Positively Positive Folder

Hey everyone! Today I was sitting in Career Discovery (a long, boring class, honestly) and was fiddling with my binders. I then took out some paper that was in my little fox folder and realized something: my Math papers and my Career Discovery papers were both in there with a whole bunch of random flyers.

I pondered for a moment, trying to figure out how to make a folder "exciting" enough for all of my Career Discovery work. So I came to the conclusion that I needed a folder that would keep me happy in Career Discovery without disturbing the rest of the class or the teacher. So here is the folder I came up with and I hope you enjoy it!

Step 1: Get Your Stuff Together

For this project, you will need...
•1 unused/blank folder
•Sharpie or pen
•Pencil
•Paper (construction and computer)
•Ruler
•Scissors
•Tape
•Eraser (if your pencil doesn't have one)
•A VERY POSITIVE MIND SET

Step 2: Think Positive!

So the first thing you have to do is come up with A LOT of positive phrases. If you are giving this to someone, think of all the reasons you like them. Is it because they make you happy? Is it because they make you laugh? And if it's just a folder for yourself, think of why you like yourself. Here are a few phrases I came up with:

•You make me happy!
•You are beautiful!
•You are lovely!
•You're terrific!
•You're marvelous!
•You're sweet!

Those are just a few of the many phrases I came up with. Yours will vary depending on how positive your mind set is. If you are not a very positive person and have trouble seeing the bright side of things, then this is probably not the right project for you=)

Step 3: Start to Write!

Now it's time to write down your phrases. I chose to write them in pencil first so that I could do it correctly and to my standards so that later, I could trace it with Sharpie. So light write your first phrase in pencil. Then draw any shape around it. Different shapes I thought of were clouds, hearts, diamonds, and circles. I chose to draw clouds, as you can see.

Draw your preferred shape around your phrase in pencil to your liking. This is like your rough draft. You are simply outlining the things you're going to trace later on. Repeat this until you have filled up the page with positive phrases.

Step 4: Doodles!

Who doesn't like the occasional doodle? If you would like, draw cute little doodles that express what makes you happy. For example, I drew an ice cream cone as my first doodle. Ice cream makes me happy. Very happy.

So draw doodle here and there and have fun with it. Be as random as you can be! And don't forget that the theme of your folder is positivity=)

Step 5: Your Rough Draft

This is how my rough draft looked after I finished it. I love cute things that remind me of sweets and summer, so most of my doodles were related to summer and cuteness.

Step 6: A Side Message

I have a motto that I follow every single day. Every. Single. Day. That motto is as follows:

Smile every day. Every. Single. Day.

This motto helps me remain positive in the worst of situations. For example, my life science pretest came back with a grade of 58%. I really had hoped that I had done better, but I smiled to myself and complimented myself for trying my best. Luckily, it was not for a grade. Good thing. Very good.

What is your motto? Is it a positive one? What is a phrase you think of when dealing with a horrible situation? This is probably the phrase you want the largest, so save extra space for it.

Step 7: Time to Trace

Tracing time! Using a Sharpie, trace the letters of your first phrase. Your Sharpie can be Ultra-Thin, Fine, or Normal, but Bold is not suggested. Lightly trace the words and remember that it doesn't have to be perfect. You can always go back and erase pencil, but not Sharpie. Be careful and think of the consequences that will occur if you trace the pencil sloppily. No pressure=P

Step 8: Not Bleeding Through

If you trace the pencil too hard, then the Sharpie will bleed through your folder. As you can see, the Sharpie did not bleed through the folder.

Step 9: Completed Yet Messy Bubble

Here is my traced version of the first phrase I wrote. As you can see, it has a lot of pencil marks and errors, but later on, you will clean it up=)

Step 10: All of the Phrases Are Traced

Now make sure that you have traced all of your phrases.

Step 11: Trace the Shapes

Now trace the shapes that you drew around your phrases.

Step 12: Tracing Doodles

Now carefully trace your doodles. I suggest that you use and Ultra-Thin Sharpie to trace your doodles, but I used a Normal Sharpie and I like the way it turned out.

Step 13: Time to Decorate the Insides!

Now you can decorate the inside of your folder. This will include but is not limited to:

•Labels
•Positive Messages
•Fun Shapes

You will need scissors, a pencil, a ruler, construction paper, tape, and a Sharpie for this part, so have your materials at hand!

Step 14: Measure Your Paper

I measured my paper so that I could make side that I had enough paper to make my labels and shapes. This was all in good efforts to reuse paper, so this part is optional=) Turns out that my paper was 8"x12".

Step 15: Measuring the Label Slots

On most folders that you can buy almost anywhere, there are normally little slots meant to hold labels at the bottom of your folder. Measure the length and the height of this in order to determine the exact size of your label. My measurements were 1 3/4"x3 1/4". I decided to add and extra 1 1/2 to each side so that the label had room to slide in.

Step 16: Making Tick Marks

Now, on your paper, make little ticks by the measurements of your label so that you know how large to make it.

Step 17: Cutting Lines

Now make the cutting lines for your label. They should be as straight and lever las possible.

Step 18: A Snug Fit

Now cut out your outline and gently slide into the slot to test if it fits. If not, make necessary changes to the label to fit snugly into the slot.

Step 19: The Labels

Depending on what you're using your folder for, your labels will be different. Since I have Career Discovery, I have both class work and homework that needs to be filed, so I made labels for them. I don't really like the way the construction paper labels came out because I guess the material it's made of sort of makes the Sharpie spread, so I don't recommend using that paper.

Remember that your labels can be removed, so if you would like to reuse the folder for something else one day, you can always remove it.

Step 20: Geometrical Fun!

I decided to have some fun and cut out shapes for my folder's inside. Here are some geometrical shapes I recommend cutting it for the inside of your folder:

•Hearts
•Clouds
•Stars
•Clouds
•Flowers
•Circles
•Triangles

The shapes are up to you and so is this step! Be as creative as possible and find something that inspires you as an individual.

Step 21: Motivation and Decoration!

I am one for positive reinforcement and motivational strategies. When I finish my work or do something awesome, I personally feel that a pat on the back is well deserved. So I wrote some notes on my geometrical shapes so that whenever I feel as though something is too complicated or difficult, I won't feel like automatically giving up. Here are a few motivational phrases I use when promoting motivational behavior:

•Way to go!
•You did it!
•Awesome job!
•Great job!
•Thumbs up!
•Amazing!
•Well done!

Think of a few things that motivate you. Is it rewards? Your family? Your friends? Try to ponder upon the different things and/or people that really help you test you limits.

Step 22: Decorating the Back of Your Folder

Now it's time to decorate the back of your folder. I devoted this entire section to my favorite doodles: sweets! I am always doodling during my free-time, and those doodle are sweets 99.99% of the time. Here are some "sweet" ideas on what to doodle:

•Candy
•Sweets
•Flowers
•Shapes
•Mustaches

Be as creative as possible and make sure to trace and erase!

Step 23: The Final Product... Enjoy!

So this is how my folder turned out, and I was very pleased with the outcome. I copied this design into the back of my writing notebook and other folders, but this is by far my favorite one.

I really hope you enjoyed this, and please show me some pictures of your new positively positive folder=P And also leave suggestions for any new crafts you would like me to make! I am so happy that you saw this and hopefully you enjoyed it! Thank you!