DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make it

Monstera Leaf Backpack for Back to School

DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make itLearn how to make this fun (and super easy!) monstera leaf backpack so you can stand out at school. I can’t believe that I am already typing up back to school posts.  Where has the summer gone? It feels like just yesterday that I was posting about pineapples and beach towels and now it’s time to dust off those notebooks and update our backpacks with a fun new design like a monstera leaf pattern.DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make it

The best part about going back to school is getting new school supplies. Though backpacks can be a bit expensive and quite generic looking, that’s why I wanted to share with you all a simple upgrade to a plain bag. Keep on reading to find out how to make this monstera leaf backpack!

DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make itDIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make it

Materials:

  • Plain backpack
  • Acrylic paint
  • Paint brush
  • Monstera leaf stencil
  • Paper
  • Pencil

How to make a monstera leaf backpack:

  1. Start by making a stencil so you can easily paint on your leaves. I did this by drawing out a monstera leaf on plain, thick, paper. Then I carefully cut out the leaf. You can also make the stencil by copying an image from online.DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make it
  2. Once you have your stencil, take a pencil and trace around it directly onto your backpack. Do this several times in different areas to cover your backpack.DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make it
  3. Taking some green paint and a paint brush start to paint in the leaf. I first began by going around the edges of the leaf and then filling in the center of it. I used a pretty small paint brush to do this.DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make it
  4. Continue to paint in all of your leaves.
  5. Let the paint dry completely before you use your backpack

DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack | We're Going to Make itTime to throw your books into your new  backpack and get your butt to school! If you want some more back to school DIY’s be sure to check out our Pinterest and while you are there pin this image!

DIY Monstera Leaf Backpack - perfect for back to school | We're Going to Make it

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Embroidered pencil case for back to school | Popcorn & Chocolate

Embroidered “Stay Sharp” Pencil Case

DIY pencil caseWhat happened to summer?! Just a few weeks ago we were sitting on the beach playing backgammon and eating our key lime pie ice cream. I can’t believe it is already that time when kids are going back to school and the leaves are starting to fall and the weather is getting cooler. I ain’t complaining though; I love the fall. It is definitely my favorite season.

DIY embroidered pencil caseDIY embroidered pencil case | Popcorn & ChocolateLast year we enjoyed quite a few adventures in New Hampshire. I can’t wait to go hiking again and carve those pumpkins! But before any of that fall stuff happens, kids have to get back into the swing of school, and that means buying school supplies! That was always my favorite part of going back to school: getting all the supplies you needed for the year ahead.

Hand-stitched pencil pouch | Popcorn & ChocolateHand-stitched pencil pouch | Popcorn & ChocolateThis year we have a fun, embroidered pencil case that you can make yourself to add to your pile of school supplies. It is fairly simple to make in that I haven’t embroidered much before and I was able to make it. We embroidered “stay sharp” on our pencil case as a cute little reminder to well, stay sharp when working.

Embroidered pencil case for back to school | Popcorn & ChocolateThis pencil case is the perfect addition to throw in your school bag to keep all your brand new pens and pencils together. Plus, since it is handmade, you don’t have to worry about anyone else having the same one.

DIY Embroidered pencil case | Popcorn & ChocolateSo grab your embroidery thread and canvas and read below to find out how to make this embroidered “stay sharp” pencil case!

Materials:

Instructions:

  1. Cut a piece of canvas to the size you want your pencil case to be. We cut ours to about 9.5 inches by 9 inches. Remember to cut it long enough that folding it in half will be the size you want it. You want to leave extra room on the sides because you will be sewing up the sides and you’ll lose a little room with your stitches. Definitely air on the side of too big.
  2. Next determine what phrase you want to put on your pencil case. We chose stay sharp. If you fold your canvas in half, you will be writing the phrase in the middle of the top half (with the opening at the top and on the sides). Once you have a phrase or word in mind, either hand write or trace this onto your canvas with the embroidery transfer pen. We typed out the phrase on the computer and traced the font onto the canvas. I would recommend spacing your letters out a little bit to make the phrase easier to read.img_1997
  3. Once your phrase is written, you can place the embroidery hoop over the first few letters to make the canvas tight.
  4. Thread your needle with embroidery thread and knot the thread at one end.  Starting with the needle in the back of the canvas, pull the needle through to the front all the way until it hits the knot. Next, take your needle and about 2 centimeters away from where your needle just came out, following your stencil, poke the needle back through so it is now on the back of your canvas. Continue this running stitch until your whole phrase is filled out.
  5. To tie off our embroidery you will flip the canvas over so you are looking at the back and using your needle, thread the needle through the previous stitch to create a loop. Then thread the needle through that loop but hold your finger in the loop you’ve just created because you’ll want to double knot it. Pull the first loop in tight to the stitch in your canvas and you should now be holding a second loop. Now thread your needle through the second loop and pull all the way. These instructions are useful if you’re confused! I’m describing the knot that they did in the green thread. 
  6. To create the little polka-dot-balls, or french knots as they are called, take a new piece of embroidery thread (can be pretty short) and thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread. Poke the needle through from the back to the front of the canvas and then holding the thread in your left hand and the needle in your right, wrap the thread around the needle twice and then place the needle right next to where you just pulled it out and push it through to the back of the canvas while holding the thread in your left hand tight. Tie the thread off and repeat wherever you want little dots!

    DIY Embroidered pencil case

  7. Sew the zipper onto the top of the canvas by using the same running stitch as the lettering.
  8. Leaving the zipper open, flip your pencil case inside out and sew each side together using the running stitch. If you do big stitches, you may want to stitch up and down each side to make sure your pencils don’t come poking out!
  9. Flip your pencil case back so it is no longer inside out and you should have a fully functioning and cute pencil case!

DIY 'Stay Sharp' Embroidered Pencil Case | Popcorn & ChocolateI know this DIY might see a little bit more involved and daunting than some of our others, but honestly I have little to no experience sewing and embroidering and I was able to make this stay sharp pencil case all by myself. I’m quite proud of myself and can’t wait to fill it with some pencils and pens and carry it around with me. So, go ahead and give this DIY a try and let us know how it comes out!

Embroidered pencil case | Popcorn & ChocolateIf you are looking for some more fun back to school DIY’s you can check out our color block and ombre wooden pencils or how about some emoji magnets to add to your locker?!

Hand-Stitched Pencil Case | Popcorn & ChocolateUntil next time, stay sharp my friends.

P.S. if you were interested in the cute patch on my backpack you can find it in our Etsy shop All Wool and No Shoddy

Homemade Patch on backpack

Embroidered stay sharp pencil case | Popcorn & Chocolate

DIY Emoji Magnets

DIY Emoji Magnets

Who doesn’t love a good Emoji!? Sometimes there is no better way to express yourself then to send out an Emoji. Be there soon – little car emoji. Getting out of work early – dancing girl. It’s Friday night – 5 wine glass emoji’s. You get the picture – or should I say emoji??

Emoji magnets

Because you asked… my favorite emoji’s in no particular order are the red dress dancing girl, the two bunny ear girls tap dancing (I don’t dance I swear), the party popper, the chocolate (duh; yum!), the pineapple, and the one face that has red cheeks and big round scared eyes. Since I was so open about sharing, let us know what your favorites are in the comments below! There are just so many to choose from!

DIY Emoji Magnets

Want to know something sort of kind of really sad but not really because ya know, emojis are totes worth it. The thing I was most excited about before I got an iPhone was that I would finallyyy be able to text all my friends (Rose) emoji’s! Now half of our conversations end up just sending emoji’s back and forth. It usually ends with one of us saying why isn’t there a ____ emoji? (taco, flamingo, come on!).

DIY Emoji Magnets

We had the brilliant idea, in the spirit of back to schoolness, to create these little itty bitty emoji magnets! They would be so perf to leave on your locker or stick on your friends locker to leave a quick message for them.

DIY Emoji Magnets

Supplies: All you need to create these beauties is a print out of all the different emoji’s, a magnet strip (we got our roll for about a dollar at the craft store), and some scissors. We Googled emoji’s and once we found a good clear image, we slightly enlarged the image and then printed it out on plain white paper.

DIY Emoji Magnets

Instructions: First, we cut out each of the emoji’s from the printed off sheet. Next we cut off tiny strips of the magnet and peeled off the paper to reveal the sticky side and then stuck that to the emoji cut out. It couldn’t be any simpler!

DIY Emoji Magnets

Don’t forget to comment below some of your favorite or most used emoji’s!

DIY Emoji Magnets

Linked up with Tatertots & Jello

DIY Color Block and Ombre Wooden Pencils

DIY Painted Wooden PencilsBack to school. Yes. It is coming. For you. Or it already has?? Going back to school was always about 75% scary/stressful/no don’t make me go and 25% exciting/yay I get to see my friends/have something to do other than Netflix. At least that’s how I saw going back to school each year. It seems to get more stressful the older you got, especially once you were in college and had to deal with physically moving all your stuff. I do not miss those parts of going back to school, but I do miss certain things that I don’t get now that I am working and out of school (for now).

Color Blocked and Ombre painted wooden pencils perfect for back to school

One of those things I do miss is being able to buy all new school supplies before the academic year starts. In grade school you would get a list sent to you with everything you might need, including things such as crayons! Crayons! My mom would load us all up in the car and take us to Staples to pick out new binders, folders, pens, pencils, and anything else we might think we would need.

DIY Painted Wooden Pencils

We would roam the aisles looking for our favorite colored binder or the assignment book that had the best cover. Everything was so shiny and new and smelled like office supplies. It made me maybe an extra 10% more excited to start the school year.

DIY Painted Wooden Pencils

We thought we would share this simple painted wooden pencil DIY with you all to get you eager about the approaching school year, or to just keep in your office or at home for pretty decoration/use. This DIY adds a fun flare to the regular yellow number 2 pencil so you can write in style. Plus, it is completely customizable so you can decorate your pencils to your binders, notebooks, even your outfit! It’s all up to you!

What you will need:

  • Different colors of acrylic paint
  • Paint brush
  • Water cup
  • Scotch blue painters tape

DIY Ombre Painted Wooden Pencils

Ombre: To ombre the pencils we used a color (such as pink, blue, or green) and white paint. We squirted out some of the color and then started to paint the top of the pencil with that color. Once we were about a third of the way down the pencil we mixed the color with a little bit of white to get that faded effect and painted that onto the pencil, blending it a little with the previous color. We kept adding more white to the color to get the shade lighter and lighter and added that onto the pencil. Once you are happy with the results leave the pencil to dry completely before using.

DIY Painted Wooden Pencils

You can also fade or ombre two colors together as we did with this blue and green. Just start with the blue at one end and the green at the other and use the same lightening trick by adding white paint to each. Once you are in the middle just blend the two colors together so it looks coherent. This may take a few tries or a few coats but be patient and it’ll look awesome!

DIY Color Block Painted Wooden Pencils

Color block: To color block the pencil we used painters tape to mark off the edges of each stripe. For the first stripe you can just put the tape however far along the pencil you want your first color to be. Then paint it in! We did two coats because we wanted it to be more opaque. Let dry completely before taking the tape off, otherwise the paint will rip off or smudge. For the second stripe, use the tape to block off the end of the first stripe. You’ll need the first stripe to be completely dry before putting tape over it or you’ll peal the paint off when you peal the tape up. Also put tape on the pencil where you want the second stripe to end.  Paint the part in between the tape and continue taping/painting for however many stripes you want!

We played around with different styles of painting the wooden pencils and liked the ombre effect and the color block effect the best, but feel free to take the creative reigns on this project and paint whatever inspires you! Both of these methods were really easy to do and we had a lot of fun making them; it got us in the mood to pack up our stuff and make a visit back to Skidmore College!

DIY Painted Wooden Pencils