DIY: Pencil Jar

 I needed a handy holder to round up loose pens and pencils on the desk. Lucky for me,  this project was quick and easy and I already had all the supplies. I love the way it turned  out. and the hardest part was remembering to save a can before it ended up in the recycle  bin.

 Materials:

Twine

Can

hot glue gun

 

 

 

Before starting, I ran a can opener around the top of the jar to make sure that the jaggy piece from where the lid was attached was smooth. It would be a big bummer to reach for a pencil and get stabbed.

The beginning was easy enough. I used a little dab of glue to attach the twine to the can and started wrapping twine around just below the metal lip of the can. I wrapped over the piece that was glued down to give it a finished look. I kept the string tight as I was wrapping which helped keep everything even. It also eliminated the need to glue twine to the can along the way. It usually stuck to the glue remnants from the label which helped.

It got a little tricky once I started to wrap around the grooves of the can. Because the twine was thin, it would fall into the ridges rather than lining up against the previous row. But, adding another row was enough to push it all together.

The easiest way I found the keep the rows secured and tight was to hold the can with my left hand with my finger inside and my thumb outside.  I used my thumb to adjust the twine making sure the gaps from the ridges were closed. I used my right hand to pull the twine.

The most frustrating part was the very end. The last 1/4 inch of the can slightly tapers to the bottom ring. Because I was keeping the twine pulled tight, it would slip down leaving huge gaps and uneven rows. I tried holding the can vertically to have a little help from gravity, but nothing was staying put. I ended up pulling out the glue gun and tacking pieces of twine down about 2 times each time around the can.  To finish it off, I made sure to end on the same side of the can that I began to hide the little imperfections. I dabbed a little bit of glue on the end of the twine to attach it to the can and to keep the end from fraying.

When I do this again, I’m going to try starting from the bottom and working my way up. I didnt notice if the top of the can tapered as well. But, I’m going to hope not.

I also tried wrapping some bottles I had saved. My initial attempt was to wrap the whole thing, but with the strange lip grooves, it got the better of my patience and I stopped. My mister came home to a pile of twine, and empty bottle on the floor and knew I was up to no good. I showed him the can and the next thing I knew, half the bottle was wrapped and it was looking good! He finished it up and we have plans for 2 more.

I’m going to use the bottles as either vases for single stem blooms, or as candle holders for long tapered candles to use on the patio when it becomes more than just a home for empty boxes

More projects? Yes!