A really simple and useful recycled art project from a toilet roll tube.
A simple pen holder to keep your pens safe on a fridge door.
I don’t use post-it notes to remind me of things I need to do on my fridge, I use a white board pen it saves on paper and is more environmentally friendly to write directly onto my fridge for reminders of important dates, dinners ideas etc…
My white board pen has lasted me 2 years so far and hasn’t run out yet, but I’m always misplacing it so I made a pen holder for my fridge, to keep it in by recycling a toilet roll tube, don’t worry the toilet roll tub was never used in my bathroom, I’m afraid those toilet roll tubes get recycled at the recycling center in my house. What can I say the idea of using a toilet roll tube that has come from the bathroom freaks me out.
If you don’t like the idea of recycling a toilet roll tube you could always use a kitchen roll tube instead.
To make your own Recycled Pen Holder
You’ll Need:
A Toilet Roll Tube/Kitchen Roll Tube
Picture from an Old Magazine
Scissors
Double Sided Sticky Tape
Glue Stick
Ribbon
pencil
Tips before you start:
Instead of using a picture from an old magazine to cover your toilet roll tube, you could use newspaper, wrapping paper, pages from an old book or paint it it’s up to you.
For the ribbon I used a piece of ribbon that you get inside clothes on the shoulder area to hang them on coat hangers, but you could use string or an old shoelace or you could eliminate the ribbon altogether and stick a magnet to the back of the pen holder
To attach the pen holder to your fridge I used a magnet that I already had, but you could use a suction cup hook.
What to do:
1. cut a picture out of an old Magazine you have lying around, make sure it’s big enough to cover the length and width of the toilet roll tube, giving extra at the top and bottom edge.
2. Place a strip of double-sided sticky tape across the top and bottom edge of the picture you’re using on the reverse side (the side you don’t want to use). With the glue stick apply glue to the middle of the picture making sure the edges are well covered, don’t go over the double-sided sticky tape.
4. Remove the protective backing from the double-sided tape, start at one end and roll the picture around the tub. Wrap the picture around the toilet roll tube, making sure not to wrinkle the paper as you go.
5. Cut 4 even sized slits into the paper at the top and bottom where the double-sided tape is and tuck it into the inside of the tube.
6. On one side of the inside of the toilet roll tube place a strip of double-sided sticky tape.
7. Push in the bottom of the toilet roll so it meets where the double-sided sticky tape is and pull sticky tape down on top of it.
8. With a pencil push down on the inside of the toilet roll tube to make sure the two sides are firmly stuck, I also used scotch tape on the inside at bottom of my pen holder to make sure it wouldn’t come apart. I found the pencil a useful tool in doing this by placing the tape roughly where I wanted it then using the pencil to put it in place at the bottom of the tub.
9. punch a small hole at the back of the pen holder from the inside outwards, using the point of your scissors and thread the ribbon through and tie it in place, if you’re using a magnet don’t do this step glue your magnet to the back of your pen holder.