DIY Back to School Binders

He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer... ~ Exodus 35:35

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Back to school shopping is always so exciting! The only thing more exciting than buying new school supplies is a DIY to take them up a notch. My daughter likes to get binders for each subject then customize them, usually with scrapbook paper, but this year she made stickers to personalize them.

This week, we're going to do 2 quick and easy tutorials to show you how to customize your own binders.

Scrapbook Paper Binders

Materials

· Scrapbook Paper

· Standard View Binder(s)

· Cardstock

· Paper cutter

· Ruler

· Computer/Printer

· Glue stick

These binders are super easy to make. We always start by picking out the scrapbook paper. We usually go to Hobby Lobby because they have such a big variety. My daughter likes to stick with a theme; one year she did florals and the next she did metallics. There are so many options to choose from; if florals aren’t your thing, you might like sports themes or superheroes. Once we have the paper, we take it with us to pick out color coordinated binders; 1 ½ inch ones is what we usually get. If you know my daughter, you know picking the binders and paper is the hardest part of this whole project!

Now all you have to do is measure the opening in the front pocket of the binder as well as the spine and use your paper cutter (or scissors) to cut the paper down to fit. If an older student is using the binders, make subject tags in your favorite font and print on cardstock. Cut the tags down to size, glue them on the decorative paper and slide it into the binder. That’s it, now you have beautiful, personalized binders!

Sticker Binder

Materials

· Binder(s)

· Sticker paper or 8 ½ x 11 Stick on shipping labels

· Scissors

· Sticker designs

· Clear Contact Paper

After 3 years of the scrapbook paper binders, my daughter decided she wanted to change things up for her senior year. She’s really been into stickers so she decided to make some of her own to decorate this year’s binders. She went online and found several different designs to use to make stickers in the color schemes she liked then we went in search of the binders.

Finding the exact binders she wanted this year was quite a task and after many miles, trips and stores, we ended up with close to what she was looking for. Our printer at home isn’t the best so we took her sticker designs to Staples to have them printed out. FYI – if you want Staples to print your stickers, you have to have paper suitable for a laser printer and they can’t print off anything that is trademarked or copyrighted. We did not know this going in and the lady at the counter literally crushed my daughter's hopes and dreams as she started pointing out stickers that she couldn't print!

At this point, pull out some scissors and put on Netflix while you cut out all of those stickers. After I helped her cut out the stickers, she laid them out and started sticking them on. We thought we were done at this point but after using them for a week, the stickers were starting to get a little beat up so we applied clear contact paper to the fronts of the binders. This step is optional but I'm hoping it will help them last the school year.

That’s all there is to it; super cute binders to go back to school! What is your favorite Back to School DIY?