DIY for the New School Year
I don’t know about you, but my crafting tendencies tend to stall when the new school year comes around. The lack of crafting supplies in my dorm room tends to get in the way of the crafting I want to do. As much as I’d like to take all my stuff with me, there isn’t space for it. Money is another issue because, well, us college students tend to not have much of it. Between new textbooks, food, etc., our wallets seem to be emptied in a matter of minutes.
This year I decided that enough was enough! The hobby of crafting will no longer be interrupted by school. Not only that, but the crafts done will be practical. They will help us organize our school supplies in style, so that we can rock this semester like the great academics we are.
1. Upcycled Cereal Box Organizer
So before you get rid of that cereal box, just know that you can create these super-cute magazine organizers. You can also use them to store any packets or written assignments. That way they won’t disappear under a mountain papers on your desk.
Some of the items you may need for you cereal box organizer are a bottle of spray adhesive, single sheets of decorative paper, and let’s not forget of course the cereal box. Don’t worry if you don’t have spray adhesive. You can use a glue stick to glue the paper along the sides, and regular Elmer’s glue to attach the felt to the base. Meanwhile, the single sheets of decorative paper range from $0.50-$2.00 at the craft store, while sheets of felt cost $1.
2. Marker Holder
This craft has a similar resourcefulness to the cereal box organizer. For this one, you’ll need a shoe box, as well as some toilet paper rolls. If you haven’t accumulated that many toilet paper rolls yet, you can also use paper towel rolls by cutting them down to size.
There we no instructions for this craft, though it is still simple enough: You take craft paper and cover the sides of the box, as with the first project. Then, taking the toilet paper or paper towel rolls, you fill the box. If you feel that any of the rolls and getting to flimsy, just replace it with a new one.
3. Storage Suitcase
If you like the idea of reusing boxes, but want a little more pizzazz, you can turn boxes into suitcases. The best part about this project is the textured craft paper, which makes the box seem like an actual suitcase. This paper can go anywhere in your room: your desk, dresser, or even stacked on the floor. Smaller boxes can store hair accessories, while larger boxes can hold winter hats and scarves.
The brads can be purchase for about $3.00, while velcro tape costs somewhere between $3 and $4. If you want to use white glue, you HAVE to get a foam brush to apply it, or else you will end up with a bunch of bumps (and not the cute, textured paper kind). One brush will only cost you $0.49.
4. DIY Ring Box
The question on everyone’s mind: Where will I store my jewelry? Well, luckily for us all, there’s a DIY for it! This jewelry box is stylish enough to hold your equally stylish accessories, while taking all the hassle out of digging through jewelry to find rings and earrings.
This project is probably the priciest, though it is still affordable. You will need the following products: flexi rods, washi tape, and decorative paper. The flexi rods come in packs varying from 10-20 rods. The packs are anywhere from $5 to $14. You can, as with the rest of the DIYs, use decorative paper for this project. If you do choose to use washi tape, you can find them in craft stores in packs of 2-3 rolls. Rolls of tape are anywhere from 3-10 yards in length, with packs costing $5.
Hopefully you enjoy making these crafts. It is a great stress reliever. All the while you will be reorganizing your room, but in a stylish way.