DIY: Pretty Pencils

With all this talk of back to school, and pencil cases, surely we shouldn't forget something pretty fabulous to put inside!

Without further ado:

These are a simple and gratifying DIY.  We've turned again to our 5x7" Washi Paper Packs for inspiration and come up with a perfect companion project to our Japanese Paper Dolls! 

For this project, you will need:

• pencils, preferably round (ours were neon - learn from our mistakes and choose something a bit more neutral, especially when using a lighter coloured paper!)
• beautiful paper like our Japanese washi
• Mod Podge (we used Matte)
• a craft paintbrush 

Cut your paper into strips approximately 2.5cm / 1" wide and 17.25cm / 7" long.  Standard pencils are approximately 17.5cm / 7" long.  Adjust this measurement to fit the length of the pencils you are using.

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the wrong / plain side of your chosen paper.

Carefully roll paper around pencil, ensuring you roll tightly and edge of paper is aligned with the ferrule (that's the official name of that metal band which attaches the eraser to the pencil, we looked it up! ).

Apply thin layer of Mod Podge to right side of paper to seal.  Ensure seam is well-adhered.  You may need to smooth down seam edge during drying time to make sure it lies flat.

Allow pencils to dry thoroughly before sharpening.  (We let ours dry overnight.)

What fun!  We're keeping ours in our storage.it notebook, but these would make a pretty fabulous gift too.  Wrap up a few with a lovely notebook or pencil case, and you've got a great present for someone on your list!

Visit Omiyage.ca for beautiful Japanese papers and more!