#CanYouTopThis Craft Challenge & $300 Giveaway

Twas the night before #CanYouTopThis,
And all through the house,
Everyone was asleep,
Except Mama Mouse.

Her head starting spinning,
With a lot on her mind.
So she worked all night,
to make the deadline.

And she did!

When I found out I would be one of five leaders to host the next Elmer's #CanYouTopThis Challenge, I was excited...and overwhelmed...and clueless. But, don't cry for me Argentina. My love for crafting never sleeps {neither do I}. I went right to the drawing board {pun intended} and came up with a few ideas on how I could turn an Elmer's Tri-Fold board into a work of art. Don't threaten me with a good time...or a challenge!


First, I went shopping for Elmer's crafting supplies at my local Walmart. This was nothing out of the ordinary for me. I'm always in the craft aisle and always at Walmart. Here is my whrrl of the shop:

Powered by Whrrl

This is not the actual project I wanted to create. I have about 3 more ideas that I will attempt to make over the course of this contest. For my first project, I decided to make: A Toilet Paper Holder/ Plant Stand.

Don't ask me why this idea came to my head. I may have thought about it while I was in the bathroom (TMI, I know). I just hate it when all the toilet paper is gone. Some of us store it in a closet, which means we have to get up, go to the closet, and return to the bathroom. If you have a TOILET PAPER HOLDER in the bathroom, you can just grab and...roll with it. I can't help myself!
Here is what you'll need to get started on this project:

• Elmer's Tri-Fold Display Board {cardboard or Styrofoam - I used the smaller board}
• X-Acto Designer Series #1 Craft Knife
• Elmer's No-Wrinkle Rubber Cement
• Elmer's Craft Bond Acid-Free Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive
  
• Elmer's Construction Paper, 88 Count or scrap pieces of paper
• Glue Gun and glue sticks
• Scissors, Pencil

{you'll discover along the way you may need to add a few items, based on your preferences}

Here are the steps you need to take to create a TOILET PAPER HOLDER/PLANT STAND:

    

1. Draw a template of a square. You'll need one for the base of the holder {a bit larger than the other pieces} and 1 for the bottom and top of the holder {also needed to add height}. My base was roughly 8.75 inches and the other pieces were 7.5 inches. Place the template on the Tri-Fold Display board and trace.

2. Measure 18 inches long and 5.75 inches across for your panel pieces. You'll need 3 of these.

3. Measure 5.75 long and 5 inches across for your shelves. You'll need 3 of these as well.
*all measurements are approximations. I had to use a lot of trial and error, as well as editing.

4. Cut all the pieces out using your X-Acto Designer Series #1 Craft Knife. Try to be precise, but remember these pieces will be covered later.

 

5. Decide on paper to cover the panel pieces (3). You can choose the same colors or mix it up, like I did. I used a book of scrap paper from Colorbok, but you can use Elmer's Construction Paper, 88 Count for basic colors.

6. Using Elmer's Craft Bond Acid-Free Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive spray a panel piece. Be sure you have the paper ready. This spray adhesive does it's job well. The paper will stick immediately, so place it correctly on the foam board. You'll need scissors to cut the access paper off in order to cover the piece exactly on one side. Do this for all 3 pieces and the shelves.

 

7. Use a glue gun to put the panel pieces together. Line the edges along each other, the long side, to form a 3-sided box.

8. Starting at the  bottom, insert 1 of the shelve pieces. Measure up approximately 6 inches {and mark} two more times. This is where the other 2 shelves will go. Glue them inside of the box structure.

9. Create the base of the holder. Place the largest piece {approx. 8.75 inches} down. Then, add the other 2 slightly smaller pieces using a glue gun to secure it. You can cut out more of these pieces if you want to have a thicker base. Two worked fine for me.

10. Glue the holder to the base using a glue gun.

At this point, you are almost done. You would just need to add the top piece with a glue gun. I was going to originally spray paint the outside, or put more decorative on the outside {in which case you would have done it along with the earlier step}. However, I wanted to add texture to my holder and I wanted to be a little more creative. 

I recently broke my favorite bamboo-like room-divider from IKEA {sad face}. It was made of tiny pieces of wood that would be great for a craft project. I put them to use.

11. Pour Elmer's No-Wrinkle Rubber Cement generously over the side of the panel. Spread it over the entire area.

12. Place the wooden pieces however you desire. {You could also use scrap paper, magazine pictures, comics, leaves, buttons, foil etc. to cover the outside} Use the glue gun to secure the top and bottom for added support. Cover the base and front as well.

13. Place the last piece {approx. 7.5 inches} on top of the holder using the glue gun. You can cover the edges with wooden pieces now. You can also add a piece of decorative paper to the top using the Elmer's Craft Bond Acid-Free Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive .

Clean up any edges with the X-Acto Designer Series #1 Craft Knife. I also like to use nail filers as sandpaper. They work like a charm to fix rough edges too. And don't forget the most important part — the toilet paper of course!

That's it. You're done!

Now, show me YOUR creativity. I want to know #CanYouTopThis? I know you can, so why not WIN while doing so.

Giveaway:


Three (3) crafty winners will have the opportunity to TOP THIS project and win a $100 Walmart gift card.

To win:

• Head to your local Walmart and buy a Tri-Fold Display Board {you must use this} and get creative! You can create any kind of project, a craft project, a school project, or a display. 
• Once you have completed your project write a blog post or Facebook note (make sure it is public so we can see it) showing photos of your project and how you made it.
• Enter your project on the following blogs listed below (please refer to the individual rules for entry on each blog). You may enter on each site. For this blog, leave a comment with a direct link to your project or attach a thumbnail of your project in the linky at the bottom of this post.

Mallery Schuplin         http://www.mallerysdeals.com
Jolon Hull                   http://savvychicsavings.com

Michele McGraw         http://scrapsofmygeeklife.com

Keonte' Smith             http://www.mommy2k.com

Becca Ludlum            http://ourcrazyboys.com

• You must use the hashtag #CanYouTopThis whenever you refer to this giveaway in your post, on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, all the time.
• The deadline for this giveaway is January 5, 2011.
• Visit the Can You Top This site for inspiration and more information. 
• Good luck. Go create!

Disclosure: I was compensated for my time and as a project leader for the #CanYouTopThis campaign. I am also a member of Collective Bias. The opinions and views expressed are my own and do not reflect those of the sponsor.