty stylish ;). Plus, they’re all super simple to make. All you need is some tape, some basic materials that you’ll have at home, and some creativity!

1. The Tape Art Notebook

 

This was a bit of a spontaneous DIY, which are always my favourite! I just happened to have an old notebook lying around, and I thought I’d have a bit of fun re-vamping it with whatever art materials I could find. I had some paint and this tape on hand (and yes, I am the type of person who buys tape with sheep patterns on it), and in an hour I basically had a brand new notebook.

 

What you need

• a plain, hardback notebook
• some tape
• acrylic paint

Steps

1. Use your tape to create a triangle pattern on the cover of your notebook.  Don’t worry about trying to make it perfect – trust me, it’ll look good either way.
2. Next, paint the entire cover of your notebook and leave it to dry. I used two coats of paint to make the design stand out even more, but it’s totally up to you.
3. Finally, carefully peal back the tape and you’re done!

2. The Washi Tape Pencil

I’m going to be honest with you guys, this may well be the most complex DIY I’ve ever posted on my blog. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Maya, this is way too complicated”, and yes, it does takes years to acquire the necessary skill to complete this tutorial. But, I think with time, you’ll eventually figure this out.

What you need

• washi tape
• a pencil

Steps

1. Wrap the tape around your pencil.
2. Give yourself a pat on the back and go take a coffee break. You’ve earned it.

 

3.The Stripy Folder

A part from being artsy and enjoying the art of creating and all that, one of the reasons I like to DIY things is because it’s way cheaper than just buying them at a shop. Instead of buying an expensive folder with a cool design on it, you can get a cheap, plain one and make a cool design yourself!

What you need

• a permanent black marker
• some tape
• a plain folder

Steps

1. Outline a triangle shape on your folder with some tape. It can be whatever size you want, but if you ask me, the bigger the better!
2. Take your black marker and draw horizontal and vertical lines inside of the triangle. Draw as many as you can, and don’t worry if it looks messy.
3. Carefully peel back the tape, and you’re left with unique & trendy design on your folder.

. . .

I hope you guys enjoyed these DIYs and get a chance to try them out! Make sure to share & like this post if you’re going back to school too, or if you just feel like being a nice person. That’s cool too. Oh, and don’t forget to comment below letting me know which DIY was your favourite and if you’re looking forward to the new school year!