DIY Preppy Scooter Makeover

Helmet / Butterfly Shorts / Tank / Emma’s Sandals / Lucy’s Sandals / Bunny / Scooter / Basket

You might remember my DIY gingham pumpkin tutorial (when Emma was a baby!), which was shared by Reese Witherspoon’s brand Draper James. I remember being so excited by that. And today, I’m sharing a fun Draper James-inspired scooter makeover!

Draper James Striped Dress / Draper James Floral Dress / Draper James x Tretorn Sneakers

Both my dresses are on sale right now!

First of all, I can’t believe the scooters came out as well as they did. I’m one of those DIY moms who screws up projects just as often as she’s successful with ’em. 😆 But this one was a huge success!

Here’s Noodle, showcasing what the scooters looked like before. (And Mitch’s progress on the outdoor shiplapped wall, which I’m loving! He’s almost done. Post on that soon.)

DIY Micro Kickboard Scooter Makeover

We’ve owned and loved these scooters for several years. My friend Barbie was the person who introduced me to their magic; she explained that they were so much better than the originals because they fold down and can be slipped under strollers or taken on planes. (They fit in overhead compartments no problem!)

We love them, but the girls and I have long talked about personalizing them and adding some fun Draper James-style gingham and lemon details. Blinged-out scooters, if you will, haha. And this summer, we finally did it!

Here’s how:

Disassembling scooter and/or taping

I originally thought I was going to disassemble the scooters and spray each part separately. This is definitely the recommended way to spray something with moving parts; you certainly don’t want to jam things up. But disassembling proved to be very challenging, and even my handy father recommended against it while he was out visiting. Instead, he said, wrap and/or tape.

Sanding the scooter

Sanding metal and plastic? Huh? I know. It’s a strange concept, but it’s necessary—otherwise you risk that the paint won’t adhere. This could cause chipping and flaking. So I used some fine grit (high number) sandpaper and roughed the thing up. Took no more than 10 minutes! After I was done, I wiped it down with a tack cloth.

Spraying scooter with primer + paint

I went with this spray primer + paint in one. It worked wonderfully. (I recommend satin or gloss.) I set out a tarp and then sprayed against the wall since we’re covering it with shiplap and painting it anyway. But normally I use this small spray tent for projects like this, and it minimizes overspray.

I did three coats of the shimmery pink paint, waiting about 20 minutes in between. I then let it dry overnight, and repeated the entire process with the parts I wanted to spray white. (Wrapping, taping and three coats.)

When all was said and done, I had a couple of areas that needed some touchup, but nothing too difficult! I sprayed a small amount of paint onto a paper plate and used a little paintbrush to cover mistakes.

Note: If there are visible drips, you can sand them off and then re-spray. To avoid drips, though, hold the can as far away from the object as the directions indicate. Each brand is a little different but you’ll get the hang of it quickly!

Making decals

When I think Draper James, I think gingham and lemons. :) So I bought a watercolor lemon digital file from Etsy, printed the lemons on transparent sticker paper, and used my Cricut to cut them out. (Any Cricut will do the job done, though! If you’re a beginner, I recommend the Cricut Joy.) I stuck the lemons all over the folding mechanism, which you can see in the below photo. (This sticker paper is really great for customizing school supplies and water bottles, btw!)

Cricut Design Space also has a new automatic monogram function, and I was dying to try it out! For the monograms and names, I used permanent white vinyl, and a brush-on clear sealer on top once they were in place.

Making “hubcaps”

I had some wooden star and heart cutouts leftover from another project so I painted them white, stuck lemons on them, and hot-glued them to the wheels to make cute hubcaps. Because why not?! (Side note: This is the best hot glue gun ever.)

Bedazzling

As many of you know, five-year-old Lucy has been diamond-obsessed for years. (So fitting considering her name, haha!) So I added some glitz with this inexpensive bedazzler that my friend Abby recommended. (She bedazzled like 50 pairs of cheer shoes and I’m traumatized by just hearing the story. 😆)

It’s super easy! The gems come with glue on the backs of them. You simply put the gem in place, hold the heating pen to it, wait about 20-30 seconds, and boom: bedazzled.

Changing grips and adding streamers

I decided to use comfy faux leather handlebar grips so that I could also add gingham streamers (made from ribbon) to Lucy’s scooter. Tip: use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Put it on the handlebars, and the grips should slide right on! (I tried without it first, and no dice. Even Mitch couldn’t get them on!)

For the streamers, I hand-sewed them about a quarter inch into outside holes of the faux leather grips. I used a brown thread so that it would blend in with the stitching.

Installing baskets

This makes the whole project, in my opinion! I found this basket on Amazon and knew it was perfect, as it converts into a little purse once you park and lock up the scooter. (You attach/detach with velcro. Very easy!) I also wove in some of the leftover gingham ribbon.

(Emma eventually got one too; hers was just delayed so I temporarily put her bike basket on!)

Helmets / Butterfly Shorts / Tanks / Emma’s Sandals / Lucy’s Sandals

The grand reveal

The scooters were a huge hit! The girls were so excited to take them on a scoot, and the makeover has definitely renewed their love for an old toy. Lucy in particular is obsessed. She will spend all day packing, attaching and detaching that little basket. And she’s crazy for all the light blue gingham as she’s going to be in a production of The Wizard of Oz this fall!

We’ve gotten a few questions about the scooters from friendly strangers while scooting around, and the girls are always so proud to say that they helped to make them. Of course, now they want to make over their bikes, too. Maybe next year, Ladies. 😉