DIY Duck Tape School Accessories

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Schools are getting more and more specific about the exact supplies your kids need for school. This is especially true for grade-schoolers. In our school the color and material of folders is dictated as well as for the pencil box. This year, while shopping for school supplies, my oldest was so disappointed that he couldn’t get any of the pretty and unique pencil boxes he saw. His list dictated that he had to have a plastic one. Frankly, the plastic ones are miserably plain. To cheer him up I told him that we would decorate one of the plain plastic cases. That is what inspired the creation of easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories.  There are over 250 prints and colors to choose from, making each project unique in it’s own way.  Duck Tape is an easy crafting medium for kids of all ages and often does not require additional supplies (glue, scissors, staples, etc.). Have you seen all of the awesome new designs you can find it in? They have everything from glittery tape to your favorite sports teams! You know I love anything glittery but since this project was for my son, alas, we didn’t go with the glitter. Instead, we used the adorable gnome pattern and the rad Star Wars one. Using two totally different tape patterns meant creating 2 unique projects. The first is this crazy easy pencil box.

 

[bctt tweet=”Want to know how to inspire creativity with your kids this back to school season? Check out my blog beautiful @theduckbrand craft ideas + steps! #DucktoSchool #ad” username=”diyadulation”]

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Pencil Box Materials

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 1

Cut a piece of tape that is slightly larger than the middle indentation of the box.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

 

Step 2

Place the piece of tape on the right side of the indentation. Make sure that the ends of the tape hang over the edges.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 3

Next, trim the edges of your tape by opening up your scissors and running the blade firmly down the edges.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 4

Cut a second piece of tape and line up the patterns to match as best you can.

Tip:

  • Cut this piece of tape larger than the first. This makes it easier to match the patterns.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 5

Next, trim this tape as you did the first piece.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 6

Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the entire indentation of the box is covered in tape.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 7

Next, cover the outer edges of the box. Start at the back, right corner and carefully wrap around the outside.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 8

Trim the latch indentation with your scissors as you did above.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 9

Also trim the ends and the bottom overlap of the tape (if there is one).

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

Step 10

Add your final piece of tape to the back edge of the pencil box.

Step 11

Lastly, trim any excess from the edges.

 

Duck Tape is a great way to personalize and style up your school supplies and accessories and helped inspired these easy DIY Duck Tape school accessories!

This is such an easy way to dress up a plain pencil box. Choose Duck Tape in the pattern that your child loves to help him or her express style while staying within school supplies parameters. Kick the style up even more with the Duck Tape backpack tag on Monday. It is a great way to label the bag with important information that your child needs or to find its way home if lost.

This pencil will also help your kids express their fun and unique style at school. As if the project isn’t awesome enough, Duck Brand Duck Tape is letting me give you some free tape to create your own back to school accessories! Grab your entries now below. Then start brainstorming your next fantastic Duck Tape project!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more information check out Duck Brand Duck Tape on their Website. Also visit their awesome Pinterest Board for more fun back to school projects.

Get Your Family Back to School Ready

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The best way to make any event in your life successful is to plan for it. You plan for weeks for birthday parties, showers, and even interviews. The same planning and preparation is necessary to get your family back to school ready. There are key areas below to focus on that will ensure a fantastic first week back. You will find even more extras on the free printable checklist to crush that first day of school without breaking a sweat.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

 

Find out how to get your family back to school ready as well as a free printable checklist to crush that first day of school without breaking a sweat.

 

[bctt tweet=”How to get your family back to school ready + a free printable checklist to crush that first day of school.” username=”diyadulation”]

 

Bedtime Rituals

Ease your kids back into the school schedule by pushing bedtimes back to the earlier school hour. Starting a few weeks in advance and gradually working back to the desired time in 15 minute increments is the easiest way to do this is to this. It is also important to reestablish bedtime rituals. If you have been lax about how late kids can play video games or whether they get a shower each night, start reintegrating these habits weeks before the first day of school.

Don’t forget about you as well. If you are a stay-at-home or work-at-home parent then your sleep schedule can be out of whack too. Start trying to get to bed earlier, again working in 15 minute increments for your body to adjust. It is also a good idea to create your own bedtime rituals that will teach your body the natural pattern of getting sleepy.

Wake Times

It is also important to get up at the scheduled time for school. Don’t let your kids sleep in. Instead, start getting them up at the time they will be getting up for school. The same goes for mom. If you have things you like to do in the morning before the kids are up, you will have to adjust your wake time as well. This is also a good time to reestablish the breakfast and general morning routine.

Freezer Meals

Get your freezer back to school ready by making an assortment of freezer meals. Don’t limit yourself to dinners, either. Breakfasts will be a lot easier if you have options ready to heat up in the freezer. Prepare pancakes and waffles in large batches and freeze for quick breakfasts. You can also go for a healthier option with these Protein-Packed Freezer Breakfast Burritos. Casseroles and slow cooker meals are perfect for breakfast and dinner. Make your family’s favorites when getting prepped for quick meals.

 

Find out how to get your family back to school ready as well as a free printable checklist to crush that first day of school without breaking a sweat.

Organize Clothes

Take the time to get your kids’ clothes organized before school starts. If you are buying new clothes for your kids, take the time to clean out old clothes that don’t fit. This will let you know what your child truly needs and what you can save a little cash on as well. Once you have done that, make sure you get an outfit system in place. Use these printable organizing labels to clearly define each outfit of the day. The school year can also include a need to revamp your laundry schedule. Be prepared to go through more laundry, especially if your child wears a uniform or has separate school and play clothes.

Reading

If you haven’t made reading a priority over the summer break make sure to start reintegrating into the daily routine before school starts. Set time amounts instead of page amounts, especially if your child is still a beginning reader. The lack of daily practice might have left them a little rusty. Daily reading will help get them back into the swing of academia before the school years starts and help them start off on a stronger footing. This is also an excellent time to sift through the bookshelves and donate those books that your kids have outgrown.

By focusing on the five areas about you are making sure your child starts the school year off with a bang (in a good way). You will also be making the transition easier on you and less stressful. Don’t forget to grab your free printable Back to School Timeline Checklist before you go. Lastly, check out how to Love Shopping for School Supplies before you get the supply list.

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Frugal and Easy Tips for Back to School Lunches

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Back to school can throw a lot of curve balls at you. From shopping for school supplies you’ve never heard of (like a very specific Magic Rub eraser?) to the sheer expense of new clothes and uniforms. It can be an expensive and stressful time. Luckily, back to school lunches don’t have to add to your stress. Don’t limit yourself to sandwiches and lunchables. There are easier and more budget-friendly ways and I’m sharing the tips to help you.

 

Back to school lunches don't have to add to your stress this year. Check out these don't miss tips for your kids' lunches!

 

[bctt tweet=”Check out these don’t miss tips for your kids’ back to school lunches!” username=”diyadulation”]

 

This week, my first interview is live over at the Dollar Stretcher and it will help you with tips and tricks to make your kids’ lunches fun, frugal, and most of all easy.

“Q: With back to school approaching, do you have some time-saving tips for parents on making sure kids get a healthy and homemade lunch?

Marie: The best tip to make sure that kids get a healthy lunch every day is to prep the meals on Sunday for the rest of the week. Pick up multiple containers like the ones in this article about saving money on food on the go and fill them before the week starts. Store them in the fridge, and all you have to do is grab one in the morning and toss it in their lunchbox. I also love collapsible water bottles because they don’t take up a lot of space, and you can fill them with a healthy drink. These are easy to toss in with lunches, as well.

Q: What are some easy DIY lunch ideas for back to school?

Marie: The best lunches for kids are ones that they have some control over. These are great for two reasons: Kids love “creating” their own lunches and only putting lunch components in the containers saves parent’s time. Some great ideas are DIY wraps and lunchables. For wraps, include small tortillas and whatever filling your kids like (such as ham and cheese, chicken and veggies, or beans and salsa). Let them assemble the wraps once it’s time to eat. Make your own lunchables by adding crackers, meat, and cheese that kids can put together as they would the store-bought kind. Ramp up the nutritional content by including some veggies and hummus.”

Continue Reading over at The Dollar Stretcher…

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Don’t forget you can find even more back to school tips on our our Back to School page!