Paint sample bookmarks

Hi guys!

Urrgg! School is nearly upon us. Unfortunately that means more work and lessons, but it also means that you can make some cute things for school. This DIY is good for school, so you can mark pages in any books you are ready in class, however it does't take too long to make, so it doesn't matter if you lose them. This DIY is also quite cute, as you can personalise them for a gift.

You will need:

-paint swatches, you can get these for free at a hardware store

-thin ribbon

-a hole puncher

-any things you want for decoration, e.g. Pens, stickers, tape, stamps

-a laminator if you want to laminate your book marks

Steps:

1) Collect your supplies.

2) If you are going to laminate your bookmark, do so now. Then, hole punch the top of the paper, and decorate it however you want. I put quotes about books on mine. You could also write your initial on it, put a recipe on them, put stickers on it, or doodle on it. Basically whatever you feel like doing.

3) Fold a piece of ribbon in half, the thread through the hole. Put one end of the ribbon through the other and pull. 

By Annie

Giant Pom Poms!

Hi Guys!

My friend thinks that pompom is a very amazing word, and I must say, I agree. Just listen to the sound of it on your tongue. Pompom. The word itself even conjures up images of joviality. So why don't you keep some of that special-ness in your room, by making some giant ones? They are really quick to make, and you can hang them anywhere. Mine are in my window, or you could put them on your door, or make lots to turn into a garland.

You will need:

-Tissue paper

-String or thread

-Ribbon

-Scissors

Steps:

1) Cut all your papers to size. Mine where about 16cm, but that is pretty small.

2) Layer your papers on top of each other, then fold them in a concertina shape, like a fan.

3) Fold in the middle, and tie some thread around it to keep it in place. At this stage if you want, you can cut the end to make different shapes.

4) Get a longish strip of ribbon to be the loop. Poke one end under the thread, then tie both ends together.

5) Take the first layer of paper and bend it up, away from the other pieces. Do the same to the other half of the same piece. Then, flip and do this on the other side of the pompom. Continue doing this until you have bent all the layers up.

6) Your your pompom may look a bit funny, so just tease and poof the layers until it is looking full. Then you have finished, so go and hang it up somewhere.

By Annie

Shoebox desk organiser

Hi guys!

We were in France the past two weeks, which was lovely and sunny. However, now we are back in rainy ol' england, where I have an unfortunate incident to describe to you. Two days ago my little brother broke apart my lego desk organiser as he declared his need of bricks for his latest lego star wars project. And I thought, 'Thanks a lot for that, now I have to procure another desk organiser.' And I did. Except this one was much bigger and better.

For this project you will need:

- a shoebox lid

- card, quite strong

- jars, bottles and cartons from around the house (I had two juice bottles, a mini jam jar, and one of the mini cereal boxes you get at a hotel)

- paper with nice patterns, such as wrapping paper

- washi tape (if wanted)

- clear tape

- scissors

- glue

Steps:

1) Collect the things from around the house. Take the labels off any bottles and cartons that you can.

2) Decorate the shoebox lid. I cut some paper doilies to size and stuck them on the bottom, then put washi tape around the top, but you can do any colours or designs you like.

3) Now you will make the dividers. Cut a piece of card as high as the box, and any length you want. This could be as long as the box, or just a smaller piece. Stick it using clear tape to the wall of the box, and to the other wall if it touches. Cut more pieces like this to make squares out of the dividers, sticking each new strip with tape to the box wall or the other pieces or card. You can customise the size and shape of the boxes depending on what you are putting in the organiser. If the card strips are wobbly, stick them to the bottom of the box as well.

4) Decorate your jars and cartons. I put tape around the bottles and jars, and I covered the carton with paper.

5) Put these jars and cartons into the main box. Stick them down with clear tape if they are unstable. Then fill with all your stationary. I put pens and pencils in the bottle, paperclips in the small jar, my scissors, glue, and ink cartridges in the smaller carton, and other staionary in the small boxes.

By Annie