DIY paint splatter notebook covers and pencils

It’s that time of year when all I can think of is back to school and back to work.  The summer is always a fun, family time but work tends to take a backseat especially if you’re a work from home mum with no childcare, like me.

With back to school and back to work on the mind, all I can think of is pretty stationery.  I am a sucker for nice looking pens, notebooks, journals and more.  Who’s with me?

This year I decided to try out my very own DIY notebook cover design.  I made some paint splatter notebook covers and I loved them so much so I decided to make matching pencils. Both the paint splatter notebooks and pencils are easy to make and look so much more fun than the plainer versions.

For the DIY notebook cover design I went for black and white, while for the pencils I mixed it up a bit more and added some blush. But you can choose any colour you like and perhaps some bright colours for your kids. The white notebooks and black pencils would look pretty cool with neon paint splatters.

DIY paint splatter notebook covers and pencils

Materials:
matt white sticky back paper / contact paper
acrylic paints in the colours of your choice
paint brushes
washi tape (for masking)
sandpaper
pencils
notebooks

I used these pencils as they are the best for school and they seem to be the only pencils that actually sharpen without breaking, but if you can get your hands on good quality white and/or black pencils, then that will speed things up.

DIY splatter paint notebook covers:
1. Cut the sticky back/contact paper to the size needed to cover the notebook.
2. Dip your paintbrush in the acrylic paint and flick away on to the paper. I used a thin paintbrush as I wanted delicate splatters. But if you want chunkier paint splats, then use a thicker brush.
3. Leave the covers to dry completely.
4. Cover the notebooks in the paint splattered sticky back/contact paper (here’s a book covering tutorial in case you want to take a look).

DIY splatter paint pencils:
1. Lightly sand the pencils as this will help the paint stick on.
2. Mask the tip of the pencils with washi tape.
2. Paint the pencils in the colour of your choice. I did 3 coats. Allow to dry completely between coats.
3. Take your acrylic paint and flick the paint on one side. Allow to dry, turn the pencils over and do the other side. I used a very thin paintbrush here as the paint splatter needed to be very fine.

Do you think you’ll make these notebooks and pencils?  What colours will you go for?