Most of us like to buy the coolest accessories for our smartphones or tablets. Some make our smartphones even smarter, others take gaming on tablets a step further. Then there are accessories to protect our smartphones and tablets. Basically, there are countless things you can buy for your favorite mobile device, but why buy them when you can make them?
Not only are some of these makeshift solutions a showcase of ingenius creativity, they are also easy to replicate and can help you save your money for other purposes. We’re expecting office supplies to go missing a lot as a result of this list but go ahead and grab and idea or two. Unleash your creativity with these DIY examples smartphone and tablet accessories.
Docks & Stands
iPhone Paper Dock. Awesome origami work by Julien Madérou. Get some thick, sturdy paper, a pair of scissors and fold it like so, and you've got yourself a nice-looking paper dock. The best part is you can have several docks placed in strategic spots in your home or office. Cutlery Smartphone Stand. Bend some cutlery and fasten them together to create this cool looking iPhone stand. Or you could buy it from
ForkedUpArt off Etsy for $27.50.
Binder Clip Stand.
Richsipe bent the ‘arm’ of one of the two binder clips needed for this project that gives you a simple smartphone stand.
Pencil & Rubber Bands. This is probably the result of a lot of tent-building or a fascination with angles and corners by
Tim White. Still, it looks pretty sturdy.
Binder Clip Smartphone Holder. Two large binder clips, one unused credit card and you have yourself a holder. Nifty and simple trick by
David (dkfotog).
iPhone Box Stand. Remember that piece of plastic holding your iPhone in place so that it won’t move about inside the box? Well
Gorodin added some binder clips to that with some double-sided tape and made a very simple iPhone stand.
LEGO Tablet Stand. LEGO lets you create anything with endless possibilities. With a few pieces of LEGO you (or your kid) have,
Brett Rowley teaches you how to create a sturdy and good-looking stand in minutes.
Ikea Tablet Stand. Ikea or similar hardware stores are great places to hunt for resources to create your own cheap tablet stands. All
Stephen Wong used was an Ikea bracket and screws to make a very simple stand.
Protective Cases
Leather Envelope Case. A cool-looking smartphone case created by
Kate Pruitt that looks like an envelope made out of leather. It does require some specific tools to sew together, but it sure has a classy look in the end, doesn’t it?
Leather Smartphone Sleeve. Another smartphone sleeve made out of leather.
Cathe Holden has included step-by-step tutorials on the measurements, where to cut and sew the pieces together so you can easily make your own design to fit your phone measurements.
Leather Smartphone Wallet. Since you’re making your own casing,
Kirstin decided to add a few pockets for your ID, driving registration or credit cards.
Felt Electronic Cases. Like the feeling of felt on your fingers?
Laura does! Grab some felt in the color you like, buttons and string and start carrying your devices around in envelopes.
Gliterry Cases. Ebay is a great source for cheap and plain cases for your device. All you have to do now is to get some supplies like glue, glitter and maybe ribbons to create the most unique and sparkly cases like how
Grace Bonney has created.
Quilt Fabric Case. These (ice) cool carrying cases by
Straight Stitch Society can securely hold your device with space for a few identity or credit cards and a small set of keys with the metal ring.
Felt & Fabric Case. Felt is cheap, easily available and can be mixed and matched rather easily which is why
Michael Ann has chosen to use it to create a case. It’s also not hard on the surface of your delicate device.
Yarn Smartphone Case. Another cute case, this time, made of yarn.
Trish was able to complete it on bus rides, a fun way to pass some of those long commutes. Personally, I’d go for cookie monster blue, for effect.
Wood & Leather iPhone Case with Penholder. Some classy work by
Patrick Ng was put into making the leather piece that would protect the face of the iPhone and at the same time hold a pen, or if you prefer, a stylus.
Hardcover Book Turned Into Case. Originally an idea for a laptop,
Emmatennis turned this hardcover book into a case by drilling some holes and sewing the zippers to seal the book. Solid protection for those larger 10-inch tablets.
Smartphone Slip Case. Another simple DIY sew-it-up case by
Laura. The tutorial shows measurements to fit a Kindle Fire but could easily be modified to fit different-sized devices.
Felt iPad Case. Felt is a very inexpensive and easy-to-find material. With felt,
Stef & Erin created this simple iPad case. It does require a bit of sewing but the simple step-by-step tutorial will guide you through.
E-Reader Sleeve. Another great design put together by
Jessica Kelly with some fabric that hold your tablet. The unique thing about this sleeve is the additional pocket in front for your other things.
Fabric Tablet Cover. Not fond of strings as your preferred holder?
Dixie Mango used some hook-and-loop fasteners (Velcro). It could work just as well too.
Cute Felt Case.
The Singing Sunflower created this with felt and filled up with cotton, this case feels like a soft toy from the front but has a zipper at the back that securely holds your device.
More DIY Accessories
Cheap Homemade Stylus.
Collin Cunningham made a stylus out of sponge, wire, tape and an old pen. Seriously, you could do this yourself too.
Homemade Projector For Tablets. Here’s a projector for your tablet, made out of a magnifying lens (Fresnel lens), a box and some duct tape. An awesome and creative project by
Grant Thompson.
Smartphone Macro Lens. If you have an old lense from a disposable camera lying around, try turning it into a macro lens for your smartphone, with some wires.
RVogel sure has put something meant to be thrown away to great use.
Car Mount with Binder Clips. No phone holder in your car, no problem!
Repeet13 Used two clip binders, did some slight modifications and voila!
Battery Power USB Charger.
Ladyada built this battery powered USB charger. The link provides everything you need to create your own and where to buy parts; definitely a great weekend project.
Smartphone Speaker Amplifier Did you know putting your smartphone into a paper cup instantly amplifies the sound from your speakers? You can thank
Sam Stephenson for the great tip!
