apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Innovative. Like it, though it may be a bit large for the desk.

Um...what if a pen leaks? Is there a base to this?..I would hate to get ink stains all over my desk.

Hi guys, thanks for the comments! The finished organizer is about 7" in diameter, which is not tiny but not huge either. It does indeed have a base to it -- otherwise everything would fall out when you try to pick it up! Check out the full post to see how the base is applied :)

You can refuse the phone books or else recycle them. This is hideous.

Hideous indeed - just get a pretty mug - and stop trying to find uses for ugly stuff - just throw it in the recycling!

Can you still recycle this when you are through with it?

I'm really sad that people have to resort to calling someone else's creation "hideous" rather than being polite enough to say "it's not my cup of tea" or perhaps just simply "I prefer a nice mug". I wouldn't necessarily want to make this myself since it's a bit too large for my small desk, but I admire the care and craft of making something like this.

I believe this should be recyclable if made with Mod Podge.

K T G: What I was commenting upon was the reliance upon using words like "hideous" to describe someone else's creation. People who like to craft as a hobby and passion don't see the world as you described, and often see things you personally prefer to throw out or deem as garbage as opportunity to create something that brings them happiness. What you decide to keep or not keep is so subjective and personal, but I'd argue keeping something you made yourself would be high on the list of things worth valuing. I don't know...I just think it's very uncouth and unkind to be so quick to throw out labels like that about someone else without personal reason besides the freedom to do so. The freedom remains, but I'm calling out the question of , "why?".

That being said, I disagree with your opinion overall...Leah's penholder reminds me of something I'd find in one of my artist friend's studios and I think would look appropriate in certain creative/eclectic environments. I'd personally want to paint it with a high gloss finish, but I admittedly tend to have a fancy pants preference for DIY. I'm often amazed what a creative eye can come up with mundane "trash" objects...it's often more impressive to me than what's offered in stores.

I personally am re-using a POM glass so I won't be making this but it's interesting re-use of something that is generally useless (phone books).

Maybe this technique can be used to hold something else, or in a different function all together? Thoughts?

ahhhh that is so so neat. i've always loved the long lines of print in phone books. i'm going to have to get my craft on with my little sister later. kids these days are getting less and less resourceful, so this'll be a great exercise in making something out of nothing. thanks. =)

"People who like to craft as a hobby and passion don't see the world as you described, and often see things you personally prefer to throw out or deem as garbage as opportunity to create something that brings them happiness."

Yes I totally agree - and that is totally me - making things myself is a passion of mine - I often take things that have been discarded and remake or reuse them in some way - but I always strive to ensure the things I make are as beautiful as possible

I accept that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but there are general standards in art and craft and I simply don't think this project meets any of those standards - the best thing about it is the flower shape the curved pages make

A coat of paint would have lifted this project 100% but in its current state I still maintain that it is hideous - the maker has not even divided the pages so they all show a similar style on the outside - the section with a blue edging against the two without edging sets my teeth on edge and looks like a bad accident rather than thoughtful design

This actually makes something nice (a book) look worse

I think phone books should just be made illegal. They are filthy things that are made out of such crummy paper stock that they cannot be recycled.