Pinday {DIY Vera Bradley iPhone Case}

I am oh-so excited for this week's Pinday!  Here is a peek at my finished product{s}:

                                                                                     

Now for my inspiration.  Have you seen this on Pinterest?

via

Well the moment I saw this pin a couple of weeks ago I knew it was a project I wanted to complete sooner than later.  Isn't the idea adorable and so creative?  The idea came from Erika at Oops, I Craft My Pants.  Erika used scrapbook paper to make different case inserts for her clear iPhone case.  She also used an X-Acto knife to cut the hole for the camera.  Make sure to go check out her post and blog!

                                                                                      

Here is my spin on Erika's amazing idea...

My friend Jami came for a visit this past weekend, and I told her before she came that I purchased a few clear iPhone cases {one for me & a couple to share} to make scrapbook paper cases like we saw on Pinterest.  Jami replied by saying: "I have some of that Vera Bradley wrapping paper leftover from last Christmas.  Do you want me to bring it this weekend to use?"  Ummm...yes, please!!!  I have always wanted a Vera Bradley iPhone cover or skin, but they don't make them.

Well now I have one and it cost me less than $3!!!

Here is a look at the simple process:

1.  Clear Case:  I bought three clear iPhone 4 hard cases from Amazon for $8.67 {including shipping}!  Isn't that a great deal?  I am really happy with the cases.  The only thing I have noticed is once you put the case on your phone it is hard to get it off.  My little brother had to get my case off for me.  

2.  Supplies:  Like I said above, thanks to Jami I used Vera Bradly Reversible Gift Wrap in Very Berry Paisley to make my case inserts.  Right now the gift wrap is on sale for $5.40.  To make the iPhone case inserts all you need is paper of your choice, a pen or pencil for tracing, and scissors.  I didn't have an X-Acto knife, but if you have one it would probably help.

3.  Trace & Cut:  I started off by tracing the clear case and then cutting a little inside my trace lines.  I then realized I could just trace the cardboard insert that came with the case.  Both ways worked fine.  Like I said, I didn't have an X-Acto knife to cut the camera hole, so as you will see I just cut the paper to the shape of the patterns.

4.  Keep it Clean:  The last picture is my secret to keeping my iPhone smudge free.  The pink thing is an eyeglass cleaner cloth and works great!  I was telling my family about it one night and my uncle told me that his good friend {who is an eye doctor} has a ton of them, so the next day his friend brought me like 50.  Score!  :)

And now for the individual photos of the finished products!!!

They make me smile.  Cute.  Inexpensive.  Easy.  Fun.  Do you have a favorite?

After finishing the inserts, I wasn't quite done... I wanted my screens to match my new covers, so I turned to Vera Bradley and Cuptakes {yes, I am OCD - you all know that by now :)}...

via Vera Bradley                                   via Cuptakes                                   via Cuptakes

I am using the two from Cuptakes right now {the first one for my home screen and the second for my lock screen}.  

Well that is my Pinday project this week!  My favorite so far, too!  I am sooo pleased with the results.  Is anyone else going to be tackling this project in the future?  You don't have to have an iPhone.  Just buy a clear case for the phone you have and follow the same steps.  I can't wait to do seasonal inserts!  You could even cut out photos of your kids, etc. for the inserts.  There are so many possibilities.  

                                                                                      

{randomness about my photos:  I use instagram a lot {as you can see}, but I kind of cheat.  I actually take most of the photos with my actual camera - not with my iPhone camera.  I just email the photos to myself and then save them to my phone and spice them up using instagram.  Sneaky, huh?  Do any of you do this too?}
                                                                                       

Now it is your turn to link-up with Pinday!  The 5th sidebar on my blog labeled "Pinday" has all the information you need.  I am excited to read your posts!  Happy pinning, blogging, and linking!!!

P.S. I am also linking up here: