DIY Back To School Supplies Organizer or Art Kit out of a Cosmetic Bag

So it's back to school season, and I have been stretching my brain to think of a better way to keep my girls school supplies organized.  Normally they get one of those little plastic boxes that don't stay shut, break easily and won't fit everything in the first place.  If we are attempting to keep the backpack organized, why are we stuffing everything into one small box?  There has to be a better way!

So at the store last week I had a moment of genius.  (I love those rare moments when that happens:)  I had my kids with me picking out all of their crayons, markers, pencils, scissors, tape and who knows what else, and I knew that within a week the crayon box would be broken and everything would be at the bottom of their backpacks.  Then we passed the cosmetics department and it struck me that a cosmetic traveling case would be the perfect thing to organize our school supplies.  

The case had four different compartments, including a breathable one for the paint, and the windows were see through so they could find what they were looking for easily.  Best of all the compartments zipped closed, stayed closed and the whole thing folded up easily to fit in my daughter's back pack.  My preschooler can do this.  Yay!

Compartment 1 I used for the scissors, glue and stapler.

The next compartment was filled with fun stickers.  These aren't really critical for school, but fun to have anyway.  

Compartment 3 was made with mesh so I put the paint in that one.  If the paint or brushes aren't completely dry when she has to put them away they will be able to finish drying and not smell bad.

The last compartment was the largest so I saved it for all of the crayons, markers and colored pencils.  Right now they all fit in even in their boxes.  When the boxes break she can still keep all of the individual crayons and markers in there and be able to see through the clear case to find the colors she wants.

My favorite part was folding the entire thing up and fitting it easily inside her backpack with plenty of room to spare. 

This kit is also great as an art supplies organizer for the home.  If your kids love to cut, color and create like mine do the mess can become a little bit overwhelming.  This gives them the ability to care for and keep track of their own supplies, and the lack of mess makes me one happy mama!