Toilet Paper Roll Art

I wanted to do this from the moment I saw it. Alex was a bit anxious about it, and I think he still is. Ultimately I think it came out pretty cool. I saw two designs for this - one that was a spiral and one that was a flowerly flowy one. I went with the latter.

Where I got the idea from: Cut Out and Keep

Time: 2 hours

Shopping List:
Krazy Glue
Bobby Pins
Clothes Pins
Lots of Toilet Paper Rolls, Paper Towel Rolls
Spray Paint (I used Georgia Clay)
Nails (and a hammer)





I used 8 or so Toilet Paper Rolls, 4 Paper Towel Rolls, and a used wrapping paper roll. The problem with the wrapping paper roll is that the flowers were smaller than the others. So if you are using this, I would make sure it is a larger roll (like Christmas paper). I ended up using the wrapping paper roll for smaller flowers & the leaves.

I started using rubber cement then switched to Krazy Glue. Use Krazy Glue...it dries much much faster!

My Final Note: I started using clothes pins. I didn't get the tight flowers I wanted, because clothes pins are thick. The Cut Out & Keep website suggested bobby pins. So I grabbed a pack of bobby pins and used them. They were much better, and enabled me to keep most of the flowers aligned. When I was gluing pedals together (rather than the individual flowers), I used clothes pins, because they were easier to grip & pull off. 

Instructions
1. Prep: To start, cut all of the rolls into thin strips. Maybe 1/2 an inch? This all depends on how thick you want it. They don't all have to be the same size (although you want them close). To cut them into strips, you can flatten the toilet paper roll (this gives the flowery look). Plus I'm not sure how you'd cut them easily if you didn't!

2. Making the Flowers: What you'll want to do is make several flowers (if you end up going with the spiral, only do one flower and then glue pieces spiraling out). To make a flower, take five toilet paper strips. Put a little bit of Krazy Glue near the edge of one roll and hold together another roll like so. Put a bobby pin on them to hold them in place. Continue on with the remaining petals.

3. Glue together: Glue together the flowers in a winding pattern. I used the smaller pedals as leaves pushing out. It's really up to you.

4. Spray Paint Once you are finished, Put your creation on a drop cloth & spray paint. You'll want to move around in a circle to be sure you get all edges. I did one thick coat which took about 30 minutes to dry (it was about to rain so I didn't have the benefit of that wonderful Georgia sunlight).

5. Hang: I suggest putting in two nails first then hanging your art. This will help ease the strain on the artwork as you are hanging it (it is after all painted cardboard paper...). You can manipulate it to give the curve/whatever you would like.

For being a really inexpensive project, I think it's definitely a high impact! Now back to that old wreath for my mother-in-law that I have to finish...