DIY covered binders

Here’s a super easy tutorial on how you can make those ugly white 3-ring binders – or a folder or even an old book – look a little prettier.

I have 3 of these white binders in my office that hold all my important papers. They contain the things I use almost everyday for my freelance design business and my blog – artwork, stationery, forms, notes. I used to have these binders shoved in my desk drawers because they were, well, ugly white binders. The creative side of me didn’t want to put them out because they didn’t look nice but the practical side of me knew that I needed them to be easily accessible. I don’t usually like my practical side. But the practical side won out and I’ve had these binders sitting on my file cabinet. So I decided to give those ugly ducklings a makeover.

I grabbed my watercolor set {$4.99 at Michael’s} and some copy paper and asked my willing assistant {my 9 year old daughter} to help me paint some designs on the papers.

Here are the super easy steps to create your own binder, folder or old book covers. 

1. Gather your materials: 8-1/2 x 11″ copy paper, watercolor or regular acrylic paints, paint brush, Super Adhesive 77 Spray Mount, scissors, tape and newspaper.

2. Figure out how many pieces of paper you’ll need to cover your binder/folder/book. I used 2-1/2 sheets per binder. Lay out the newspaper as your “drop cloth” and put the copy paper on top and paint away! Be sure to paint all the way to the edges of the the paper and even onto the newspaper if needed. And have fun with the designs!

As you can see, the copy paper wrinkles with the watercolor but that’s ok. I knew if I used heavier paper, it would be hard to adhere it to the binders. Plus, most of the wrinkles will get smoothed out when they are glued to the binder.

3. Once the papers are fully dry, tape them together {on the back sides} to make one long sheet. Again, I taped 3 sheets together so I was working with a final piece that was 25-1/2 x 11″.

4. In a well ventilated area, lay out more newspaper and put your long painted sheet on top. Spray the back of that sheet with the spray mount. This stuff is very sticky but it is the best adhesive around!! Starting at one edge, adhere the paper to the binder and wrap it around the spine and onto the other side. With scissors, trim the excess paper where it ends at the other binder edge. Smooth out any wrinkles and edges with your hand.

5. You can add binder titles with a sharpie. I really loved the way the paintings of the binders looked when stacked next to each other so I didn’t write anything on the spine of the binders. And I used a fun, freehand font to match the designs.

So now I no longer look over from my desk to see those ugly white ducklings and instead I see fun, colorful swans that make me smile. We had no guidelines for our designs, we just used lots of colors and had fun painting. And I loved the results! These binders look so funky and fun on my file cabinet. And they add such a nice touch to the wall of kids’ artwork that’s hung above them. I know these binder covers won’t last forever but I’ve had mine for a few months now and they’ve held up really well, especially with everyday use. And they’re easy enough – and fun to do – that you can make new covers as you need them.

Enjoy your weekend and happy Mother’s Day!!

If you’re still in need of a gift for Mother’s Day, check out my DIY tray that you can personalize for your Mom and then serve her breakfast in bed on it! It’s also being featured over at DianaRambles.com.