bag to school, bag to school...

I had a few titles for this post, 'Gettin' my Design Nerd ON', 'I 'totes' made this', 'Tote-al Nerd', 'Welcome to Nerd Town', "It's Hashbag, not Hashtag, you losers" etc etc etc. I settled on "bag to school, bag to school" because it allowed me to daydream for a moment about the Adam Sandler movies of my youth (where my 'cool-ness' clearly peaked) and don this baby with a pun. 

As I shared on Monday, I'm heading back to 'school' to study design, something I've wanted to do for yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaarrsss (emphasis added, there's nothing wrong with your browser). I'm officially a Mature. Aged. Student. This means 

1. I arrive early to class
2. I ask lots of questions
3. I dominate group conversations
4. I tell bad jokes that my classmates likely believe only their own mothers would appreciate
5. I make friends with the tutors
6. I am insanely enthusiastic and over-excited about everything I'm learning

My enthusiasm to 'get-study-right-this-time' has borne itself a compulsion to organise my new art materials in the most practical manner possible. 

Enter: Weekend Project/School Bag

It's a back-pack, to ensure weight is dispersed evenly across both sides of my body. As a Mature. Aged. Student, I do need to consider my ongoing health before style.

But wait, there is more. The bag has one A3 size pocket for all my books, as well as a series of smaller pockets made to fit my materials, my favourite of which are the pencil pockets, separating my HB's from my 4B's (we wouldn't want to be armed with the wrong 'B' when creating a masterpiece, would we).

After posing for this selfie, I'm slightly concerned the bag sits a little low for ergonomic purposes... Oh dear, I really am a Mature. Aged. Student. Not to mention, loving it. 

Why consider a DIY or fix up over buying something new?

• Practicality: You'll get exactly what you want, instead of something not-quite-there
• Cost: It is far cheaper than buying something new
• Care: It is much kinder to the environment to use things you already have, or to make from scratch (especially with second hand materials) than buy mass-produced items.
• Story: One of the best things about a DIY is that you not only have the item itself, but the pride that comes with making and the answer "Oh, this old thing, I made it myself", while others swoon over your style and skill. 

What have you been making lately? Or.... is there a project you've been avoiding? Do share!