As long as you are in school, you need accessories, but unfortunately, with prices going up on everything these days, school stationery is also getting expensive. And if you are running out of pencil boxes for colour pencils, markers or pens, here is a cute pencil box you can make from two empty plastic bottles.

The good thing is, if used carefully, this pencil box can last till your next academic year.

Things you need:

1. Two 250ml empty plastic bottles (make sure you use two identical bottles)

2. Pieces of foamy sheet (colours of your choice)

3. One zipper: 6 inches in length

4. Scissors

5. Hot glue

Directions:

1. Cut bottles in half, we will be using the bottom parts only. One part has to be shorter than the other, the shorter one will be used as the upper section of the pencil box; picture 1.

2. Because I am making a mermaid-themed pencil box, so I chose the colours accordingly. Measure the diameter of the bottles, cut a piece from the foamy sheet accordingly. Mine is 6 inches long and 1.5-inches wide; then make a slit in the centre, an opening for the zipper. To add detail and colours, I have cut the blue foamy piece in scalloped shape, see picture 2.

3. Take another 6-inches long and 1-inch-wide blue foamy sheet and cut it in wavy shape; take two inches piece of violet-coloured foamy sheet and cut out mermaid tail from it, picture 3.

4. Paste the blue scalloped piece below the slit on the yellow piece, picture 4.

5. Put some hot glue around the slit on the back of the yellow foamy and paste zipper carefully (you must take help from an elder while using the hot glue), pictures 5 and 6.

6. Paste blue waves on the bottom part of the bottle, picture 7.

7. Paste the mermaid tail in the waves, picture 8.

8. Place the zipper straight, put both parts of the bottle on it, then carefully put hot glue on the zipper and roll it around the bottles, picture 9.

The plastic bottle pencil box is ready, you can decorate it further in any way you like.

Note: Use a small amount of hot glue as heat can change the shape of the plastic bottles.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 6th, 2021