Scrap Cloth + Tin Can = Recycled Pen Stand?

A week had passed since my mom was nagging me about the scrap cloth I brought home from my local thrift store. "What do you even want to do with it?" she kept enquiring, while I didn't know quite myself what was to be done with this seemingly useless item I purchased. A few more days pass by, and I get my hands on a tin can of beans. Removing the label and grabbing my hot glue gun, I knew exactly what I had to make out of it.

Another pen stand for my never-ending collection of art supplies.

Not only did I make a nice pen stand, but it also makes for a nice emergency handmade gift for any special occasion!

This project shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes per holder, and it's a really nice way to recycle some scrap around the house into something practical and customizable! Let's get to it!

This project doesn't use a lot of materials, and can even be done as a fun craft for younger ones, or as activities at a party!

SUPPLIES

-Any scrap cloth of your choosing

-Cleaned out tin can of desired size

-Hot glue sticks

-Lace/Ribbon for decorations (or anything you want to put as decor!)

TOOLS

-Hot Glue Gun

-Scissors/Hobby knife

-Patience :)

That's the basics you'll need! Feel free to get any extra ornaments, ribbons, buttons, whatever you can think of to decorate this thing!

Your first step will be to cut your cloth, leaving extras on the top and bottom of the tin can, and enough for it to comfortably wrap around the entirety of the can. Make sure to leave excess to allow for some surface area for the hot glue to stick on.

Measure twice, cut once.

[BE CAREFUL, HOT GLUE CAN HURT IF YOU AREN'T USING IT WITH CAUTION]

Apply a line of hot glue to one side of the tin can. Press it slowly and firmly into the cloth along one edge, applying pressure on a firm surface like a table.

Roll the can around slowly on the table until the hot glue is spread out enough for the cloth to be stuck safely and securely on the can.

In case you couldn't get the edge of the cloth to stick, that's fine! Even I didn't :p

To fix this, just lift the unglued edge, apply a line of hot glue, and repeat the steps before. Roll it gently on a flat surface to evenly spread the hot glue

Once the initial line of hot glue is dried enough, Roll the can over, until it almost overlaps. Make sure there is no slack in the cloth around the can, and once again, apply your hot glue to the edges.

Roll the can over the glue, pressing firmly down as you go. Eventually, you should end up with something like the picture!

Once you are done with the sides of the can, you are left with the excess on the sides of the can.

For the bottom, what I did was

-make tabs/ cuts every inch or so

-start with the innermost tab, applying glue in the center, and firmly gluing it in place

Repeat these steps until no more tabs are left, and you should end up with the base complete! Make sure to pull the tabs a little bit as you glue to them, to prevent any unwanted creases and slacks in the cloth from developing.

We're almost done!

The next step is to fix the excess cloth towards the top. Simply folding it in unfortunately does not work, so we will have to repeat the steps we did for the base.

Cut out tabs once again, about an inch apart. Starting with the innermost tab, apply a small line of hot glue, and fold it inwards. Repeat these steps until all the tabs are glued in place

Once again, make sure to pull the tabs a little bit as you glue them, to reduce slack and creases in the cloth.

Most of these steps are for decor, but I suggest you add something to give it more depth.

I also got some lace from the thrift store, which perfectly matched the colour of the cloth.

Simply use more hot glue, and glue the lace evenly around the circumference of the can. A quick and easy step for a huge change for the aesthetic of your final result!

I also ended up sticking some ribbon to the base afterwards, which made the holder pop out even more!

That's about it for this project! A quick and easy way to put some trash to use! Feel free to use them for whatever you like!

These were so fun to make, that I ended up making 3 in total :p

Feel free to share your attempts at this! I would love to see what creative ideas you all have!