Paper Towel Art

When I first saw art done with cardboard rolls, I thought it looked so cool.  I also thought it was easier!  I learned some things as I messed around with making one for my daughter's room.

The idea is simple.  Cut pieces off of paper towel or toilet paper rolls, arrange them prettily and glue.  It does sound simple, right?  Maybe it's me.  I have a way of complicating things at times!  So...

Here are some tips from my experience:

• Try to cut the pieces to the same height.  If you do not, when it is hung on the wall, it won't stay put.  Also, it just looked careless.

• Painting, I thought, added to the look of this wall art.  At first I thought I could just throw together colors. That looked way too chaotic for me.  I redid my piece using one color for each flowers, and mixing it up that way.

• Play around with your arrangement before gluing.  Try different things and pick what looks right to you.

• Using paperclips to hold the pieces together while the glue dried worked nicely.

• Scrapbooking scissors gave the flowers a nice textured edge-I should have made all the leaves flat and all the flowers scalloped.  Be careful though!  The scrapbooking scissors are usually pretty small, and it works way better if you can cut in ONE single line.  Otherwise the cardboard frays and tears.  Again, just looks messy and careless.

• Some people say Elmer's glue or rubber cement worked.  Not for this chick.  I used Mod Podge because after having the first one fall apart several times from the weight of it hanging on the wall had me mumbling under my breath.  I didn't want to have to put it together yet again.

Overall, I like the way it turned out.  I would like to try it again.  Maybe decorate a frame in this way...but I need a break.  I will think on it, and go back to it at a later date.