DIY Craft: Notebook-Themed Pencil Case

At school, and at university, I feel like sometimes I am in competition (with whom I don't know) to have the cutest stationery. And I love going all out, to the point where I now have too many cute notebooks, and pens, and the like, and I simply cannot take them all to class every day.

Ignoring the fact that I have far too many pencil cases, I decided to have a go at making a notebook themed one. It was quite simple, and I think it only took me about an hour or so, so it's a good craft to do when you are bored and wanting to fill in some time. There are obviously simpler (and more complex) designs you could use on your own pencil case, but I thought the notebook one was appropriate, and would look cute.

Notebook-Themed Pencil Case

You will need:

some white or cream fabric

white or cream thread

blue thread

red thread

4 buttons

some elastic, or two hair ties

a sewing machine and needles - it's okay if you would rather sew this by hand, it will just take you a little bit longer.

What to do:

Start out by cutting your cream fabric to the size that you want it. Mine ended up being around 40cm across, and 14cm lengthwise. The next step is to sew the blue lines all the way across. If it makes it easier you can mark out where you want the lines in chalk or pencil, but it's not too tricky and you can probably manage okay without doing that.

This next part is a little fiddly, so don't worry if it takes you a little while. Fold over and pin the sides so that the frayed edges of the fabric are not visible, then sew them up with the white thread.

Once you've done that you can sew the red lines on. I would recommend marking this out with chalk or pencil so that you get the distances correct. Next, sew the bottom and side edges together, and then attach the buttons, making sure that they are directly opposite each other. Then grab the elastic or hair ties and fix them round the buttons, so that they hold the pencil case closed.

And that's it! It's a pretty simple craft, but it ends up looking rather trendy, and be prepared for curious admirers asking about where you bought it from!

I hope you have fun with this cute craft, and have a wonderful week!

DIY (sort of): Bullet Journal

Recently I have been hearing a lot about these things called 'bullet journals', where you write down a daily to-do list, and, honestly, I was not convinced it was something that would work for me. It seemed like such an annoying thing to set up, and I just couldn't see how it would be helpful. However I decided to look into them more since they seem to be so popular at the moment and thought I might as well try it out. I mean, the worst that could happen is I lose some time creating it, right?

And oh boy was I wrong! Since creating my bullet journal I have been using it every day, and it is really helping to keep me organised.

Below, I am going to talk you through my bullet journal to show you how it works and what I've done with it.

The main premise surrounding the bullet journal is that it is a collection for everything - a diary, to-do list, paper for those random things you need to write down, things you want to remember, sketching, shopping lists, etc.

Originally, you are supposed to draw up a monthly calendar in your bullet journal, however, I got this super cute diary from Kikki.k back in December, which there was no way in hell I wanted to give up usage of. So, I left that section out of my bullet journal.

For the bullet journal itself I'm using a basic notebook which has some tabs down the side. I would have used a nicer, notebook, but I didn't know if this system would work for me, and didn't want to use only two pages of an expensive journal.

I did consider categorising things through the tab system, but decided against it because it would end up far more complicated than it needs to be, and I would probably just end up ignoring the book altogether.

The front pages are for your contact details and the index. You number the pages as you go through the bullet journal and add everything to your index list as you go. I left a couple extra blank pages for my index after this because I thought I would fill it up pretty quickly.

Below are my first entries in my bullet journal. At the top of each page for each new month write which month and year it is. Then below, you simply begin your daily lists.

Just underneath this paragraph is a close-up photo of my key system, in case you need ideas, or want to know what the symbols I've used mean. (And yes, the 'E' symbol in the above photo has now been replaced with the '?')

Anything that I would normally have written on a random scrap of paper or on my phone I now write in my bullet journal.

For instance, the other day I was listing different revision techniques based on types of learner. Ordinarily I would have written this on some random piece of paper, which I probably would have lost the next day, but having it in my bullet journal means that it is easily accessible for me.

In the back of the notebook I stuck in a fold out paper of my key system. It's a bit hard to read because of the side tabs, but it still works okay for me.

The bullet journal is a pretty simple system to use and, so far, it seems to be working well for me. I would encourage you all to try it out yourself, even if it ends up not working, or not motivating you. I was dubious at first, but now I am really glad I gave it a go.

Wow, this post was much longer than I had intended it to be - so kudos if you read the whole thing! You can find more information on bullet journals here.

DIY Craft: Fairy Garden

A few weeks ago I watched this great tutorial by Dazzle DIY on how to make a fairy garden. I thought what she did was really neat and immediately wanted to make one of my own. I put it on my list of things to over summer. The other day I went to Bunnings with my mum to get some supplies. Admittedly, we were in a bit of a rush, so I couldn't get quite all the right things, but I'm happy with how it turned out, and hopefully I'll get a chance to make another one soon.

The tutorial is here, you guys should definitely check it out because this was such a fun project to do.

DIY Craft: Maze Fidget Toy For Anxiety

This is another fairly easy craft for you to do. It is a good tool to have around so that you have something to fiddle with - whether it be helping with anxiety, kids motor skills, or preventing yourself from constantly snacking (yes that sounds silly, but it works).

All you need is a needle and thread (or sewing machine), two pieces of fabric, and a marble.

The first step is to cut the pieces of fabric to the same size. I usually find that between a 10x10 and 15x15 square works best.

Sew along three of the edges, then turn it inside out so that the stitches are on the inside.

Draw a maze pattern on one side of the fabric with pencil (it will wash out). Try and keep the lines about an inch apart from each other, otherwise the marble will not fit through.

Sew along the pencil lines, then put the marble inside. It's easier to do it this way round because sewing the maze pattern with the marble inside can be tricky.

Finally, fold over the edges of the fabric on the un-sewn side and sew it up.

And boom, you're done!

Let me know what you think of this craft, and how you use it in your life xx

DIY Craft: Hanging Butterfly Decorations

 I saw these in a shop the other day and quite liked the look of them. They were, however, a little out of my price range so I decided I would have a go at making my own.

The first step was to find an image that I liked and printed it out so that I had 18 all up, but you can print as many or as few as you like (I used this one, and printed 6 on an A4 page).

The next step is to decorate them. I decided to use watercolour pencils. Turn the paper over so that the outline is on the bottom side and colour over the shape on the top side. Then flip the paper back over and cut the butterflies out.

Get some string or wool and use sticky tape to stick one of the butterflies to it as shown below. Then stick the other one on top of the first one, so that the decorated sides are on the outside.

Repeat this step multiple times until you have finished and then hang them up. I decided to hang mine on the ceiling, although they would look good hanging down the wall as well.

Tip: If you want to hang the butterflies across the wall, then stick them to the string the other way around so that they are the correct way up.