In our school district, starting middle school (6th grade) is kind of a right of passage. The kids go from minor movement around the school to a full complement of classes in different rooms, a different teacher for each subject, and a locker to stop by in between so they don’t have to carry everything.
The locker is of course the main place, outside of clothing, where a true expression of self can happen. Decorating your locker is met with excitement and trepidation. Especially when you have never had a locker before and have no clue how you’ll actually use it.
My kid got the old style, full height, metal locker. Honestly, it’s bigger than he is. Since it is metal, we went hunting for magnets for his door. Things that could help make it his, but be useful as well. After hunting and failing to find what he wanted, I got the brilliant idea to just try and make something.
He loves all things space and we want him to be able to hang pictures, notes, and his schedule in his locker, so we figured why not clip magnets. After much searching, that eventually evolved into oversized wooden clothes pins that we could decorate.
At first, I thought to try the decoupage technique Keva used on cans, but decided on washi tape instead. We found a fun box of 24 different celestial rolls and got creative.
The tape rolls were just slightly more narrow than the clips. We tried some overlap and some angled combos. He decided he liked the angled ones better. I had him pair the rest of the rolls into his favorite combos.
I laid out the tape pieces on the clothespin and left some overhang to be trimmed neatly to the edge later. It wasn’t the easiest around the metal springs, but it worked. What I found didn’t work was folding the tape over the edges. They kept peeling up. Wouldn’t even stay glued down. But a sharp pair of scissors at the right angle worked just fine.
I also found magnets that were just slightly more narrow than the clothes pins. A little hot glue on the back and we now have a set of magnet clips that help him keep his locker organized and shows off a little of his personality.
I know how kids are with things and I didn’t want them falling apart before he got them to school so I let the hot glue set for nearly 24 hours. Also, the tape can get scraped or peeled off. Luckily, we still have tape left over.
I’m now trying to convince my husband that we need a few for the fridge.
Everyday Sisters 