Make Cheap School Supplies Fun & Durable

This post brought to you by The Duck Brand. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Balancing Home.

It is officially back to school season. Notice the supply displays in all the stores? Some of my friends from other parts of the country are already back at school! We don’t start until September 1! We all like pretty things, but sometimes the 15 cent folders just make more sense. Amiright? If you want to stock up on the more bland and cheaper school supplies, I have a super fun way to make your school supplies prettier and more durable! Duck tape! With over 200 prints and colors to choose from, it is easy to customize. We used three different tapes to make a fun herringbone pattern.

This flimsy 15 cent folder became this durable, fun folder.

I even added two strips of the fun pineapple print to the inside pockets, because we all know how quickly those rip. I had so much fun with the folder, I decided to make some plane jane composition notebooks durable and fun.

To create this fun herringbone pattern lay out your tape on a cutting mat. Then use a ruler and Xacto to cut four inch strips.

I put the husband on cutting duty and whipped up those strips faster than I could lay them! Our really efficient method looked like this:

Other than measuring your 4 inch strips, no other measuring needed. Start by laying your first piece at an angle. I like to start in the corner. Then you just line up your other color going the other way, back and forth, stacking them on top of each other.

Once the whole thing is filled, clip it over on your mat and use the Xacto to trim the excess.

One folder and two notebooks later, I called it a day.

Parents, you no longer need to feel guilty about buying the cheap school supplies.

Looking for more inspiration? Find Duck Tape here and be sure to check out Instagram, Twitter and follow the School Craft board on Pinterest