I got a pencil full of lead

I love Anthropologie. I do. But, I have to be careful when I go there. I walk through the doors resolute: 

"This store is strictly for window shopping! ...Unless I find something I like in the clearance section! ...And then if Ryan says it's ok, it's mine!" 

And, slowly, as my cheap Target shoes tread on those perfectly distressed wood floors, and my fingers caress dainty hand-painted knobs, and I waltz through racks of beautiful clothing that I, a lowly housewife with student loans up to the rafters, can't afford, I turn into a pouty-er version of Veruca Salt. With slightly less frizzy hair, thank you.

What I do love about that store is that I always, always leave feeling juiced up on inspiration and creativity. There's usually something there that makes me think, Well I can do that. (Isn't that a nice feeling?)

On my latest visit to Anthro, I happened upon these cute pencils. I turned to Ryan and said,

"I could make these, don't you think?"

Ryan replied, "Zzzzzzzzzz."

And it was settled.

I made those pencils, and they turned out pretty good! If I were to tell someone else how to make them in ten easy steps, I'd say this:

1. Get yourself a cheap pack of pencils, some tissue paper, some Mod Podge, and a little bit of white paint. 

2. Cut out a rectangle of tissue paper, about 7x12in.

3. Slap some Mod Podge on a pencil.

4. Roll that pencil up in your rectangle of tissue paper, leaving about 2-3 inches of overhang past the tip of the eraser.

5. Once the entire length of tissue is wrapped around the pencil, twist the overhang of tissue at the tip of the eraser.

6. Slap another layer of Mod Podge onto that pencil! (I say slap, but you know, brush.)

7. Let the pencil dry! I hung my pencils over my radiators overnight, and they were nice and crispy hard in the morning.

8. Cut the tissue on the end of the pencil into fringe.

9. With your white paint, dab some polka dots onto the pencil. I used the wooden tip of a paintbrush to make my dots, and it worked fantastically. Let dry.

10. Sharpen the pencils, and package them up real cute!

I think they'd make a sweet little Valentine's Day gift, don't you?

And, of course, when I figure out how to DIY this pretty little thing, I'll let you know.