15 Back-to-School Crafts to Kick Off the New Year Right

Class is almost back in session! That can only mean one thing: It's time to make a checklist of must-have school supplies.

The first day of school is a fresh start—and along with it, a new chance to make a first impression. As parents, students, and teachers alike gear up for the start of a new school year, they're stockpiling on the best quality supplies debuting this fall. If you can't find what you need on the shelf, make it instead. Some of our favorite DIY school supplies include notebooks, backpacks, writing tools, and more.

Kids can lend a helping hand and their imaginative ingenuity to personalize their backpacks—using washi tape, paint, and stencils, plus our printable clip-art and templates. Use cases to corral everything from paper clips to number two pencils. Create a custom binder to keep track of your kids' school mementos and paperwork—their report cards, class pictures, and special projects. You can even cover textbooks and accordion file folders with custom art (because they were going to doodle on them anyway). That said, supplies are helpful for Mom and Dad, too—customize a tool set for easy toting whether you create in class or at work in the office.

Whether your kids are headed back to school or you graduated more than a few years ago (but who's counting?) you don't want to miss out on the best part of the back-to-school season: buying pristine supplies and customizing them so everyone knows that stylish looking notebook is, in fact, yours. Here are several easy, creative ways to spruce up the tools of your trade, organize your desktop, and get that hopeful brand-new-binder feeling all over again.

Personalize your sharpened pencils with two shades of craft paint and a technique that's pre-K easy but AP-art impressive. Squeeze paints in two parallel, pencil-length strips on a piece of foil. Cover pencil erasers with tape to protect them. Place pencils parallel to paint strips, then roll through paint. Place pencils on top of plastic cups to dry. (This ensures that they won't stick to foil once completely dry.) Remove tape from the erasers and get to writing.

Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Craft Paint, in "Slate Gray" and "Cloud," $2.50, michaels.com. General's Cedar Pointe No. 2 Pencils, $24 for 3 dozen, generalpencil.com.

Here are three quick ways to rack up compliments in class (or in the conference room) this fall: Embellish basic fabric accessories with an appliqué trim in fresh colors. Cut the classic zigzag trim to fit, and attach it with fabric glue. For notebooks, art inside the bottom of the cover, and secure it all the way around the front, leaving the other end loose to serve as a wiggly bookmark.

Semikolon Linen Blankbook in "Ciel Sky Blue:, $29, amazon.com. Organized-Messs Canvas Pencil Case in "Moss Green," $7.50, organizedmesss.etsy.com. Recycled Cotton-Canvas Lunch Bag, $6, ecobags.com. Wrights Rickrack, from $2 for 4 yd., joann.com.

Kids pick out adhesive patches; Mom finishes the job with the iron. Plus, when you buy this colorful bag, another one full of supplies is donated to a student in need.

State Mini Kane Backpack, in Green/Navy, $60, statebags.com. Broccoli, Tomato, and Rocket Ship Patches, from $5 each, statebags.com.

Write an older student's name in fabric marker, then let her embroider it with a simple backstitch and jazz it up with pom-poms.

Baggu Canvas Backpack in "Shell," $42, amazon.com. Herschel Supply Co. Settlement Poly Backpack in "Caramel," $60, herschelsupply.com.

It's a big moment when a kid gets his first textbook. Dress up—and preserve—new textbooks for the school year with handmade book jackets. For a fresh look, cover a book with white paper, then download and print our clip-art onto adhesive paper. (Or, you can create your own by photographing your favorite desk items and printing the images on adhesive paper.) Use the entire page as a single large sticker, or cut apart the images to arrange them on your book as you like.

Transform a basic sack by painting on your child's favorite animal. For ours, we chose a rabbit.

CarryGreen Drawstring Bag, $8.50 for 2, amazon.com. Martha Stewart Adhesive Laser-Cut Stencils in "Woodland Animals," $7.39, michaels.com.

An easy way to say, that's mine? Color-code a set of folders using washi tape. Use different hues to indicate subjects (recipes, brilliant ideas), or write directly on the strips.

Muji Recycled-Paper Notebooks, from $1.25 each, muji.us. MT Masking Tape, from $26 for pack of 10, cutetape.com.

Stitching a few school supplies and stylish accessories is a cinch when you use wool felt because the edges won't fray. And since this doesn't require a lot of fabric, it's perfect for using up scraps and stray buttons. To make a pencil case, cut a 2 1/2-by-18-inch rectangle of felt; fold up bottom 6 inches. To sew, use embroidery thread and a needle with a large eye. Stitch up the sides with a running stitch: Pass needle up from back to front, then reinsert needle to back; repeat making short stitches. Finish with a knot in back. Fold over flap; add a button, and snip a buttonhole. To cover a 3-by-5-inch notebook, cut an 11-by-5 1/2-inch rectangle of felt with pinking shears. Center open book on felt; fold ends over covers. Sew top and bottom edges with a running stitch. For the closure, sew a button to front and add a thread loop to back.

Strike up a colorful correspondence using dip-dyed pencils and paper. Different papers will take fabric dye differently (and coated papers may not take it at all), so the results can be surprising. The pencils were dipped in white water-based latex paint. Don't worry about creating precise lines when dipping in paint; irregularities are part of the appeal. To make stationery, fill a plastic bin with hot water to a depth of at least 6 inches. Stir in dye, starting with a small amount and adding more as desired. Let the dye solution cool before dipping paper. Dip a sample strip of paper towel to test the color. If too dark, add water; if too light, add dye. Let solution settle, so there are no bubbles at the surface. You can combine colors for custom shades. Holding your paper as straight as possible, dip into dye solution to desired line. Keep paper in dye until it turns the desired color. Hang to dry.

Cedar Pointe #2 Pencils, $1 each, cwpencils.com. Strathmore Announcement Cards and Envelopes in "Fluorescent White" with Deckle, $2.91 for 10, dickblick.com; Strathmore Greeting Cards and Envelopes in "Fluorescent White" with Deckle, $3.67 for 10, dickblick.com; Strathmore Watercolor Postcards, $2.83 for 15, dickblick.com. Shipping Tag (#11005), $4.87 for 100, avery.com. Rit Liquid Dyes in "Scarlet," "Denim," and "Navy," and Rit Powder Dye in "Gray," ritdye.com.

Basic accordion folders take on a cheerfully brilliant disguise—and it's one that should help you distinguish files from one another. Trace the folder onto paper and cut out. Remove the elastic band from the folder and discard. Spray paper with adhesive and smooth it onto the folder. With a craft knife, puncture the paper, aligning with the folder's hole. Knot the elastic cord from behind the folder flap. If desired, create a monogram from colored paper with punch; glue onto folder. Brush on a layer of découpage medium; let dry. Make a complete set, and you just might find yourself more motivated to tackle some paperwork.

Accordion Wallet, from $5, staples.com. 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive, $10, homedepot.com. Sulyn Clubhouse Crafts Elastic Cord, $4, joann.com. Martha Stewart Crafts Alphabet Punch, $30, michaels.com.

Lightweight denim and engineer stripes bring color, texture, and durability to paper file folders. If you can iron a shirt, you can make this project. Cut the 1/2 yard denim or cotton fabric (at least 48" wide) so it's several inches larger, in all dimensions, than opened folder; iron the fabric, then spread out, wrong-side up. Place iron-on adhesive on top; iron onto fabric. Peel off backing from adhesive; reserve backing. Place open folder on fabric, then cover folder and margins of fabric with reserved backing (to protect ironing board from being gummed up with adhesive). Flip onto ironing board, fabric-side up. Iron over entire surface of fabric. With craft scissors, cut around folder. Then, use detail scissors to cut smaller, rounded parts.

Just as a place mat keeps a table setting looking orderly, it can do the same for arts and crafts supplies. Convert one into a roll-up organizer that doubles as a carrying case using our printable template. Trace it onto felt and cut out. With a ruler and knife, make slits in felt, following template. (Tip: For larger tools, measure tool width and cut accordingly.) Set a grommet, centering it on a short end, one inch in from left edge. Thread ribbon through grommet. Insert your tools—and you're ready to take your projects on the go.

Make a bold statement on the schoolyard with this backpack craft. Choose a letter to monogram, or a favorite symbol or shape to keep it simple. Hand-cut iron-on patches will help your kids—and their backpacks—stand out in a crowd. Print the desired letter or symbol on paper. Tape the design onto a patch, then cut around the design. Iron the patch onto the backpack.

Dritz Iron-on Patches, 5" by 5" in "Dark Denim," $4 for 2, joann.com. Nylon Cordura School Bags, $48 each, americanapparel.com.

Nestle your tablet inside a customized felt-lined denim sleeve for protection. A half-yard of each fabric lets you make enough for yourself—and a few friends.

When you embellish plain glass vases with stylish patterns, you'll want to display more than flowers in them. Start with vessel sizes that accommodate sticky notes, pencils, and anything else you'd like to round up. Apply masking tape of varying widths on the portions of the glass you don't want frosted (make sure to smooth down air bubbles completely for even etching). Next, working in a well-ventilated area and wearing latex gloves, brush on a thick, even coat of etching cream. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then rinse it off under cool running water; wipe dry with a paper towel. Now remove the tape to reveal your design—and start organizing.