Make a Recycled Magazine Bowl

One of the best ways to make crafts is by recycling items you already have around your house. Not only is this an environmentally responsible method, but it saves you money as well. You can use some of those old magazines that have been piling up to make charming recycled magazine bowls.

Recycled magazine bowls are great to hold small plant pots, keys and change or wrapped candies. You can make recycled magazine bowls to give as gifts or to keep for yourself. Recycled magazine bowls are also a fun project for children - make them as an Earth Day class project or for a holiday such as Mother's Day. When you learn how enjoyable and simple recycled magazine bowls are to create, you will likely begin looking for reasons to make them.

You probably have many, if not all of the items required for this craft project. Here is the list of items and tools you will need to make one recycled magazine bowl, about the size and circumference of a standard cereal bowl.

One average-sized magazine
Clear adhesive tape
Glue stick
White glue
Small foam paint brush or small sponge
Small bowl
Old newspaper or plastic tablecloth to protect work area

Once you have gathered the items you will need to make a recycled magazine bowl, you can begin tearing out the pages of the magazine. While you should tear out the pages somewhat carefully, the torn edges do not have to be perfectly even. You may want to use all of the pages of one magazine to make a bright, multicolored recycled magazine bowl, or you can opt to tear out the pages of three or four different magazines and then divide the pages into three or four stacks by color for a recycled magazine bowl with more of a theme. The choice is purely personal.

After you have torn out all of the pages you want to use, take one page and fold it in half lengthwise. Fold it in half lengthwise a second time, so that you have a long, rather narrow strip. Repeat with the remaining magazine pages, folding each one in half twice until you have a large stack of strips.

You may actually find that you enjoy the tearing and folding of pages. It is rhythmic, methodical and somewhat relaxing. You can even tear out and fold pages for recycled magazine bowls while watching television or talking on the phone.

Now that you have all of the folded pages you need for a recycled magazine bowl, begin taping them end-to-end. Pick up two folded pages and place the first one onto the end of the second with the ends just slightly overlapping. Wrap a piece of tape all the way around the conjoined ends so that the strips are securely attached. Tape a third folded page to the end of the second, and continue until you have a long, snake-like strip of pages.

Take one end of the completed strip and wind the end tightly, making a compact little coil about an inch in diameter. Rub the glue stick along several inches of the inside of the strip and roll that into the coil. Continue applying glue stick a bit at a time, coiling the strip and gluing again. Repeat until the entire strip is coiled up snugly. At this point, the recycled magazine bowl will resemble a trivet or potholder. You may wish to tape the very end of the strip to the coil if it is sticking out a bit.

Now that you have the coil, you can form your recycled magazine bowl. Gently pull up the outer area of the coil, pushing down in the middle. The glue you applied will allow the coil to expand somewhat like a telescope without completely coming apart.

Pour some white glue into a small bowl and add just a bit of water. The ratio is about one part water to three parts glue. You want the glue to be a little thin but not watery. Place the recycled magazine bowl onto a stack of old newspapers or a plastic tablecloth to protect your work area. Dampen a foam paintbrush or sponge with the glue mixture and apply it all over the recycled magazine bowl, inside and out. This medium will dry and harden, protecting the recycled magazine bowl and helping it maintain its shape. Wait a few hours and turn the bowl upside down. Apply more of the glue mixture to the bowl, letting the medium soak into the pages a bit. Repeat a couple more times, flipping the bowl over and allowing the glue mixture to dry.

Allow the recycled magazine bowl to dry overnight or up to 24 hours until it is completely dry and stiff. Then you may proudly display your craft project or fill it with goodies and give it as a gift. Want more recycled craft projects? Check out Make Bows from Wrapping Paper and Christmas Cards.