Note To Self: Back To School DIY!

Hey everyone!

I am back to my usual very choppy blog posting schedule! Sorry it’s taken me forEVER to post, but I do have good reason! I went on vacation! Yes, I went on vacation to Europe for the past two weeks. It was really beautiful, with so much to do and see, and a lot of rich history that opened my eyes, really, to how much of the world I have yet to explore. This was my first time ever going to Europe, and I already want to go back! We visited Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris, which were equally beautiful cities. But! That’s another story for another time. I promise I’ll flood you with pictures as soon as I can, but now we have to get onto the blog post!

Well, with the school year underway, or just beginning, for most of us, we have a chance to have a fresh start! A chance to discover new friends, activities, and new sides of yourself just waiting to be uncovered. But, what we sometimes forget, is that our personality comes out a lot in small details of our lives, not always what sports we play, where we sit at lunch, or who your friends are. One example of this is school supplies: The love-hate relationship that constantly grapples with our sanity, time, and preparedness grade on our report cards. In my opinion, school supplies are like a black t-shirt. You can dress them up or dress them down, without it looking like you tried too hard (But let’s be real here, you saved up every Staples coupon you could find, bought out nearly the half the store and then some, spent night after night organizing, decorating and packing, and then loaded concealer under your eyes. Just sayin’.) I won’t lie, I do go on my fair share of Staples hauls, but also like to match my school supplies to my own personal style. This year I have worked really hard to show you three DIY Notebooks I made, and hopefully I can give you some inspiration for your own school supplies this year! I hope you enjoy these notebooks, and let’s get crafting…

DIY NOTEBOOK #1

For this DIY, you’ll need…

• A Spiral-Bound Notebook
• Patterned Cardstock (Pattern of your choice)
• Single Colores Cardstock (I chose white so it would stand out against the black paint)
• Black Stick-On Letters
• Mod Podge
• Glue Gun
• Extra Glue Sticks For Glue Gun
• Twine
• Scissors
• Black Paint
• Paint Brush

Trace the patterned cardstock about 1/8″ larger than the black stick-on letters, and stick on the letters to the patterned cardstock.

Then, trace the single colored cardstock around the patterned cardstock. (About 1/16″ larger than the patterned cardstock)

Hot glue the letters in whichever way you’d like. I decided to make them slanted, and going in different directions, but feel free to place them however you would like! Set this aside.

Paint your notebook the color of your choice, or in this case, black. Once the first coat is dry, paint a second coat on for good measure! If you are painting your notebook black, or any dark color, I’d suggest painting outside with clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.

Once the paint on your notebook has completely dried, glue on the letters. Voilà! You have successfully completed your first DIY Notebook!

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DIY NOTEBOOK #2

For this DIY, you’ll need…

• A Composition Notebook
• Decoupage
• Washi Tape (Pattern Of Your Choice)
• Paint Brush
• Ruler
• Scissors
• White Cardstock
• Single Color Cardstock (Color Of Your Choice)
• Paper With Words Related To The Subject (I Used Science Words, And Then Wrote “Science” In Bold)

First, glue the piece of paper with the list of words related to the subject onto the white cardstock. Cut cardstock accordingly to the size of the paper. Then, glue the single colored cardstock to the notebook, and cut accordingly to the size of your notebook. Glue the list of words onto the single colored cardstock.

Decorate the binding of your notebook with washi tape however you would like. Voilà! You have successfully completed your second DIY notebook!

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DIY NOTEBOOK #3

For this DIY, you’ll need…

• A Spiral Bound Notebook
• White Cardstock
• Paint Swatches
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue Gun
• Extra Glue Sticks For Glue Gun
• Black Stick-On Letters

Cut the paint swatches into individual chips. Set aside. Cut white cardstock accordingly to the size of your notebook, and cut out holes in the cardstock where the holes would be on the notebook. Glue the cardstock to your notebook.

Organize your paint chips on your notebook how you like. I did in the order of the French flag, since I am using this as a French notebook, but feel free arrange them in whatever order you feel it looks best.

Glue the paint chips to your notebook, and cut the excess off the sides of the notebook. Then stick the letters to your notebook. Voilà! You’ve successfully completed your third and final DIY notebook!

Hamilton reference for any diehards out there like myself!

Oke doke! That is it for my DIY Notebooks Blog Post, which I hope you enjoyed! Finding stylish school supplies can be really difficult, especially when Staples and Office Max’s take on “stylish,” is the Frozen cast decorating you pencil case, and Nemo swimming on all of your pencils. Not shaming either movie! But having something you can call your own, and that you like can be hard to come by, so I hope these can give some inspiration to anyone out there looking for a new way to amp up their supplies, or simply want to try a new craft project! I hope all of you have a wonderful school year this year, and be sure to comment down below telling me what you think of these notebooks, what you’re doing to prepare for the school year, or if you just want to say hi! Also, before I forget, if you have any suggestions for future posts, be sure to comment down below! If you want to try another DIY this year, check out an earlier blog post I wrote, here. Next blog post, I will be sharing a poem I’ve been working on, and thinking about entering in my school’s Literary Magazine!

Remember, this is a community of friendship and trust. If you decide to be a part of this journey on The Legally Brunette Blog, you have to be willing to trust, listen, care, grow, and not be afraid to show your silly side!!

Au Revoir!

-The Legally Brunette

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