DIY Cell Phone Case Tutorial {to fit any phone!}

Raise your hand if like myself, you have cracked the screen on your phone.  Okay, put your hands down.  Now, how many of you cracked your screen because you did not have a case on your phone to protect it?  Yep... that's me too.  I don't know about you, but I put off buying a case because I could not commit to a design.  I wanted to find one that I loved or, buy a dozen of them so I could change my mind!  We can change our clothes, our shoes, even our accessories... why not our phone cases?

I also have a smart phone that is not an "i-phone" which makes the case selection much smaller.  I have an HTC first, but with this tutorial you will be able to make a case for ANY phone that you have!

These are super easy to make and take minutes per case.  It took me longer to pick out the paper (really!)

Materials:
- Scrapbook paper (thin paper works best, textured is too thick)
- Clear phone case (I got mine for a few bucks here on Amazon- HTC first)
- Pencil
- Scissors

STEP 1: Pick out your paper.

Repeated prints work best.  I chose some designs with a more neutral pallet, others with bright colors.  It's entirely up to you.  I would like to have found one with large flowers (that take up the whole case) but apparently I need to buy more paper for that (my husband commented that I don't need more paper!)

STEP 2: Trace around the case backing.

When I first started, I also traced around the camera hole in the back (as you can see above).  However, after cutting it out, I found that it is better to wait on this part so that the holes line up.  Right now, just trace the outside of the case.  Don't forget to trace into the outside "holes" (like your power, volume, etc buttons)

 {It's important to trace and cut around the notches so that there is not paper in the way of your buttons and plug ins... plus it looks so finished this way!}

STEP 3: Cut it out.

STEP 4: Press it into the back piece of the clear case.  Try to center it as best you can and line up the notches on the paper with the notches on the case.  The paper should fill most of the case.  This is why the thick paper (like the brown pictured above) does not work for it takes up too much space for the case to latch together.

{The paper should reach about halfway on the phone}

Doing this gives the paper a rounded shape so that the design curves around the phone (instead of just laying flat on the back)

STEP 5: Slide your phone into the case so it is snug, then trace the camera hole.

I found that it was best to do this step with the phone in the case so that the hole lines up.  Trust me, it is much more precise this way.

STEP 6: Pop the paper back out, cut out the camera hole that you just traced.

That's it!  Easy peasy and super quick!  I made several "cases" so that I can change them out when I am "feeling" something new.

Here are my designs...

Floral:

{I didn't think I would like the blue with pink flowers but it's one of my favorites!}

Text & Collage

{I have a LOT of these papers, they are my favorite for scrapbooking!}

Color Sets:

{These came together in a pack and I love the colors so much I made three cases!}

You can also include additional pieces by placing them inside the case before inserting the paper.  Instant (and non permanent) change!  If you love it, glue it on the paper and keep it that way.

I would also recommend picking papers that match the color of your phone, since the base color will show through in the "holes" and on the front.  My phone is a pale blue, so I picked designs with blue in them.

{Sorry about the "selfie" in the phone reflection!  See the cracked screen I was talking about?}

Hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and I apologize for the crazy amount of pictures!  If I get enough comments (here or on facebook) I will create phone cover printables in a variety of designs and post them next week.  Let me know what kind of design you would like to have!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

DIY Hard Shell Travel Case

Happy Thursday!  I know I say this every week, but boy do the days fly by!  At least the weather is nice... or at least it is where I live.  Anywho- today I want to share with you a project I have been meaning to get working on for quite some time now.

Let me explain:  In high school and college, I spent a low enough amount of money that I could keep track of all my spending in my head and by frequently checking online.  Well, now that I am married, it is harder to keep track of all the money going in, going out, from his card, from mine- it's a lot!  My husband keeps track of expenses using a computer tool, but we have to keep receipts to enter them in manually.  So... for the first time in my life I have to save my receipts.

Thus far, I haven't been doing so well.  Because of that, I decided to take my own spin on the travel baby wipe cases and make myself something to hold receipts as soon as I get into the car.  Clever, right?  I (and my husband) are hoping it works.

{I love how "adult" it looks- no baby wipes here}

{How to Make it}

Gather your materials and a hot glue gun.  From start to finish this took me less than 20 minutes!

I wont go into too much detail, since this basic idea can be found on "how to decorate baby wipe cases" tutorials.  I will however; give you a few hints on things I learned along the way that might help.

First, cut 2 pieces of fabric slightly larger than the case front and back.  Proceed to glue them directly to the case.

This is where mine is different:  Most of the tutorials you see have a piece of ribbon running along the edge to hide the end of the fabric.  I did not want that look, so I made my fabric long enough to fold into the inside of the case.  Before doing this, make sure your fabric is thin enough that the case will close!

{I let the fabric pieces overlap where the front and back meet *just a little* so that no plastic could be seen}

Second,  Finish gluing down all of the edges.  After I had already glued mine on, I wished that I had given myself more fabric to work around the closure clasps.

Third,  Attach any ribbons, buttons or other embellishments that you desire.  As I have mentioned a time or two: I love lace!  So, that is what I used.  It is entirely up to you.

Finish it off by cutting any loose threads or in my case, actually cutting the fabric off of the clasps.  I tested to see that it would close (because of thickness) but did not check the clasp part- oops!  Oh well, it was an easy fix.

{That's it!}

Really.  Quick and easy and really cute (at least, I think so!)  I am using mine to hold receipts so that they don't get lost in my purse, the bag or my backseat but you can use it for anything!  For some really neat ideas check out a post from Tip Junkie.  She has 12 awesome ideas including my favorite, a travel earring case!  I guess these cases aren't just for babies anymore.

P.S.  Are you loving the fabric I used?  Check out this post to see another project I did using fabrics from the same set.  I can't get enough of them!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE!  Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion