Toilet Paper Roll Art

When I painted our living room, I wanted something new for the wall. Something fun and 3-dimensional. Something simple. And, most of all, something that was really cheap or easy to make.

I found something that met all of my requirements on Pinterest! What would I do without Pinterest???

Here’s all you need to do to make your own work of art.

First collect a whole bunch of t.p. rolls. Make sure they are empty. You don’t want white bits of toilet paper hanging from your masterpiece… ;o)

Then mark each roll with a pencil every 1-inch.

Cut them into sections on each line.

Crease at each end so they have that nice petal-shape.

Now you want to paint each one. Some crafters suggested spray painting them. Others suggested spray painting each one individually in a gloved hand to keep them from flying away while spray painting them. Some suggested spraying the entire piece when complete. A few mentioned that if you sprayed them too heavily they got too wet and icky from all the paint.

Whoa! Did painting a bunch of t.p. pieces really have to be that complicated???

I chose my own method. I set up a tv tray, lined it with a plastic garbage sack. Got some acrylic paints (I chose 3 colors instead of just one: gold, black and espresso) and painted each one by hand. First I did all the insides, then I did all the outsides. I watched Downton Abbey while I worked (if you haven’t seen it yet, you HAVE to check it out!) which made it fun and go really fast. Acrylics dry really fast and they were done before I knew it!

This next step also seemed very complicated…. I have no idea why??? That’s why God created glue guns.

Some used craft glue or white glue and held the pieces together with clothespins, leaving their slow-drying projects to look much like a wooden porcupine. I prefer my trusty old glue gun on low heat. Instant dry and no pins!

Begin gluing your pieces together however you choose…

I did mine in this sort of amorphous blob because I liked it the best.

I love the way it looks above the chair! 

But I also liked all of these shapes…

 these squares are from Full of Great Ideas

 

  the rectangle shape from SimplyRealMoms

 I love this one from The Mayberry Home Journal! It reminds me of a chrysanthemum. I think it would be gorgeous done in a bright purple-y magenta color!

 

{Twenty} Something did them on canvas backgrounds for a totally different look!

Tons of great options to match all kinds of decors! So have fun, be creative and start saving those toilet paper rolls!