Upcycled Rolled Paper Frame!
This frame is visually stunning with lots of texture and pops of color! However...it's menace runs deeper. This was the most tedious and time consuming project I've ever wrangled my kids into doing. It turned out stunning, with vivid colors and looks amazing...but it was the most tedious project I've ever tackled! Be warned and proceed with caution!
It all started like this. I had been planning this craft for a while, and my husband was out of town, so it seemed like a good time to catch up on projects. My nearly 12 year old son said "hey mom, can I play Diablo?"and I said "Yes, but help me with this project first".
Famous last words.
I similarly convinced my 10 year old daughter to play along as well...so we had the whole crafty family working together. Minus the 5 year old who was in and out and playing his heart out. (lucky devil) We begun this escapade at 4:02 pm...and finished with the last shutter click at 8:49 pm. Completely SKIPPING dinner! No worries, we had Marshmallow Mateys at 9:00 pm. (Note: I would not do this again)But we made it through all of:
Barbie the Island Princess Brave Frozen and part way into Wreck it Ralph. for this:
It's a great way to recycle old magazines, paper the kids brought home from school...or junk mail!
We also added some Astrobrights Paper in there for some bright pops of color.
(you could use scissors...but that would make this project suck even more)
(you could use glue...but that would make this project suck even more)
You will need: (affiliate links)
- Paper (lightweight)
(you could use scissors...but that would make this project suck even more)
(you could use glue...but that would make this project suck even more)
- Either a quilling tool or a toothpick
- Paint/spray paint for the frame
- Time....lots of it. and movies to play in the background...or an audio book!
Let's begin...right...like I've totally convinced you to make your own!!! Hahaha. Begin by cutting the paper into half inch strips with the paper cutter.
Cut magazines and Astrobrights paper!
Now, fold all those strips in half. Fun, right?
We used quilling tools to get the rolling started and then mostly switched to just finger rolling.
Alternating magazine strips and paper strips. Using the tape gun to tape on additional strips...and finally taping the strip to itself once we were satisfied with the size.
Over and over and over again!
At this point...the point of no return...maybe an hour into the process...we thought we were rocking it! They looked great and we were cranking them out! We made 8 and they look fabulous! Go ahead and make them different sizes.
And then I put them on the spray painted frame...ouch. This was going to take forever to fill that sucka up!
Don't give up! Maybe this would be fun for a family reunion! Everyone could sit around and roll and chat...many hands make light work!
Hailee got tired of rolling, so she switched to just folding the strips...that made it easy for me to roll and use the already folded strips...you just have to make the most efficient system.
Half way! Onto another movie!
I decided to hot glue them in place as we worked...no chance that the tape on those things would give up and unroll!
Plus it gave us measurable progress! Maybe let out a scream at this point!
We spent the last bit of time making tiny little rolls to fit in the gaps. But we wanted some of the teal paint peeking through and were just plain sick of it anyway!
Amazing right?!!! Totally worth the time...right?!!
I really do love the frame! Haven't thought of what to put in it yet...what could possibly merit all that time? Maybe a wedding picture? Maybe a diamond!
It does look super cool. And the kids were proud of their accomplishment! It was like the marathon of crafting!
We probably should have just painted it and decorated it like my daughter did with this frame for me for Mother's day!
After all night, it's finished!
So what do YOU think?????
Was it worth it!????
Would you ever try this????
Totally love it! I think I might have to try it!
ReplyDeleteI really love this. I think it was well worth your time. I had a sroke about 6 weeks ago. I think doing a project like this would be good therapy for my left hand which seems to have a mind of its own lately.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! I love it!!! I'll try it for sure! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletei love it.. :)
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ReplyDeleteThe frame is cool and very beautiful, and you are a funny writer! Thanks you for the post.
xo laura
Beautiful. Love your humour in writing 😊
ReplyDeleteIt's adorable! But I so appreciate your honesty in the process. I was going to do this with my third grade class as a quick 30 minute project tomorrow and you've got me taking a more realistic look at things. Ha. Anyway, thanks! Maybe a project I'd endeavor on my own sometime when I have an afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your wonderful idea! I did your project and it turned out beautifully. I too appreciated your honesty regarding this being a less than fun project so I knew what to expect going into it. Whereas you and your kids finished this in one night, I worked on the frame over 3 or 4 months so it was totally doable.I don't know how to attach a photo or I would have included a pic....
ReplyDeleteLove it! Just really love it! Definitely my kind of project. Thank you for your detailed instructions w/ added commentary!
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Ha in spite of your realistic comments I am tempted to give this a try. It is a horrible rainy day today so it could be perfect!
ReplyDeleteI love It and Will do it....in a more reasonable size though. Thanks for your suggestion! :)
ReplyDeleteI love it and all the fun colors! And I also enjoyed your commentary; you're a riot!!! (At least we know what we are getting into!) And it was also cool that the kids helped you! I think you should put a mirror in the middle so they can all look at it and see who helped make it! :-) Well done!
ReplyDeletei love it.. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing! Way to go in sticking it out to the end. It reminds me of Kandinsky's concentric circles. Love the colors and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! How big was your frame? Wondering if I should attempt a large hallway mirror, as more of a long term project
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think it's about 8 inches wide, the center opening is just a 4 inch square. If you've got a large mirror, I'm thinking long term for sure. Maybe this won't be as tedious for you though, Good luck!
DeleteIi judt finished making this frame. It is only a 4x4 opening. It took me about 25 hrs to finish it. I love how it turned out, but probably wont tackle another one EVER. My fingers will thank me.
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