The start of September means it's back to school time again! It's been a few years since I was last a student, but September still always feels like a time for fresh starts and new things. My favourite part of going back to school after the long summer break was getting new stationery. With this in mind, I've come up with some DIY projects for you to try - whether you're a student heading back to class, have children going back to school or, like me, just want an excuse for new stationery! You can never have too much stationery - right?!
Today I'll show you 3 techniques for turning plain, boring pencils into something prettier.
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Materials used:
pencils
paint (tester paint pots, or acrylics)
washi tape
Mod Podge
tissue paper
I bought these plain wood
pencils with erasers for a bargain price of 12 for £1 from
The Works - I wasn't expecting too much for this price, but they're actually really nice and good to draw with too!
The paint pots are another bargain buy which I've had for years. You only need a little paint for this project so try out what ever you have at home - acrylic paints should also work well, something which drys fairly quickly is best.
Technique number 1 for decorating the pencils is with paint - you could paint a solid colour, or patterns. For neat bands of colour (see yellow painted pencil below) I used washi tape to mask straight lines on the pencil.
I've combined 2 techniques on these pencils - once the paint dried I added some pretty washi tape. On some pencils I wrapped a small piece around the pencil, which gives a narrow band of pattern. For a neat finish, make sure the edges of the tape line up!
Alternatively, you can stick the tape along the pencil lengthwise...
You'll need two pieces to wrap all the way around the pencil - use the first piece as a guide to cut the second exactly the same length.
I used a combination of Steampunk washi tape and gold paint on the pencil below. You can also skip out the painting step and just use washi tape to completely cover the pencil (like I did for the spotty patterned pencil in the top image).
My third technique uses Mod Podge and tissue paper. Cut a piece of tissue paper large enough to wrap around the pencil and slightly longer than the pencil. I used a craft knife and ruler to cut a neat, straight edge on the paper.
Next, brush a thin coat of Mod Podge onto the paper and wrap around the pencil - start with one edge and smooth around the pencil. I then brushed a coat of Mod Podge on top to seal the paper.
Once this is dry you can use a craft knife to carefully trim away the excess paper.
These are all really quick and simple ways to decorate pencils for your own pencil case, but you could also make some to give as favours at parties - they could even be coordinated to match the colours of your event!
If you try these projects for yourself I would love to see what you make - use
#myhfcmakes when you share photos of your pencils!
I hope you've enjoyed the DIY decorated stationery posts I have been sharing this week - have you tried any of them yet? Today I thought I would share a quick round up of all my Back to School projects, you'll also see that I've also been collecting other ideas over on Pinterest!
