UnPaper Towels - Improved

Here's the second set of UnPaper Towels I've made.  

It was great to use the serger to finish the edges very professionally. 

I paired the 100% cotton grey flannel with this winter pattern which also included some grey along with teal and cranberry.

I included 10 towels in the set - 5 of each fabric.

They measure 10x10 inches square.

There are many ways to store and use these.

They can be rolled onto the roll from your paper towels.  They cling to each other nicely and would roll off just like the paper towels used to.

Whether you have a paper towel holder that sits on the counter or one that hangs under the cupboard this roll should work the same as before.

Once used, they can be handled just the way wet towels would.  A container under the sink until they head to the laundry should be just fine.

I thought I would try recycling a tissue paper box to hold them and I think that works quite well.  This box was too shallow to hold all of them but there are deeper ones.

If they were folded in such a way that one would pull the next one out  that would be cool but maybe more hassle than its worth.

A basket, a box, a bag would all be options.

This set is 100% cotton fabric and in bright primary colors.

I paired a deep turquoise color and red.  Beautifully soft.

Again, 10 in the set with 5 in each color.  

I have tied the set with a large twill tape and added a tag to explain what they are and how to use them.

These rolls will be donated to the fundraiser to be held later this year.

The Craft Kingdom - Project 3 - Toilet Paper Roll Flower

I was inspired to try this craft after reading a book called The Craft Kingdom.  You can check out the website and the toilet paper roll wall decor video is featured there.

I did not want to do home decor so I decided to do a flower.  I will share my up and downs on making this project.
Of course, collecting toilet paper rolls just happens.  I stored them until I had enough. I thought I was going to make 3 flowers but in the end I did not. More about that later.















I flattened the rolls then I cut my pieces 1 inch wide which generally gave me 4 per roll.  I discovered later that they don't all have the same diameter so pay attention if it will matter for your project.  You will see that my flower petals are longer than my leaves pieces.  I was lucky I noticed before I painted.

I elected to paint my pieces and decide they should be under coated so my yellow would be vibrant.  I used white paint for the first coat.  Be careful how wet you make these because they can fall apart when wet.  I painted the outside and the inside.

Once dry, I painted them again.
I then applied 2 coats in the same way in yellow for the petals and green for the leaves.

The challenge came when I assembled my flower. Hot glue does not stick to acrylic paint very well so the flower would not stay together well. I had to add some double sided tape to have it hold. Next time: Either assemble with hot glue then paint it OR assemble with double sided tape.  I mounted my pieces to a green bamboo skewer. I glued a brown button in the center of the flower on both sides.  I loved using sand in a small vase to have it stand.

On the left is the introductory page to this craft in the book.

This wall art in the book is very pleasing and the color comes from the different brands of rolls which are used.  In some the cardboard is darker and others lighter.

She has used that to her advantage in the placement of the pieces.  For me color did not matter as I painted them.

I hope you are having a great summer and enjoying craft time with the kids. Try this one out for a good time and a super cute project in the end.