Back to school DIY: Personalize your child’s gear with this popular crafter's glue

The back-to-school shopping list may be fully checked off, but a student isn’t ready to go to school without every last item bearing their name so it doesn’t get mixed up with their classmates’ stuff.

A cottage industry of custom stamps, labels, and more has sprung up, particularly on social media, catering to parents looking to easily personalize their children’s belongings. But for parents with multiple children, or those simply looking to save money, all you need is Mod Podge.

The glue is beloved by crafters for its ability to seal and dry clear, with either a matte or gloss finish, on a variety of surfaces. And it’s dishwasher safe.

A previously purchased bottle of Mod Podge recently came in handy as I shopped online for stickers I could use to personalize the blank surface of the new gray water bottles I bought for my children going back to school. Not only did the bottles need to be labeled to set them apart from their classmates’ water bottles, no one needs incessant arguing over whose water bottle remains when one inevitably gets lost.

With letter stickers in a variety of colors purchased for a long-forgotten project, I was able to spell out each child’s first and last name on the bottom of each water bottle. Once each child’s name was aligned along the bottom of the bottle, I used an old paintbrush to smooth two layers of Mod Podge over the letters of each bottle.

No stickers? No problem. Parents with a steady hand could also simply print their child’s name with a marker on an item, and use Mod Podge to seal it.

Mod Podge is inexpensive – ranging from $5 to $8 for an 8-oz. jar at stores such as Walmart, Target, Michaels, Joann Fabrics or Amazon – and can be deployed for multiple uses. Since I already had all the materials on hand, I didn’t spend anything else to label my children’s water bottles. That saved money can now go toward the exorbitant cost of Picture Day photos.

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