I always loved being a student.

And I really mean always, from Kindergarden all the way through college graduation. The clubs and activities! The stacks of textbooks full of exciting new knowledge! The lunches!

Ok, no, I didn’t like the lunches, I’m not a crazy person, just a very nerdy one.

Those good old school days may be over, but nothing appeases my inner student like cracking open a brand new notebook. I know I’m not the only person who gets a thrill when the back-to-school supplies hit the shelves, so this project is for us—DIY ombré notebooks for us hopelessly nerdy crafters.

Rachel of The Crafted Life has been wowing me for ages with her ombré craft projects. They are totally beautiful and impressive—that cloche!—but I admit I’ve been a bit skeptical…could it really be that easy? Really, Rachel?

Well I finally decided to give it a go and use her ombré technique for this DIY, and I have to say—it really is easy. And awesome. And I now want to ombré-ify all the things.

So THANK YOU, Rachel, for being endlessly talented and inspiring, and for letting me share this fabulously simple method here on Jade and Fern!

DIY Ombré Notebooks

Skill Level: The Easiest

Time: 10 minutes tops (plus drying time)

What You Need:

• plain notebooks (I love these Moleskine ones)*
• spray paint (this is the gold spray paint I loooooove)*

*Affiliate links. This means if you purchase, I will earn a small commission at no extra charge to you, which is pretty sweet because it helps me pay blogging bills, so thank you! I will only link to products I have used or would use myself, pinky promise!

What You Do:

Step One – Lay your notebook on an old sheet or drop cloth in a well-ventilated area.

Step Two – Spray the bottom half of the notebook with light coats of spray paint until you are satisfied with the saturation of color. You don’t want to spray up towards the top of the notebook—it’s actually the overspray that creates the ombré gradation.

Here’s an extremely pixellated and teeny-tiny gif to show you how:

Step Three – Let the notebook dry according to the instructions on the spray paint. And you’re done!

Now I’ve got THREE new notebooks for jotting down project ideas and to-do lists and dreams and doodles and…

What do you miss the most about school?

Be sure to swing by Rachel’s incredible blog (as if you didn’t already know about it!) for more incredible projects and techniques—this girl really knows how to inspire!

I’m off to see what else I can ombré up…