DIY Harry Potter Desk Organizer

Learn how to make your very own Harry Potter desk organizer for your desk or workspace using cardboard tubes and scrapbook paper!

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Hello Crafty Friends! Create a fun Harry Potter-themed desk organizer using cardboard tubes and scrapbook paper! Harry Potter’s birthday is July 31st and I love sharing Harry Potter-themed crafts this month to celebrate. I made this desk organizer for my son last year and he loves using it. It is perfect to keep on his desk and sturdy enough that he could take it with him to other parts of the house when he wants.

I designed this desk organizer with the first Harry Potter book in mind. The front of the organizer reads “The Adventure Begins” with a picture of the Hogwarts Express. In the book, after the students journey to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express, they are sorted. The first cardboard tube of the pencil holder represents the sorting hat and then the four tubes that come after represent the four houses students can be sorted into; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

This pencil holder itself is crafted using cardboard tubes from old Cricut Vinyl rolls. Almost all of my DIY desk organizers are created with these tubes, which are really thick and sturdy – especially when adhered to a wooden base.

How to Create a Harry Potter Pencil Holder

Supplies Needed:

Cardboard tubes – I used cardboard tubes from Cricut Vinyl rolls
Harry Potter scrapbook paper
- I used this Wizard 101 Collection Kit by Reminisce (it came with 8 sheets of paper and a sheet of stickers)
- This Witches and Wizards Collection by Echo Park Paper is also cute
Harry Potter House Stickers
Acrylic paint – I used brown, red, green, yellow and blue to match the paper
Piece of wood (2″ x 9″ x 0.25″) – I purchased mine at Joann Fabrics, it was 24″ long and I cut it down to 9″
Double-sided tape
Hot glue
Paper trimmer or scissors
Chipboard

Making the Cardboard Tubes

Step One: Carefully cut cardboard tubes to measure 4″ tall. I used the cardboard tubes that come in Cricut Vinyl rolls which are really thick and strong. They measure 1 5/8″ in diameter and are 12″ long. I cut the tubes into three pieces that were each 4″ tall. Since the tubes are so thick, I mark them with pencil then use a craft knife to carefully cut through them.

Next, paint the top of each cardboard tube using acrylic paint that matches the paper each tube will be wrapped in. Be sure to paint the top edges and paint inside the tube as far down as you can.

I chose to use five cardboard tubes for my pencil holder and planned to wrap them in paper from a Harry Potter paper stack I had leftover from my HP Funko Display Case I made a few years ago.

Step Two: Cut paper to fit around the cardboard tubes and wrap each tube using double-sided tape.

Assembling the Organizer

Step Three: Cut a piece of wood to fit the five cardboard tubes. Paint it using acrylic paint.

Once the tubes are covered with paper, glue them to the piece of wood using hot glue. Line up the tubes so they are flush with the back of the piece of wood – this will allow enough room to decorate the front of the organizer. *Tip: Attach the cardboard tubes to one another along the paper seams, this will hide the seams!

Decorate the Desk Organizer

The Harry Potter-themed paperstack I used for this project came with a full sheet of stickers. I decorated the front of the pencil holder with one of the large stickers that read “The adventure begins”. To make the sticker a bit more study, I first placed it on a sheet of chipboard and then cut it out before hot glueing it to the front of the organizer. Next, I also added a house sticker to the front of each cardboard tube from one of my favorite Harry Potter Sticker Sets.

*Tip: It helped to use a ruler to place the house stickers so they were all level with one another. I placed them 2″ from the wooden surface.

The Harry Potter desk organizer is finished! I love how it turned out and it was a simple and quick project. You can wrap the cardboard tubes in solid cardstock that matches the house colors or in any Harry Potter-themed paper you find.

Filling the Desktop Organizer

I filled my son’s desk organizer with pencils and pens that matched the house colors along with a few Harry Potter-themed pencils that came in a themed Advent Calendar from a couple years ago. The pencils have spells on them including Expelliarmus, Lumos and Alohamora. A broom pen is also really fun to pop in the organizer!

Harry Potter-themed Desk Accessories

I hope you enjoyed this Harry Potter-themed craft! If you’d like to see more fun HP crafts, please visit my Harry Potter Craft Page!