Make it Monday // Five Back to Campus DIY Projects

I am 3 years out of undergrad.  I haven't been back to school in 3 years.  But that doesn't mean I can't get in on the back to school spirit.  Is it weird that a 26 year old loves back to school time?  I hope not!  I loved getting back into my campus during college & finding new ways to decorate my dorm or my apartment.  Since things changed every year I could really switch it up often.  Man I miss those days!

Here are 5 ways to spruce up your dorm life & campus wear for the 2014-2015 school year:

Add a pencil case to your small, three ring binder or planner using this tutorial.  You'll need a plastic pencil case, sewing machine, and hole punch.  

Make a simple, 10 minute abstract painting with this tutorial.  You'll need paint, these squeegees or an old credit card, and a hair dryer.

Knit two simple hats to spice up your campus wardrobe with this tutorial - no circular needles required!  You'll need large needles, chunky yarn, scissors, and a little bit of time.

Revamp a thrift store tray with paint & stencils using this tutorial.  A great way to spruce up your dorm or college apartment.  You'll need a thrifted tray, these Handemade Charlotte stencils, paint, and brushes.  

Create a key catch all with this tutorial to add to your decorated tray.  You need a small wooden bowl from the thrift store, chalkboard paint, sand paper, and a brush.

Just for fun, here is 2012's Back to School DIY round up.  Why didn't I do one in 2013???

Happy back to school time!

xoxo, Moe

Three Functional Ways to Use Project Life Cards in your Planner

Since I've gotten back in to my planner I've been wanting functional, yet pretty ways to divide & use my planner so I stay inspired to use it. Not only does this house my editorial calendar - which is what I was planing on only using it for - but it also houses some life plans & inspiration. I wanted this place to be a place where I can dump all my inspiration & thoughts and then draw from later. I want to keep it functional yet pretty.

While at the craft store the other day I found some Project Life & other Project Life style cards on major clearance so I picked some up. I was surprised at the amount of cards that come in these packs & I'm totally stocked up for life. I found the Midnight Collection on clearance and am so excited because it's pretty much all black & white which means I can rely on colorful accents to create an inspiring place. Don't tell Zach but I'm really into black & white right now.....I used to complain about black & white sooooo much! But I find that these cards - both the B&W and the colorful ones I picked up, washi tape, sticky notes, etc add the color I crave and the organization I need.

Dividers - The bigger, 4x6 style cards are great to use as dividers! If you punch them on the longest side you can create a top divider & if you punch it on the shorter side you can create a side divider. Then the bigger space offers a place to put relevant sticky notes or goals for that section. I think these are better to divide a bigger section into smaller, more manageable sections. I also use them to flip to the current day.

Note Jotters - The smaller size cards are great to grab & write a small note on. If something is important - like an appointment or date or phone number - I keep a stack of pre-punched small cards in a pencil case for easy access. Since they are smaller, storing them clipped into my planner I find bulks up the planner and makes it uneven. But these small, decorative scraps are perfect to fill out and then toss when you're done with the task.

Running Lists - I currently keep a Project Life card on the current week in my planner with my cleaning schedule on it. The card itself is broken into a Sunday - Saturday schedule perfect for a cleaning list. I do this because I realize when I don't clean during the week I am unhappy on the weekends. Project Life cards offer a lot of prompts in addition to plain cards so these are great for keeping running reminders or lists that need to be carried over from week to week.

Another thing I want to accomplish with my planner is to use the stationery I love to hoard. My problem is that I buy stationery too pretty to use - and that's not what it's for! Getting some of these PL cards on clearance means I don't feel too bad about ripping them out when I'm done.

How do you use your favorite craft supplies to stay organized? Any other tips for Project Life Cards?

xoxo, Moe

Make it Monday // A Pencil Case for a Small 3 Ring Binder

Part of getting organized for me this year is using a planner.  I used to use a planner solely for outlining posts for my blog but now I'm using it for everything in my life - blog planning, trip planning, cleaning, ideas, etc.  It's really been pretty fun so far.

I was looking for a fun little clip in pencil case at Staples & at Office Max but didn't find anything I was really looking for.  Nothing cute & nothing really functional especially for an 8.5 x 5.5 inch binder.  While in Meijer the other day shopping the clearance I found these two small pouches for about $2 (I can't remember, on no!).  They are the perfect size for my new planner but they didn't have the three holes punched to clip into the binder.  Here's what I did:

Supplies: three hole punch set to the correct widths/settings, sewing machine, vinyl or plastic pencil cases

First set the hole punch to the right settings & punch holes in the pencil case.  If you have something like a six ring binder, you'll need a six ring punch.  I went out to Staples & got an adjustable 3 ring punch because the one I had at home couldn't be adjusted.  Staples has their brand for about $10 so I didn't mind grabbing another one to keep as a dedicated 8.5 x 5.5 inch paper punch.  A tip here:  The best pencil cases are rather sturdy plastic.  If you have a fabric one it's probably best not to work with that one.

In order to keep the pens & pencils up from the holes punched, sew a line to divide the pouch from the holes with a sewing machine.  I used the seam allowance guides on my sewing machine for a nice line down my pencil case.  I also backstitched at the beginning and the end of my line to make it secure.

Now this pencil case clips in my planner rather nicely & makes the binder rather square.  I don't like the triangle shape binders make when they aren't full..too awkward.  I want to do a post on my planner because I want to share that you don't have to be crazy with color coding when you plan.  I've been watching a lot of planner videos on YouTube - yes, it's a thing - and a lot of them are about decorating.  Well I want to tell you about planning!  It can be cute but you're supposed to be using your planner to plan & not just to decorate!  So keep a look out for that!

Do you use a planner?  Are you a personalized kind of person or do you get the plain, bound ones?

xoxo, Moe

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Make it Monday // Back to School DIY Round Up

The end of August & the beginning of September always means back to school for me.  I love collecting the perfect pens, notebooks, backpack, clothes, etc to start the year off right.  I also loved coming up with crazy awesome things to DIY to impress my friends in the new year.  The younger Moe prided herself on being seen as the most creative & totally came in second for the Most Artistic superlative in high school.  Can't believe I missed that!

To get you started for back to school, I thought I'd share with you a Back to School round up of DIY projects from the Five Sixteenths archives:

Floral Shorts DIY that can easily be used to spruce up last year's jeans // Floral Backpack + other wardrobe DIYs // Spruce up a thrift store purse to fit your current style // Make a Faux Enamel ring to match your favorite outfit // Color Block Moc DIY to spruce up last year's moccasins // DIY Nail Polish for your pretty fingers

Fabric Spine Notebook DIY perfect for a spiral bound notebook or planner //  DIY Woodgrain Laptop Decals from contact paper // Mini Notebook Contact Paper DIY for a memo book or planner

Easy Magnetic Memo Board //  Satellite Wall Art DIY if you're headed to school a far ways from home // Abstract Wall Art DIY // Chevron Wall Art DIY // Summer Memories Instax DIY

Even though I am over a year out of school, I still feel like I should be packing up & changing when August comes around.  I hope that you can try out some of these DIY's as you head back to school this fall.  I wish you the best year!

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