DIY Pen Holder

My girls decided they wanted to share a room.  I didn't put up a fight because I have been secretly waiting for them to share a room so I can finally have my own office ;)   I discovered after I moved into the office that I needed a place to put all my pens and pencils.  I'm more of a DIYer than a "go out and buy it" type of person so I decided to make my own pen/pencil holder and get the kids involved in the project to! I keep all of our used tin cans (whether its from canned veggies or spaghetti O's) I wash them out and store them in a box in the garage for ideas, such as this, that pop in my head.  So here's a tutorial on how to make your own pen/pencil holder or have your kids design you one.

Here is everything you will need:

*Cleaned and dried tin can
*Blank printer paper (you can also use scrapbook paper with designs on it or fabric)
*Scissors
*Hot glue gun
*If you are letting your kids create one for you, you will need their crayons, markers, and/or stickers.

1. Start by laying the tin can on its side.  I used a black crayon and drew a line where the can opens on one end and a line where the can ends at the bottom.  Then wrap the paper around the can.  Draw another line where the paper meets together on the other side of the can.  Cut on the guide lines you just drew so the paper will wrap around the can perfectly with no overhang.  

It should look like this when finished cutting.
 

2.  If you are letting the kids design your pen holder, take the paper off now and let them design away.  My girls colored pictures of our family on their papers and decorated them with stickers.  You can also use scrap-book paper with cute designs to match the colors of your office if you want a more sophisticated holder.
 3.  Once the kids are happy with their pictures you can plug in the glue gun!  Once its heated up, apply a strip of glue from the top of the can to the bottom of the can where the paper will meet.  Then make strips of glue around the entire can.  Try doing that as quick as possible so the glue doesn't dry.
4. Grab your paper the kids created and wrap it around the can.  Try to smooth out the glue with the paper.  Once I had the paper placed the way I wanted it, I used a strip of clear tape and put it over the meeting point for the paper in the back.  This is optional, The paper will stay in place with the glue but the tape gives it more of a smooth finished look on the back. If you used scrap-book paper, finish it by attaching a ribbon around the can.  That's it! Now put it on your desk, add some pens and pencils and Enjoy! :)

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(I got lucky.. I started with no pen holder and the girls enjoyed the project so much that I ended up with 3! lol)
**Update:  I wanted to show you how you can make these cut pen holders with fabric as well.  You follow the same steps as above just using fabric instead.  I didn't have any cute fabric patterns left so I used an old Onesie I found in the girls old baby clothes box in the garage!  Here is a picture of the one I made :) And  yes this means I now have 4 pen holders! lol