DIY Crafts for the Office & Classroom

I went Pinterest craft crazy over the holiday weekend!  Thank you to my new best friends:

Since I used Mod Podge on nearly every project this week, I am calling it my must have and linking up for Must Have Mondays as well!

Glitter Clothespins

These were pretty easy to make.  All you do is put Mod Podge on the clothespin, add the glitter, let it dry, and then add a layer of Mod Podge on the top so the glitter doesn't come off every time you touch them.  I had much better luck pouring the glitter over the glue on the clothespin, rather than dipping them. I think I got better coverage.  I just did it over a container and poured the glitter back in when done.  When I was looking to see how others made them, I noticed some people mentioned using nice glitter or fine glitter but I didn't pay much attention to it.  The glitter I got from Hobby Lobby wasn't fine...and they don't look at good as I'd like so next time I'd spend the money on the fine glitter.  Also, the darker the color the better.  I bought a light purple and also a white and they don't look as good as the darker colors.  

Washi Tape Binder Clips

I went on my first hunt for washi tape this weekend.  Hobby Lobby didn't have much at all and they were out of half of what they did half.  Target had the polka dot tape.  The other two I found at Michael's on clearance for a dollar something.  Where does everyone else get their tape?  Etsy?

These were pretty easy too.  I made them one night while watching TV.  You just need to cut off little strips of tape and wrap them around the clip and tuck the sides under.  I was trying to hold open the clip to tuck the excess inside until I realized I could just stick the edge of the scissors in to press it down instead.  The little clips need two pieces of tape and the bigger ones take four.

Teacher Toolbox

I updated my teacher toolbox by putting on some new labels and tabs.  I wanted to customize the words because when I first made it there were some labels I didn't need.  I also used a stencil and acrylic paint to decorate the top and sides.  If anyone has tips for painting with stencils, I'm all ears...the good news is if you mess up, you can wipe it off right away since it is plastic.  

I am selling different colors of the chevron/polka dot labels in tabs in an editable product.  You can find them in my TpT store here.

Scrapbook Paper Crystal Light Containers

I don't know what I am going to do with these, but they look pretty!  I just cut scrapbook paper and adhered it to the container with Mod Podge.  A couple came out wrinkly and I'm thinking it's because I did not let the Mod Podge dry before putting the layer over the top.

Scrapbook Paper & Glitter Magnets

These are one of my favorites.  The color from the scrapbook paper shows up really nicely and looks magnified through the stones.  You can buy the clear stones for a dollar at the Dollar Tree.   Make sure to get the clear ones.  Then you need to cut little circles of paper.  I started by tracing the stone, but the pieces I cut were way to big.  The circle actually needs to be smaller than the stone.  They were all pretty much the same size, so once I got one correct, I just traced it.  Then, just glue the paper on the stone with Mod Podge and then put a layer over the top.  After it dries, hot glue a magnet on the back.  Hobby Lobby sells the little ones for $7.99 for a pack of 50.  It's not too bad, since they are very strong.

Since I had all the materials from the above projects, I figured I would try to make some of the glitter magnets as well.  For this, the black glitter was too dense and the stones just look black.  The other two colors look better and I'm thinking the bigger glitter works out.  You just put glue on the bottom of the stone, pour on some glitter, shake off the excess, and let it dry.  Afterwards, put some Mod Podge on the top of the glitter to keep it from falling off.  Then, after it dried, I glued magnets on the back with hot glue as well.

Painted Teacher Stool

Now this was a challenge!  I am not patient enough with painting and kept messing up things I had already done the more I worked on it!  

I started by making my husband sand the stool.  (It was just a plain wooden one from Target for $24.99 I believe.)  

Then I put on a couple coats of primer (something at Hobby Lobby called gesso?).  Tip:  I got clear, I would recommend white.  Then you are painting on a white surface.  I'm thinking it might help the pain cover quicker.  I had to put on three or four coats of paint to cover the wood. It was expensive too ($17.99).  I don't know if there is some other option...

Then, I started painting with the acrylic.  I let it dry and then put on another couple of coats.  The black only needed a couple coats, the white needed the most.  I did the inner bars black last.  This was not smart because I kept splattering black paint all over everything else I had already done!

I could not for the life of me get the inner corners to look good, even with painter's tape.  So I gave up and put the washi tape around the corners (at the ends of the black bars).  It looks okay and gave the legs a bit of style, since I don't think I could paint a design on it without messing it all up.

For the top, I just cut out scrapbook paper and glued it on with Mod Podge.  Then I put a couple layers of varnish over the top of the whole thing.

So now I'm a bit worried that I am not going to want to put ANYTHING in my classroom that does not match this color scheme I have started!  Can't wait to see what everyone else made so I can start some new projects.  

Pin for Later:

For more ideas follow my crafts and classroom decor/organization Pinterest boards below. 

Follow Literacy Spark's board DIY Crafts on Pinterest. Follow Literacy Spark's board Classroom Decor & Organization on Pinterest.