Last night, I made a couple of pencil holders out of tin cans.

They’re really simple; you don’t even need a sewing machine for this project.  I think they look far better than the cup I was trying to use before, and you can’t beat a project that repurposes something like a soup can.

For a quick upgrade at your own desk:

1. Wash out a tin can from your soup or vegetables and measure its circumference. I used a piece of string.

2.  Measure your piece of fabric to match the diameter plus 3/4 inch.  Cut fabric.

3.  Measure the height of the can plus 3 inches.  (You’ll fold the lip of fabric into the can)

4.  Press the top and bottom of fabric 1/4″ with an iron.  This is to make the fabric pretty.  It’ll look like this:

5. If you are sewing, stitch the top and bottom seams closed.

6.  Take the left and right edges and put them right side together (so the pattern is on the inside).  Staple or sew a 1/4″ seam.  This will leave you with a tube.  Press your seam to one side so it doesn’t look bunchy later.

7.  Flip tube right side out and put around can.  Fold the excess fabric on the top into the can.

8.  For a more polished look, I took the can back out of the fabric and pressed the top fold to give a cleaner edge around the top of the can.

9.  Add a ribbon if desired.

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Now we’re curious to know:  how you prefer to store your writing supplies?  Is it neatly organized or strewn all over the place?  Mine is always out on display – sometimes spread all across my desk – while my husband likes to carefully tuck his away behind that secret man space of his.  How does it roll at your house?

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Interested in a few more easy upgrades for your desk?  Swing over to the DIY stationery organizer or personalized magazine files tutorials or see what’s going on in the shop.

Happy April Fools Day!

Well except I’m not joking at all.

Much later this month, Martin and I are leaving Germany for the summer.  Even though we’re coming back in August, it has been a very hard decision for us to make.  We have some wonderful plans for the US – including time with wonderful construction tools, wonderful lessons, and best of all – really wonderful people.  Want some hints for our summer plans?  You’re welcome to leave thoughts and guesses in the comments (people who know us outside of the blogland… don’t give it away!).  We promise not to disappoint!

In the meantime, let’s keep enjoying Berlin.  I may or may not be using the electric sander as you read this (depending on quiet hour laws, of course).  I’m also starting to have really weird dreams about culture shock.  Is it possible to get culture shock when you are moving back home for a few months?

And for those of you about to ask:  sorry.  We have family demanding to move into our apartment and babysit the kitchen.

(Images for Making This Home)