DIY Back to School: Make Your Own School Supplies

64/365: Color Macro by anieto2k (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Back to school! It’s sad that summer break is over, but I love learning. I’m excited to go back. One of my favorite things is school supplies. I want to DIY my school supplies this year. Have you ever done this? It’s a lot more fun than buying supplies that probably aren’t the greenest. Here are a few of my favorite ideas.

Backpacks and Totes

Back to School
Photo by storyvillegirl

A back to school must-have is something to carry all of your school supplies in. Do you remember your first backpack or school bag that was special to you? Make more special memories by making that bag yourself. Here are some cool tutorials I found:

Drawstring Backpack

Fish Backpack

Monster Backpack

Crochet Plastic Tote Bag

T-shirt Tote Bag

Shower Curtain Tote Bag

Writing Supplies

Back to School
Photo by *Vintage Fairytale*

You can’t write the next great American novel, create the newest modern art masterpiece or draw up plans for the world’s best hovercraft without some writing supplies. Here are some fun ways to make and store your pens and pencils:

Zipper Mouth Pencil Case

Colored Pencil Roll

Neon Pens

Your Own Paper Pencils

Sparkle Top Pencils

School Lunchtime

You can make a lot of green changes just by changing your lunch supplies. Making reusable oilcloth lunch bags, sandwich bags and snack bags will save you tons of money on expensive one-time use bags. They’re also very eco-friendly. Go one step further and make yourself a tasty vegetarian lunch.

Back to School
Lunch Bag by Jamiesrabbits

Other Back to School Supplies

There are a few other supplies you will need. Here are my favorite DIY ideas:

DIY Recycled Notebook: You always need paper!
DIY Vinyl Record Notebook: This notebook rocks.
Oilcloth Book Cover: Waterproof book cover? I need that!

Back to School
Notebook by Stacie Stacie Stacie

Looking for more fun back to school DIY supply ideas?

There are tons of great websites out there to give you ideas. Some of my favorites are Pinterest and Craftgawker.com.

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Do you have any fun DIY supplies you have made? Tell me about them (or post a photo) in the Comments section. Have a happy back to school!