For the second part of my back to school series I thought I would discuss backpack essentials! I'm a chronic over packer- I always end up with far too many things in my bags that I don't need.
I have decided to use this small backpack to avoid bringing unnecessary things. It's a black and cream polka dot backpack from American Eagle. I love the leather accents on it! It's very comfortable to wear, has a few little pockets inside for emergency things (like tampons, spare change, and tylenol) which is super handy!
I have divided my essentials into two categories: school essentials (left picture) and personal essentials (right side). To my classes I always bring a pencil case with pens, pencils, sticky notes, highlighters etc. I also bring a notebook that I can write notes in as well as staple in hand outs and I bring my MacBook for note taking and for online follow alongs (it's quite common in college/uni for profs to post their lecture notes the night before the class so it's nice to have a laptop to be able to follow along). My number one essential, as an organization junkee, is my day planner. This is so important to keep track of assignments and due dates.
For personals I'll start with the two things that I don't have photographed which are a water bottle and an on-the-go pre prepared snack (usually yogurt and granola or a homemade breakfast muffin- find recipe here). I will always bring along my house/apartment key, as well as my cards and change purse. I also always like to make sure I have a hand bag sized hand lotion, my deodorant, NYX powder foundation for touchups, and Baby Lips chap stick just in case! My last personal essential is, of course, my phone- usually accompanied by headphones!
As a little bonus to this post I thought I would throw in a simple DIY tutorial on how I created this super Pintrest worthy notebook. All you will need is scissors, a ruler, clear liquid glue (Martha Stuart Decoupage Glue or Mod Podge), and some old magazines!
To create this, first measure your notebook and then decide on the dimensions you'd like to use for your triangle pieces. The area I needed to cover was approximately 9"x11". I decided I wanted to do isosceles triangles that were 2" across the bottom and 3.5" high. These dimensions allowed for 18 full triangles and 6 half triangles.
After you figure out your dimensions you'll want to scan through old magazines and cut the triangles out of the pages. You can be totally creative with this, there are no right or wrong images to choose! Once you have all your triangles, you'll want to get your liquid glue and cover the entire front of the notebook with it. Then, lay down your triangles on top of the glue. Once you have arranged your triangles the way you want them, apply another layer of liquid glue and allow to dry for a full 24 hours. This is such an easy way to make a cute and personalized notebook! You can also choose to use a different shape- squares, hexagons, etc.
I hope you liked this back to school post of backpack essentials and a DIY notebook! If you recreate this notebook or have any other essentials, do let me know!
Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn
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