DIY Hexagon Shelf

I've been wanting to hot glue gun something for some time now and after seeing this from YouTube, I wanted to try it out for myself. I started this project not knowing where I and if I would use it, but glad that I did try. I couldn't go out to buy large popsicle sticks for this project because we had a looooong holiday, so I rummaged my mom's classroom for some. Haha.

First is glue together 3 sticks that will make half of your hexagon.

I tried different techniques but the best one I got, to make a symmetrical shape, is layer your 2nd half on top of the first one you made. Not gluing them together, but just using it as a guide so that when you lay the 2 halves side by side, they are perfectly pantay.

And then glue the 2 parts together.

Glue sticks alternately so that it will be level once you're done. Continue adding sticks until it's the thickness / depth you like.

I used 10 sticks on each side, for a total of 60 sticks per hexagon shelf. You can of course do this with bigger sticks so that the space inside will be bigger too. Or you can paint your sticks to your color of choice as well. I wanted the raw wood look so I stayed with this one.

I squealed a little when I tried to make it stand on its own and it did :)) At this point, I still had no idea what I want to do with these until...

I already had 5. Haha. I could improve more on the shape, I know :)) I looked around my room hoping to find a place for these babies and thought of putting it up with my current photo display.

I'm someone who DIY's without planning too much and just goes where a certain project will lead me. Hence the photo below :))

I texted this photo to the boyfriend and he was like, hmmm it's not right :))) I then thought of using a black & white fabric I recently purchased from ukay-ukay. I grabbed the thickest paperbag I have (relative to the other bags in my stash) and thought of covering it with the said fabric.

I cut them into hexagon shapes too.

I actually ended up with three pieces, I used another paper bag for the third one. And covered it with this fabric using hot glue.

And it ended up looking like this!

Ha! Too many hexagons but I like the difference it made in my room. I just recently placed the chest drawer against that wall and I thought that it deserved to be upgraded even in a simple way. I just used sticky tack to attach each hexagon shelf to the wall. I love how sturdy it turned out to be. As of posting, and it's been a week now, none of the shelves fell down. Whew.

I know there's a lot to tidy up in the construction part but it was fun to make these and get this kind of result so I didn't care anymore :)) So this is now my new morning view...

And a fun before and after!

DIY Vanity Tray

We recently moved in to an apartment and I'm sharing a room with my sister. Although I've always dreamed of a room to myself, having my sister back means new bags, clothes, and accessories for me! We're used to sharing our stuff and that means shared storage as well. Of course everything started out as organized but one problem that came up in the 3 weeks we've been here is the area where we keep our everyday products.

Because the sides of the basket we used were high, it easily became a catch-all bin for essentials and even non-essentials. I'm planning to reorganize that whole black wire storage (together with other systems in our room haha) and fixing the top portion would be a good start.

Basic materials were a shoebox cover, wrapping paper, and spray adhesive. I also ended up using a pencil, a pair of scissors, and electric tape which you'll see towards the end.

I got my wrapping paper book from Divisoria last year and I love it! I love it so much that I haven't used them. Haha. Since it's the first time I'll be using this, I used my least favorite pattern for this project. As for the spray adhesive, I've been looking for one since I started DIY-ing (yes, I always window shop bookstores, department stores, and craft stores) and the moment I saw this, I just had to buy it even if I still didn't have a project in mind.

First is I measured off all the paper I'll need to cover the top and the sides (didn't mind covering the bottom anymore) and then I headed outside to apply the adhesive spray. You need to be careful when using spray adhesive because it's very sticky and there's a tendency that your paper will not even out neatly if you're not able to hold it properly. I liked using spray adhesive because it doesn't have the bubbly or wrinkle effect white glue has and it's less time consuming to use. Since I'm also using carton on paper, I didn't have any problem bonding them together.

Then you will have this. Yaaaaay! Not. Haha. I actually hate the part where the paper was folded (from the book) but it's going to be covered with products anyway so I got over it quickly. Haha. Another thing is this:

What's a DIY project without booboos? :)))) At this, I thought I was going to start over but I still opened my craft box hoping to find a life saver.

And I did find one in the form of a red electrical tape. Haha. I started applying tape on all the four corners. Which looked a little awkward. So I also lined the bottom of the tray. With some leftover paper, I also covered the holder I used for my toothbrush (which is actually a small can of Lays from a vending machine)

With a bit of purging and and organizing, I now have this...

Yay!! On the right are cans I got from Ikea for cotton balls and cotton buds. It's actually a set of 3 but the middle sized one is color black so my boyfriend automatically owns it haha. It's so organized I hope it stays this way especially when my sister gets back from her long hospital duty hahaha. And now a happy before and after photo!!

DIY Christmas Wreath

Hello December! This is a very exciting month for me not just because of the holidays, but because it’s also my birthday month. But mainly because of the holidays! (ang labo hahaha). Here’s a DIY wreath made with materials I already have lying around and of course it’s super easy to make. I used the following materials:

- wood rings (already used 3 times in 3 different events and this might be its final purpose hehe)

- yellow pages (or any scrap paper, I just like how neat using bound paper is)

- scissors

- paper tape

I also realized later on in the project that I’ll be using crepe paper and stapler.

First is rip off pieces of paper and crumple them:

Next is wrap it around your ring to add thickness.

Completely wrap with paper tape. Then have your crepe paper ready – I cut mine in strips:

Fold your strips of crepe paper forming a V shape then start stapling them onto your wreath, overlapping a bit:

 

I got a little too excited after finishing one and I immediately put a ribbon in the middle and another ribbon to hang it. I love the simplicity of it :)

The next day, I wanted to try a new version so I rummaged through our Christmas decors box and there were of course pieces that were already detached from the original decor and re-purposed it for this. I used all white crepe paper this time but still using the same process. I attached it using scrap ribbon:

And there you have it! I also actually changed the ribbon of the red and green wreath to white instead (as per advice of my boyfriend haha). Will hang these this week! Yay! Merry Christmas!

DIY Notebook Cover

I have a road trip coming up in 6 days and I’m excited to make a checklist. Although I always have a notebook where I jot down all of my notes and thoughts, mostly work-related, I want to have a separate tickler for travel.

I have tons of unused notebooks. Most of them pretty – sometimes too pretty. And since travel ticklers are bound to be tossed around and be overused, I was half-hearted about using the pretty ones. Being affiliated with a school, we get a lot of freebies from our publishers – from umbrellas to appliances, from desk calendars to, yes, notebooks!

Being promotional materials, they of course always have that year’s campaign material on the cover AND inside cover, plus several pages of marketing on the first few (many, actually) pages, and even some at the back. I just wanted to cover this up and for it suit me – have it in a design and size I like, but cheap enough to throw into my travel purse or backpack.

I ripped off all the pages with marketing material and then proceeded to covering it. You can use wrapping paper, burlap, maybe even an old map (perfect for traveling theme) or anything you like but I wanted the recycled vibe so I used the yellow pages from our directory.

I wanted to use spray adhesive but still couldn’t source one (I already tried National Bookstore and Ace Hardware) so I just used glue stick. I opt for glue stick over white glue because they give a nicer finish since glue tends to make paper crumple (kulubot is the better term). Just cover it like you would any other book. I just made sure to cover the inside cover as well since I want to conceal the marketing material printed on it too.

You’ll then have a completely covered flap. Just cut off excess paper (I cringed a little before I cut the yummy burger) then completely cover it.

And then tadaaaa, you’ll have a pretty covered notebook…NOT. The green at the side ruined it and crashed it to pieces. Okay, OA. Haha but I really didn't like it :(

Although it was going to be a tedious job, if there’s a will, there’s a way - I grabbed my trusty Sharpie and shaded away. I started by drawing a line to cover the division where the yellow paper ended, then filling all the “easy” gaps, then shaded under the actual rings. This isn’t the most convenient step of this project but it was the one thing bringing me to the end and it was worth it.

I know I’m showing the inside flap in the photos but it’s the same process anyway. Wasn’t able to capture the outside (hehe). And you guessed it right, you will do this process 4 times – 2 for the outside front and back, and another 2 for the inside.

And then you’ll have a brand new notebook! Yay! Here are before and after photos of the front and back:

Here's also the before and after of the inside covers. Notice that I removed the first and last pages with marketing material. And I really like that I was able to fully and neatly cover the whole inside flap.

Some details, and welcome to the brands/companies seen in the post (haha).

Now off to do my road trip checklist. I’m happy that I can bring this and not worry about keeping it pretty. It’s bound to be an all-around scratch or doodle paper anyway so I'm really happy that I didn't spend anything for this, just love haha :)