Ring Around The Rosy Vase

This is one of those aha! projects

Posted by Workman

About

One of the best techniques for turning humble materials into something spectacular is through the use of repetition. One rolled strip of magazine isn’t so special but dozens, stacked up to cover a simple glass vessel, make it spectacular. This is one of those aha! projects: People won’t be able to tell what this vase is made from at first, but their oohs and ahhs will only increase wh"en they discover the secret!

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You Will Need (11 things)

  • Glass Jar (clean peanut butter or jelly jars from the recycling bin work well)
  • Pencil(s)
  • White White Glue
  • Decoupage Medium
  • Small Brush
  • Round Implements of different sizes for rolling (a pencil, thin marker, and wide marker work well)
  • Ruler
  • Self-healing Cutting Mat
  • Magazine or catalog
  • Craft Knife
  • Noncorrugated Cardboard circle (at least 1" wider than the circumference of the jar)

Steps (11 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    Tear out a handful of sheets of magazine pages. Use the craft knife, ruler, and cutting mat to cut 1?4" strips down the length of the magazine. Cut about 600 strips in total. Note: If cutting gets tedious, continue with steps 2 and 3 for a spell and then return to step 1.

  2. 2

    Select a paper strip and choose a cylindrical object to use as a rolling instrument. Starting at one end
    of the paper strip, roll the paper around the object once, then brush some glue on the next section of the strip and roll again. Continue rolling, adding glue at each rotation, until you reach the end of the paper strip.

  3. 3

    Dab glue at the end of the strip to seal the coil. Optional: To make a thicker roll, once you reach the end of a strip, attach another magazine strip there and roll it around the first. Repeat for an even thicker roll.

  4. 4

    Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the remaining strips and various rolling instruments to create coils of different sizes. Then, brush each roll with decoupage medium and set them aside to dry.

  5. 5

    Use the pencil to trace the bottom of the jar onto the cardboard, add 1" to the diameter, and use the craft knife to cut it out. Then measure and cut a magazine page in a circle 2" larger in diameter than the base.

  6. 6

    Brush one side of the cardboard circle with white glue and center and press it facedown onto the magazine circle. Use the craft knife to cut slits 1" apart from the edge of the magazine circle to the edge of the cardboard circle.

  7. 7

    Brush the edges of the magazine circle with glue and wrap each 1" tab around the edge of the cardboard circle.

  8. 8

    Brush glue along the outer edge of the circle and attach a row of paper coils around the base. Vary the size of the coils, making sure that the edges of each coil touch the next.

  9. 9

    Continue to glue the paper coils, stacking them in uneven rows. Every three rows, brush the inside and outside of the vase with decoupage medium and let dry. Leave more space between the coils as the rows stack higher.

  10. 10

    Check the height of the vase by placing the jar inside it. Add paper coils until they rise about 1" above the glass jar.

  11. 11

    Remove the jar. Brush the inside and outside of the vase with decoupage medium and let it dry completely before replacing the jar.