This original DIY project, I actually spotted on Pinterest and the link took me to the ever popular DIY blog, Lil' Blue Boo. While reading through this tutorial, I quickly thought of an easier, more self-explantatory way to achieve the same look. So, I gathered up my supplies, and put this tutorial to work-- McKenna K style :)
To get started, you will need the box your iPad originally came in, a composition notebook, needle and thread, an Exacto knife (this is CRUCIAL!), roughly a yard of elastic cord (I bought mine at Wal-Mart, but you can virtaully find it anywhere), scissors, and any type of decorative ribbon or trinkets to make it your own. :)
[I ended up not needing the pliers or the Elmer's glue]
1 & 2. Remove both the tray from the iPad box and the pages from the Comp. book.
The easiest was to get the pages out if you are using a brand new notebook, is to open the the center page and slice open the stitches you will find there.
If you are using an older, dated notebook, the pages will pretty much fall out on their own.
3. After all the stitches are cut, the pages will easily slide right out. However, make sure you keep about 10-15 of the sheets of paper for the later part of this project.
4. The ending threads will then will be very easy to pull out with a little tug of your fingers. Some of them are a little bit more difficult to remove (i.e. the top & bottom where the knots are), and I used my scissors to loosen them up a bit before tugging.
5. Place the seamed edge of the now-hollow composition notebook on the outer edge of the upside-down tray, and etch in a faint line with your Exacto knife on all four sides (as a reference mark).
6. Next, take your Exacto knife and run it through the grooves you created in Step 5, until you cut through completely. You can also cut along the marks with scissors if you aren't very comfortable with the knife. You want this to be pretty neat, so take your time! Get your Ed Sheeran and Cher Llyod playing, and you'll have a blast. :)
7. When you are finished, you should have something like this (Ignore my duck face and crazy, non-styled bangs..). And now you can pick which LONG side you want to cut off; you won't need it anymore, and this gives you a chance to mess up at least ONCE. :)
8. Next take the pages you saved from the hollowing-out, and cut a strip about 2 1/2 inches wide.
9. This next step I didn't get great pictures of; my camera died and I had glue all over my fingers.. so, I glued on the two shorter pieces first, while my camera was charging.
10. I applied those pieces, along with the longest side by dipping my finger into the Mod Podge and spreading it on the outer side just below the lip. Yes, I used my finger. Yes, it dried just like Elmer's used to do when I was a kid. Yes, I waited for it to dry so I could pick it off, and yes, I am such a kid.
Next, I pressed the lined paper over the still-wet glue and played the waiting
For my band to secure my iPad in place, I cut two 18-inch long pieces of my elastic cord and another 20-inch long piece of my decorative ribbon. I added the two inches to the ribbon, because it was not a stretch fabric, therefore when I stretched the cord over my iPad, it would be able to expand.
11. I secured the three pieces together and began braiding.
12. After the braid was finished, I added a "tape-tab" on each end to ensure they would stay together until I needed them.
13 & 14. Next, I secured the extra paper on the inside of the comp. book. Make sure the plastic tray's edge is right on the book's edge, in order to ensure the iPad will fit once finished. (Trust me, this took MUCH trail & error to figure out on my part..)
15. Then, I taped down both ends of the band to determine where I was going to permanently place it. After being taped down, I placed my iPad in the case to see if it would hold it firmly in place.
16 & 17. After I was satisfied with the fit, I stitched both the securing band and the corner band.
Here's the final product!
please excuse my dirty iPad (flaked-off glue from my fingers) and my peeling screen protector (time for a replacement!).
Tweet me your results if you do one too!
enjoy lovelies!
mckenna k. xx
What an incredible post and project!
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