Craft expert Mary Lyons shows how to fashion cardboard paper-towel and toilet-paper rolls into creative crafts instead of throwing them out.
Boot Trees
Materials:
4 to 5 blocks of polymer clay (any color)
glass bottle
2 paper-towel cardboard rolls
pair pantyhose
cotton balls
ruler
favorite essential oil, baking soda or potpourri
Steps:
- Roll out polymer clay to 1/3 to 1/4-inch thickness, using a glass bottle as a rolling pin. Do NOT use a wooden rolling pin because the wood will adhere to the clay. Use enough clay to cover an entire roll.
- Smooth all clay seams together, then trim at the top and bottom so the edges are smooth.
- Place rolls on cookie sheet and bake at 265 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool.
- Work down one leg of a pair of pantyhose from the top to the foot, as if you were preparing to put them on. After reaching the foot, hold open with one hand and drop in a fist full of cotton balls with the other hand.
- Sprinkle a dash of essential oil, potpourri or baking soda on the cotton balls. Make sure the foot is filled with cotton balls.
- Using the ruler as a poker, poke the stuffed end of each stocking through one of the clay-wrapped rolls. The ruler helps send the stocking all the way through.
- Twist the foot 360 degrees so that all cotton balls are captured in the toe end. Ease the foot back into a nice, secure fit at the bottom of the tube. Repeat with the other tube.
- Now that there are two "feet" protruding from the tube ends, use the top of the pantyhose as a handle. The boot trees are now complete.
Other Ideas
- Use toilet-paper rolls as holders for multicolored thread and string.
- Fill the inside of a toilet-paper roll with cotton and use it to store needles or other sharp objects.
Resources The Frazzled Working Woman's Practical Guide to Motherhood
by Mary Lyon
Starburst Publishers, 1997
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Guests Mary Lyon
Author/Artist/Jewelry Designer/Craft Expert, Lori De Waal & Associates
Website:
www.frazz.com
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