From Boring Pottery Barn to Unique and Useful!

[MeganBarbour]

This is my first Craftster challenge, and I've had a great time participating! My project is a container that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as: A stand alone decorative object, storage container, vase, coin jar, or candle holder!





I made it so a standard jar (such as a spaghetti sauce jar shown above) could fit easily inside. This way it can be used for real or fake flowers. It also helps if using the container as a storage device for some objects, like coins or pens, that might damage it.





Used as a vase..





Used with lights (or candles)..





I made the top thick enough so that it could be used upside down as well. The  bottom is a solid coil, so when turned upside down it has an enclosed top - giving it a more decorative sculpture look than the open top.



Close up of the bottom.



Close up of the side coils.



Close up of the side base.


My Process:
I cut up about a million strips of magazine paper (about 2 1/2 inches) then folded into a strip about 1/2 inch wide. Then I coiled that strip around the tip of my finger and glued that down to make a small cylinder. Then I just wrapped more strips around and around until that made a large circle to make the bottom (see the bottom close up picture). Next I kept gluing the strips but raising them 1/4 inch high and higher to make the sides. I then made all the small coils in the center using the same process I did to make the bottom but made the strips about 1/4 of an inch rather than 1/2 an inch. I glued those coils to the base one at a time. To make the top I used the same process I did for the bottom except that I removed the center of the circle to have it be an open top. Finally I glued the top on to the coils in the center and covered the entire piece in about 3-4 coats of Mod Podge!


Thank you for checking out my little creation!!

[Angelicus]

Wow...I love this...I think it looks especially pretty as a candle holder. I can't quite work out how you made the circles though? Did you cut out circle shapes and then stick them together?

[MeganBarbour]

Thanks so much! Sorry, I should have written more about my process.

I cut up about a million strips of magazine paper (about 2 1/2 inches) then folded into a strip about 1/2 inch wide. Then I coiled that strip around the tip of my finger and glued that down to make a small cylinder. Then I just wrapped more strips around and around until that made a large circle to make the bottom (see the bottom close up picture). Next I kept gluing the strips but raising them 1/4 inch high and higher to make the sides. I then made all the small coils in the center using the same process I did to make the bottom but made the strips about 1/4 of an inch rather than 1/2 an inch. I glued those coils to the base one at a time. To make the top I used the same process I did for the bottom except that I removed the center of the circle to have it be an open top. Finally I glued the top on to the coils in the center and covered the entire piece in about 3-4 coats of Mod Podge!

Hope that helps!

[Belladune]

very unique and pretty!

[grenouille78]

All that folding must have taken forever. Wow!

[Dragonflower]

I especially love it as a light holder, but wouldn't candles set it on fire?
Very pretty, though; I love the side swirls.

[MeganBarbour]

Thanks! If you put a candle in alone it probably would - I was thinking one of the longer candles that sit inside a glass jar

[jedimindcrafter]

This is amazing! I'm soooo doing this!

[pops]

wow this is so cool! well done indeed *double thumbs up* 

[gypsypunk]

this is cool, I thinks I'll consider recycling your idea, too!