DIY - Pretty Pencil Cups!

So it was a beautiful weekend here in Tennessee - highs in the 70s, in January no less!  But it was rainy and overcast so I spent most of my time inside (with the doors and windows open of course!).  I caught up on a bunch of overdue cleaning, laundry, some studying, and even got a little crafting time in.

Problem:  Since I started taking classes again last January school supplies seem to have taken over every inch of my space.

Supplies:  I have a collection of clean, label-free, tin cans for various craft projects and I have been using some of them for storage.  Not very pretty though, right?

More supplies:  I have drawers full of scrapbook paper.  This book was called Urban Rhapsody by K & Company.  The patterns are great and everything is already color coordinated - perfect!  The sticker says I bought it from Hobby Lobby for $12.99.  Given that HL has at least a 40-50% off coupon each week, and the fact that I hate buying expensive scrapbook paper, I'm sure I paid less.

More supplies:  I bought plain white glue from the Dollar Tree - 2 for $1.  First I used a ruler and scissors to measure and cut out paper for each of the cans.  Then I used the glue to fix the paper onto the cans.  There is a little bit of an overlap, but it is on the back side so no one has to see it.  I also wanted to seal the paper a bit to make sure it stayed and didn't fade or tear so I made some homemade "modge podge" by mixing one part glue and one part water.  I had never tried it before, but given that there are so many recipes on Pinterest I thought I would give it a try.

Here are the cans drying after the modge podge mixture was applied.  The overlap on the back of a couple of the cans has some bubbles, but I'll fix those tomorrow after they've completely dried.

Solution:  Pretty and organized (and inexpensive!) cups for pencils/markers/highlighters/colored pencils/etc. and something to smile about every time I sit down at my desk to study!

Happy Monday everyone!