‘Twas the night before the first day of school,
and all through the house,
not a kiddo was stirring,
not even a spouse,
the lunchboxes all packed,
in the fridge with care,
in hopes that by morning,
the school bus would be there…
Hey Friends! If you can’t tell, Back-to-School is one of my favorite times of year. The cute outfits, the supplies, new teachers, new achievements, and getting back to routines is just…chef’s kiss. This year I have planned such a fun celebration and I wanted to share early so you have plenty of time to plan to make that morning of the first day of school memorable and exciting!
I know I say this every time (because it’s true!), but this collection is one of my favorite collaborations with My Mind’s Eye. Each time, we work together to create something really special for the memory makers and the design team really works with me to bring ideas to life. This collection has a notebook paper and pencil tray set, adorable textbook and notebook paper plates, glue stick napkins, and LUNCH BOX NOTES! You’ll see all of those items below and details on how to add them to your collection. Don’t forget to use code SHAKIRA20 for a discount at checkout!
Here’s a DIY life-sized notebook paper backdrop that will be so cute for your table setup and first day of school photos. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A Pencil
- A Cup
- White foam insulation panel
- Sharpies
- Yardstick
- Back to School Banner
- Balloons
- Inflatable Pencils
I picked up a piece of white foam insulation board from Home Depot along with a yard stick. The foam board is 8ft long so I recommend trimming about 2 feet off the board to make it a little smaller. The exposed side is shiny, but if you peel the backing off of the board, there should be a matte side underneath. This is the surface I used to create the backdrop.
To Make the Lines:
Margin Line
Starting from the left side of the board, measure roughly 18 inches from the edge to mark where the pink margin line will be placed. Line up the short edge of your yardstick with top edge of your board and ensure that the length of yardstick is aligned 18 inches away from the left edge. Lightly sketch the line margin down the length of the board with a pencil and a yardstick.
Ruled Lines:
Starting from the top of the board, measure roughly 18 inches from the edge to mark where the first ruled line will be placed. Line up the short edge of your yardstick with the left edge of your board and ensure that the length of yardstick is aligned 18 inches away from the top edge. Use a pencil to mark the ruled line across the width of the board. Next, measure 15 inches from your first line and mark your next line across the width of the paper. Repeat this step until you have about 12 lines going down the length of your board.
Trace:
Trace over your pencil lines with a pink marker (margin) and blue marker (ruled lines)
To Make the Holes:
I used a cup as a guide to mark a hole in the top left corner of the board. Once that is complete, skip five of the previously drawn blue lines before making another hole placement in the margin. Use the yardstick to align the placement of the cup directly beneath the first hole. Repeat the process for the final hole. Then using an xacto knife or scissors, cut out each hole to make your notebook paper complete.
Decorate!
Here is the part where you can get creative! I used a balloon garland, inflatable pencils, and a “Back to School” banner to decorate the backdrop and I LOVE how it turned out. You can get as creative as you like with this part. You could even write a special message, the date, or your kiddo’s name (s) on the “paper!”
To round out the celebration , I set the table with plates and napkins from this year’s Back to School Collection and mixed in some other items like the pencil flag from our Young Grad collection and garland from Pearl and Jane. You can serve breakfast (or treats after school) on our fun notebook paper tray! School-themed pajamas are also a great way to get everyone looking forward to the first day when the go to bed the night before.
Praying that everyone has a safe and wonderful school year! I can’t wait to see everyone’s celebrations. It warms my heart seeing how everyone uses the collections in your Ocassions Bin® and celebrations!
