When we went shopping for back-to-school supplies, my daughter made an observation. The bulk school supplies are (and I quote), “Sad and boring.” She’s kind of right. Bulk = good for schooling five children, but it lacks the beautiful designs that kids are attracted to. Plus, if they all look the same, that’s bad. You don’t know which book goes with which child, you don’t know who to scold for not cleaning up….it’s just no fun.
She’s kind of right about the whole sad and boring thing.
You may not know this, but I’m a passionate believer that homeschoolers should enjoy some of the same excitement about back-to-school stuff as public schoolers. My kids already bemoan the fact that they don’t get cute backpacks or lunch boxes, and I totally understand that feeling. That’s why, last year, I showed you how to make personalized homework stations for their school supplies.
Enter 3m Scotch tape – yes Scotch tape – and their new line! I mean – you HAVE to . I was sent some sample colors and designs to check out – Duct style tape, Expressions masking tape, Expressions washi tape, Expressions magic tape (similar to their gift wrapping style), and Expressions shipping tape (this is a new favorite). My kids had a lot of fun helping me pick out designs for their school supplies.
Oh the possibilities!Now, to decorate their Composition Notebooks – which we use daily in our school with the oldest two. First, Evan’s superman design – I didn’t cover the spine of the book but started right at the edge of the spine with the first strip of tape. Then, I matched the design with the second strip so that the superman shields would match up (the tape is cut to line up PERFECTLY)!
I wrapped about a half inch around the edges of the cover. This will help protect the books from water damage, scraps and scuffs, and bending or creasing. Normal wear and tear stuff that destroyed TWO handwriting books last year. Note the corner treatment – fold in the corner halfway like a gift package and then fold the top flap over to secure the side edge. This helps keep the look of the book and secure everything. This tape has great hold so once it’s down, it is down!
One-of-a-kind composition book for my daughter – Success!Brianna chose the fuschia Scotch Expressions masking tape, the teal Magic tape, and the Butterfly Expressions shipping tape. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it looked great with the black butterflies showing as an overlay on top of the colorful background. The Magic tape has a nice matte finish that is easy to write on with pencil, pen, or marker.
Both projects took less than twenty minutes, and the results were creative, one-of-a-kind, and will help protect their school books from the ravagings of life with three younger siblings. 🙂 It’s a complete win/win/win.
And a win for you! Scotch Expressions is giving Untrained Housewife readers a $1 off coupon so you can try any of their Expressions tape at a discount! My favorite tapes are the washi tapes, which I’ve used for years and years since my teenage-angst-art-journaling stage of life. I am thrilled beyond words that Scotch is offering washi tape in mainstream stores now. Our local Office Depot had over a dozen designs to choose from! Check out the Office Depot selection and get your $1 off coupon here.
Mom creativity = happy kid for the win!
When school is more fun, it’s more likely to happen. And it’s more likely to happen with happy attitudes. Plus, all the practical protected books and knowing which kids are in trouble for not cleaning helps, too. Get your coupon and see the full Scotch Expressions offerings here!
This post is sponsored by Scotch Expressions, and I was compensated for my time. Sample tapes were sent to me for review, but I purchased more designs while at Office Depot last week (I KNOW! There are SO many!) Cute and opinionated children are all my own though, and so are the original photos and creations.
LOVE this! I remember always doodling on my notebooks just to make them pretty while in school. This is the first we haven’t had to buy composition notebooks for the kids but I’m half tempted to go buy some just in case.
I think it would work on regular notebook covers too if you left a little room at the seam for the spiral binding. My kids are so rough on their school supplies our books are half-destroyed if I don’t do something to protect them. 🙂
We’ve used scrapbooking paper with spiral bound notebooks for years. You remove the spiral binding, cover the cover with glue, affix scrapbook paper, allow to dry, trim, then reinsert spiral binding punching through the right side of the scrapbooking paper. It comes out beautifully.
Great Idea, thanks!
We did the same with some school folders! I love how easy it is to use…and even fix if the tape line doesn’t go exactly the way you want it to!