Tile Patterned Binders!

I have a lot of binders - I'm a total organisation nerd, and I absolutely love nice stationery. To my dismay though, I really struggled to find a nice binder for this year. I just wanted something simple and classy, but not plain and boring. So after wandering the shops like a lost lamb for hours looking for one I gave up and decided I would make my own! And here it is:

This one is SUPER easy, I'm sure pretty much anyone could do it!

What you'll need:

A binder: I went for a nice kraft binder, because it's very neutral, but any colour you fancy will do, as long as it's got a smooth (but not glossy) surface!

Paint & Paintbrushes: I went for acrylic and gouache because it's fast drying! Lots of white will be needed if you plan on using pastel colours.

Stamps: I bought some really cheap tiled stamps from amazon, but you could also make your own out of a cork - keep it circle, or use a knife to carefully cut the cork into a triangle shape. This design has a lot of potential, and I hope you'll use your creative licence to change the colours and shapes! 

Step One:

Choose your colours and mix your paints! I used about ten parts white to one part of a blue and green mix. Then, spread a thin layer of paint out on a flat surface, and lightly press your stamp into it so it absorbs the paint (but so that it doesn't saturate it so you can't see the detail). Then stamp away! I just did this freehand - the nice thing about homemade projects is that they look unique, so don't try too hard to make it perfect!

Step Two:

Once you've stamped around 3/4 of the way down and waited for it to dry, paint the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of the binder in a block colour. It can be the same as your stamps, or it can be different! I used a slightly darker tone of the stamp colour for mine. You could masking tape the line you want to paint to, but again I did this freehand because I prefer the more organic look!

Hey Presto!

You're done! No way! Already?? That was only two steps... but that really is it, this one is super simple, so it could even be done in the evening in front of the TV!

Please send me any questions or photos of your creations at: zanna@papiopress.co.uk