BrittanyMakes

Happy Monday! I want to share this super sweet and amazingly simple project I found this weekend.  It's one of those projects that can be the perfect gift for all those grads out there!  I have a sister graduating high school this week, and as she preps for college this summer, I know she'll be looking for new and personalized supplies to take with her.  I was out browsing around for gift ideas, when I found these adorable watercolor notebooks over at Claire's blog, Fellow Fellow.  I thought "what a perfect idea!" I could design a bunch of personalized notebooks for my sister out of some Kraft notebooks, wrap them together with jute rope and give them to her as a gift. 

I am so smitten with Claire's watercolor notebooks.  Thankfully she agreed to share her DIY with us today as our next I SPY feature! Thanks Claire! You should check out her portfolio of DIYs, guarantee you'll have a favorite within minutes!

::Let's see how Claire made these beautiful watercolor notebooks::

I have to agree with Claire, there is something so beautiful in the simplicity of these notebooks. I love them even more dressed up in a little watercolor and gold paint!  And let's be real here, Claire had me at gold paint.

 First, gather your supplies:

– Some blank-cover notebooks (Claire used Moleskin pocket-size)
– Paint brushes in various sizes/shapes
– Watercolour paints
– A tray you can mix your colours in
– A cup with some water in it
– A blank piece of paper or cardboard

Claire's instructions are clear and easy to follow:

Step 1: Put some of your chosen paint into your tray (you won’t need too much), and mix in some water with each.

Step 2: My flowers are a combination of just dabbing the brush onto the card, and making short strokes. If you’re not super experienced with watercolour (like me!), a good place to start is by experimenting with your brushes and paints on a blank piece card. Dab your brushes from different angles, drag them, press them lightly and heavily. Doing this will just help you get an idea of the different ‘flowers’ you can get with the different brushes. You may also notice that you’ll get different results with more/less water, so just play around.

Step 3: Once you’re feeling confident, start working on your notebook. It’s best to start from the top of your cover and work down so you aren’t dragging your hand through wet paint. I did my flowers in stages – blue/orange flowers (the biggest ones) first, then layering the rest over that. Wait for each layer to dry before doing the next. My final colour on each was a metallic gold watercolour, which made everything really stand out.

That's it! Let your imagination go wild!

Beautiful, Claire! Thank you so much for letting us share your DIY today!  I already have a pack of 3 notebooks in my Amazon shopping cart.  Can't wait to try this myself!