8 DIY School Supplies

For a watermelon, place green duct tape (Duck Tape in Sage) along the bottom of a pink folder and add a strip of 1/4-in.-thick white washi tape on top of the green to create the rind. For a pineapple, stick the duct tape onto a smooth counter or a plastic cutting board, and draw a zigzag. As you lift off the tape, cut along the zigzag with scissors, then stick the tape along the top edge of a yellow folder.

Use a black marker to draw on teardrop-shaped watermelon seeds or V shapes to mimic a pineapple’s spiky appearance.

Use a pencil to draw the outline of a fruit (such as a lemon, orange, strawberry, or pear) onto a white plastic eraser like a Staedtler; then use an X-Acto knife to carve away the area around the shape. Place a piece of scrap cardboard inside a canvas pencil case (Baotongle Canvas Pencil Pouches) to stop the paint from bleeding through. Spread a thin layer of craft paint onto a disposable plate, dip the handmade stamp into the paint, and press it all over the pencil case.

When the paint is dry, add details like seeds or stems with a brush.

Wrap fruit-patterned washi tape around white pencils.

With a glue stick, attach a sheet of light-blue scrapbook paper to the cover of a composition notebook; trim any excess. Print the template and cut out the narwhal. Trace it onto dark-blue felt and cut out. Repeat with the semicircle from the template, using pale-blue felt; with craft glue, attach to the narwhal as shown.

To make the face, cut out two eyes from black felt and a mouth from red felt; attach with craft glue. Hot-glue the narwhal onto the cover, leaving a gap in the center for a pencil (its tusk).

To make a mermaid, start with the clothespin’s clip end pointing down. Paint on a tail (clip end), a bikini top, eyes, and a mouth using craft paint. Print and cut out tail template. Trace onto felt and cut out; attach to the bottom of pin with craft glue. Glue 6-in. strands of yarn to the top of clothespin for hair. For the shark, use white craft paint for the belly, blue for the body, and red for the mouth. Trace shark fin and tail templates onto blue felt; cut out and attach with craft glue.

Stick a self-adhesive magnet (Hygloss Products Inc. Magnetic Tape) to the back of each clothespin. Trim excess.

Use a rolling pin to roll eraser clay until 1/4 in. thick, cut out shapes with mini cookie cutters (Adorn Life Cookie Cutters), and freeze for 5 minutes. Poke with a toothpick for the eye, and bake following package instructions.

Roll a mix of white and gray clay (Translucent and Elephant Gray Sculpey Clays) into a ball. Stretch for a marbleized effect. Then divide into 3/4-in. balls and use your thumb to press into flat, 1-in. circles. Push a jumbo paper clip into each circle, as shown, so the tip is hidden in the clay, and press gently to secure it.

To make craters, gently press the flat end of a wood skewer into the clay. Bake following package instructions.

Place about 9 unwrapped, broken crayons in each well of a star-shaped silicone mold (Jolly Jon Star Shaped Silicone Molds). Bake at 225° F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the wax has melted. Make planets in a standard metal muffin tin; bake at 200° F for about 25 minutes. Let cool.

Brush a thin layer of dark-blue paint onto a disposable plate. Dip a sponge into the paint, then dab onto a pencil case (Baotongle Canvas Pencil Pouch in Black), using diagonal strokes. Repeat with two more shades of blue paint, starting with the darker hue and adding the lighter one on top. Let dry.

For stars, dilute white craft paint with water to a heavy cream–like consistency. Dip a brush into the paint, wipe most of it off, and tap the side of the brush with another brush over paper to practice a splatter effect. Once you have a feel for how to make the right size dots, splatter the pencil case.

Cover a notebook or a folder with metallic-foil star stickers.