Homemade Pencil Holder

This craft will tie in well to any community service project about recycling. Perhaps your group could make these very cute pencil holders and donate them to a local school or charity for office use. You could even put a tag on it detailing how it was made!

Supplies:

• Clean, empty coffee or soup can (make sure the edges are smooth)
• Paint, markers, glitter, ribbon, and other decorative materials
• Scissors
• Glue
• Mod Podge (can be purchased at any local craft store)
• Paintbrush
• Sponge
• Ribbon, scraps of wallpaper, pieces of fabric, buttons, and other decorative objects
• Magazine clippings and/or scraps of wrapping paper

Directions:

1. If you'd like a background on your pencil holder, paint the can and let it dry.
2. Gather scraps of wrapping paper, pictures from magazines, shapes from construction paper, and any other decorative objects you'll use to cover the can. Add a bit of originality by coloring or painting your own designs on a piece of construction paper, then cut the designs out.
3. Experiment with the layout of the wrapping paper, magazine clippings, fabric, and other scraps you'll glue to the can. If you didn't paint a background, make sure you have enough materials to cover the entire can.
4. Start pasting the materials on the can using the Mod Podge and paintbrush.
5. Keep layering the materials until the entire can is covered. Be sure to eliminate all the air bubbles as the paste dries, using a damp sponge.
6. Wipe up any excess Mod Podge around the images with the sponge.
7. Give the can a final coat of Mod Podge.
8. Put the can aside and let it dry completely. This could take several hours or overnight.