Tuesday, September 27, 2011

DIY+Pregnant Brain



Without getting into too many details-the baby is going to be a little longer than we thought. We were afraid that she was going to be early, and now that she isn't, I sort of feel like I'm living life in limbo.
I don't know if it's just me, or women in general, who find the strangest tasks to pass time until a baby arrives.

Suddenly, the weirdest things pop on to our 'to do' lists, and become oddly important. And the tasks seem to grow weirder and weirder with each baby.

Right before I had Reuben, for some reason, I decided that my living room futon needed a new cover. Not great timing, but not so strange.

Before I had Zeke, I needed to get all my Christmas cards done early-not just written, that wasn't good enough. They had to be handmade as well. Oh, and I had to make a bunch of "snowflake" ornaments that I had seen in a Martha Stewart Kids magazine, out of pipe cleaners and borax. Yes, that's right, pipe cleaners.


My mom also contributes to this fun little routine-I think that she nests right along with us. When I was pregnant with Zeke, she decided that for some reason, I had too many kinds of salad dressing in my refrigerator and dumped them all together into one bottle-and then afterwards laughed about how that probably wasn't really helpful but it just seemed so important at the time.

That, and that's what her Mom always did to "help". Grandma even had a sick little motto about her own tendency to condense one's refrigerator contents..."Best kinds mixed!!"

I couldn't help but laugh last week, when the two of us sat in my living room, and we found ourselves performing the strangest tasks yet-all in the name of "getting ready for baby."

 Well, maybe not stranger than the salad dressing.

Mom had suddenly decided that it was time to pair my family's odd socks. I had quite a stash, several bags actually, and she got them all out and started playing go-fish. She actually found quite a few matches. Apparently I do not need to add socks to my Christmas list this year.

I, on the other hand, found myself cutting up toilet paper rolls, and actually using them for crafts, like I was a first grader all over again. 

After getting some raised eyebrows from Mark and my sister when they found my hidden stash of empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls-and I refused to tell them what they were for, I got down to business.

Cross legged on the couch, huffing and puffing through "false" labour (lemme tell ya, there ain't NOTHIN' false about contractions-whether they're doing anything productive or not) and gluing bits of cardboard into a floral pattern.

As absurd as it sounds, it didn't turn out half bad. I plan to take this carnival act one step further and bring spray paint into the game-something bright and shiny, and hang it on the wall over the little Miss's crib.

For the record, after he saw the finished product, even Mark admitted that my strange little creation was actually kinda cool.
...


If you'd like to make your own flower, all you need is toilet paper rolls (or paper towel rolls) and craft glue.
Flatten the rolls, cut into bands (a toilet paper roll should give you about four circles).
Pop them out a bit so that you have a flower petal shape, and glue together on a flat surface, in any pattern you desire!

64 comments:

  1. Awesome! I want to make one now! ;)
    www.ahmusing.etsy.com

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  2. Awesome! I want to make one now! ;)
    www.ahmusing.etsy.com

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  3. i found my self in your same position, only AFTER the baby came, hoarding toilet paper rolls. i too felt like a third grader, but art happens in weird ways....

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  4. Hello?! It looks fantastic! I have quite a stash of those myself...there may be some similar DIY in my future.
    And your stories...well once again you've cracked me up. So great.

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  5. First time reader, found my way from Pintrest. Love this idea. My nesting involved planting a garden, and re-organizing my Tupperware and cabinets. My parents ended up coming over and tearing down my deck and helping us re-build a new one! Amazing how we all get crazy right before the baby comes.

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  6. These would look great spray painted in colors of your choice...make larger ones and spray black and use them as wall art.

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  7. Love it. I just made a bunch of stars! Now I want to glue them all together and make this! Just put your image on my blog (after I saw it on Pinterest)!!! Good luck with the birth...my daughter is due 12/6 with her first! Maybe you've already had your baby?

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  8. Super cute and super simple! Easy to spray paint in any color you want too :)

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  9. I think i'm leaning towards spray painting it white or bright red. I made it quite a bit bigger too...i'll post it once it's hung on Lottie's wall!

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    1. Did you ever post a picture, I'd love to see it!! I might make one too!!

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  10. love this idea, so cool, so pretty. great job!!

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  11. What a great idea and the finished product looks too polish to be made out from toilet rolls. :)

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  12. I had a good chuckle over the mixing of salad dressings. :-) Your flower is very cute!

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  13. Oh my gosh, you hit the ocd nails on the heads! We thought our little miss was coming 2 1/2 weeks ago and now we're at our due date and everything is done. So I made a "Cowgirl Bib" for her today and was trying to figure out my next project for tomorrow when...The mighty pins of Pinterest led me to your blog and this wonderful entry.

    THANK YOU. I now have something to do tomorrow besides stare at the clock and shove food in my face.

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  14. I think I *might* make a Christmas wreath with the same technique. (I do laugh at myself, for calling any craft based on available toilet paper rolls a "technique"-however, I lack another word to replace it, so Technique it shall be!)
    Jessa, HANG IN THERE. Lotte was born recently enough that I still completely feel that anxiousness.
    It's true though, that soon it will all be over and a month will FLY by and it will feel like she was just born "yesterday". Really.
    Until then, putter away at anything that will keep your mind off the fact that your overly exhausted body hasn't given birth yet. Anything-even if it's toilet paper rolls.

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  15. wow!sweet and simple!ill try it..

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  16. I featured this post on a series I do on my blog about five uncommon things to do with common items. This week? Toilet paper rolls, of course.

    Check it out if you'd like:
    http://oliveobserver.blogspot.com/2011/12/fivethingsfriday-toilet-paper-roll.html

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  17. I loved this idea when I saw it on Pinterest. Already created one myself. Just read your post tho and wanted to say I hope the baby is here now and all is well!
    Cheers!

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  18. Great idea! Thanks so much for sharing

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  19. So after sitting on my office floor working my rear off all day, I decided that I was going to make one of these during my relaxation time before bed. I then realized in my adventure to declutter my home, I threw many into the recycle bin and only had 4 left. I'm a little bummed and I can't wait till we go through a few more rolls. :)

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  20. I just made one, I spray painted it teal a put bright green and purple glitter on it, and glued an old little pin/ brooch right in the center. Love it.
    Thanks for the great idea.

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  21. awesome idea, can't wait to try it out

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  22. awesome & inspirational, not to mention great recycling - gonna use it for my girl scout troop recycling project! :) thank you!

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  23. Great idea and very nice!!! Thanks for sharing!

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  24. I'm going to try this using the cardboard bands they put on coffee cups. Very cool idea, thanks!

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    1. Fantastic Idea! I saw a wreath made out of those once, only they had cut leaf shapes out of them. It was really pretty!

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  25. nice..i like that im starting now..lol

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  26. Love this project! So easy and very cheap! I've been saving toilet paper and paper towel rolls for about a month so I can make a bunch of these! Great idea :)

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  27. Love it!! I used to stuff toilet paper rolls with candy and decorate with fabric and ribbon and sell them at craft shows!! So this is brilliant!! Have to start saving up again!! :)

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  28. Love it!! I used to stuff toilet paper rolls with wrapped candy and wrap with fabric tubes and ribbon and sell them at craft shows!! Guess I better start saving again!! Brilliant!!

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  29. Love this. Did it this weekend and spray painted mine. Will use it for a staging project.

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  30. Love it! How would you hang this on the wall?

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    1. Hi! I just used a simple 2 inch nail. I'm sure you could hang it differently though;)

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  31. we made some that look like raindrops...wonder what they'll look like in the bathroom...

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  32. Just pinned this! I have to make this for my bedroom wall...Love it!!

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  33. Thank you so much for this great idea! I had planned to do some stenciling on a kitchen wall, but this is almost the exact same design I wanted! And free. I made one last night after reading this post. I love it!!

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  34. I'm adapting this to make tree leaves. I have a lot of tempera paint, so I used a 1" sponge brush to paint the tubes inside and out. Once they're painted I'll cut them and touch up the edges. The transparency of the paint adds some visual interest, too. I tried cutting and then painting, but painting first is so much easier! (Spray paint isn't an option; I'm doing this at work for a display.)

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  35. Very cool! Nice idea! Thank you for sharring. I might just do it in red carton paper that I already have. Question: How do you hang this?

    Thanks :-)

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    1. I just put a nail in the wall and hung it by the top petal! voila :)

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  36. To me it looks like a snow flake so I painted mine white and sprayed it with glitter.

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  37. I finished a project similar using the tp rolls and it came out great. I just didn't know how strong the spray paint job was. Very strong even for outside. Its drying downstairs in the basement cuz I couldn't take the fumes anymore and they're still floating upstairs! But I can't wait til its completely dry and I can hang them up!

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  39. Awesome paper craft DIY tutorial . Love this idea. Thx 4 posting.

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  40. Due to the pandemic (and also a hoarder of random craft supplies), I now have TONS of toilet paper rolls, and SO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS... Thank you for this tutorial, haha!!!

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