Seriously, Toilet Paper Roll Art? Yes!

When I first came across the idea of creating art using paper towel and toilet paper rolls, I’ll admit, I was a little weirded out by it.  I don’t know why, but I guess the idea of hanging them on my wall just seemed kind of strange and wrong.  But then disgust gave way to curiosity, and then fascination, and now, my current status is TOTALLY on board!  Why not?!  Not only are they cheap, they’re practically FREE!  And believe it or not, some really cool things can be made out of them.  And I’m willing to bet that if I hadn’t told you what I used to make this, you probably wouldn’t have guessed it. Today I’m going to show you how to make this toilet paper roll art mirror.

For my first TP Roll “experiment,” I decided to make a Paper Towel/Toilet Paper Roll Mirror:

Materials I used: Paper towel and toilet paper rolls, scissors, glue gun, spray paint, small mirror (I purchased mine at Michaels.  Most craft stores have them near the candle section.)

Here’s what I did:  First, I pressed down and flattened the rolls so they would be easier to cut.  I then cut them into approximately 1/2 inch wide circles/strips.  The easiest way to do this is to cut each roll in half, then keep cutting each section in half until they are about 1/2 inch wide.

  

Then, I played around with different designs until I had an idea of what I might want it to look like.  In the end, I kind of decided to just wing it.  Then I hot glued the pieces together.

After I had it all assembled and glued, I spray painted it.  I used a satin oil-rubbed bronze because it’s what I had on-hand, but any color will do.  I probably wouldn’t go for a glossy finish though just because flaws will be more visible, and since we’re working with cardboard, it might not be your best bet.

What are your thoughts? Creative? Awesome? Horrible? Weird?  Let me know!