While looking through the posts on the Zedomax blog, I came across an awesome hack that fits in perfectly with yesterday's theme of recycling. Today we are going to learn how to hack a phone book to turn it into a pen organizer!

Does anybody actually use a phone book these days? I know I sure don't! But every year, just like clockwork, I go to check the mail and find that loathsome, over-sized book of numbers and ads waiting for me. What do I do with it? Well, because there's no paper recycling center in my area, I usually just toss it in the trash. So wasteful! But, what else can I do? Fortunately, Chica and Jo have come up with a very cool use for all those old phone books. They recycle them into pen organizers! How do they do it? Well, according to Chica, you have to:

Cut the phone book

The first step is to cut your phone book down to size. The finished pencil organizer should be between 3 and 4 inches tall, so that’s how much you’ll want to cut off the book. Using a aluminum T-square to keep things straight and a very sharp utility knife to make your cuts clean. Make several passes with the knife and go as far into the book as the knife will allow.

Before you can cut through the rest of the book, you need to fold the cut part out of the way, but the spine is stopping you. So take your knife and cut carefully through the spine, lining it up with the cut you already made on top. Now you can fold back the cut pages and continue cutting through the rest of the book, using the T-square as a guide. When you’ve cut the book in two, use a pair of scissors to cut the front and back cover off, as close to the spine as you can.

Form the loops

Separate the pages of the book evenly into 5 sections, and put a binder clip on each section to hold it in place. If you want to get really creative here, you can try to find your own phone number or the number of your favorite pizza place. If you’re lucky enough, you can split a section on that page, and have that number visible on the outside of the finished loop!

Now we need to roll the spine up tightly in the middle. To do this, you need something to be in the middle for spine to curve around. Take a brand new pencil and cut it about 1 inch longer than the height of your book (no saw necessary — regular scissors will work). Using a hot glue gun, glue the pencil to the spine, lining up the bottom of the pencil with the bottom of the book (the part where you cut, which is not as smooth) and letting the eraser end stick up past the top of the book (the part that is nice and smooth). Squirt a bunch of glue around the pencil and roll the book up around it, holding it in place until it’s set. Your book should no longer have a beginning or end, and the pencil will make a fun handle for picking up the organizer after it’s done.

To form the first loop, take one of the sections and remove the binder clip. Curve the entire section around a piece of cardboard tube, making sure that the pages are nice and smooth and forming a nice loop. When you have it in a position you like, put the binder clip back on.

You can see now that by bending the pages, the ends don't all line up anymore, but we need them to. Using a pair of scissors, cut off the ends of the pages so that they are once again square with each other. Then test the fit by putting it into the crease along the spine.

If it fits, glob a bunch of hot glue on the edge and push it back into the crease, securing your loop. Hold until set and then repeat with the other four loops. You’ll be left with five wobbly loops around the center.

Now we want to open those loops up a little and make the whole thing more secure. To do this, run a bead of hot glue along the side of one loop, about an inch or two away from the spine. Press the two loops together along this glue line and hold until set. Repeat for the other loops.

Decoupage the paper

You’ve got this really need looking pencil holder now, but it is still weak. The pages aren’t stuck to each other and it’s all still flexible. We’re going to fix that with a decoupage medium (our favorite is Mod Podge). Using a 1″ wide, soft-bristled paint brush, glob the Mod Podge onto the top edges of the loops, making the individual pages all stick together. Don’t try to coat the inside or outside of the loops yet — just focus on the top edges where all the pages meet. Let it dry then apply a second heavy coat, but this time go ahead and brush the Mod Podge on the inside and outside of the loops, and again on the top edges.

With two coats on, it’s time to flip it over and coat the bottom. Because of your pencil “handle” , the piece won’t sit flat on the table, so cut a small length of cardboard tube and set the pencil inside that. It will make the perfect stand and keep your project stable. Put two generous coats of glue on the bottom, so that the pages are all firmly stuck together.

When you’re satisfied that you have enough coats of Mod Podge on the entire piece and it’s as firm as you want it, trace the bottom of it into a piece of black card stock. Cut the shape out, cover it with Mod Podge, and put it (glue side down) onto the bottom of the pencil holder. This bottom piece will keep your pencils from falling through.

With the card stock in place, apply another liberal coat (or two) of Mod Podge to the exposed surface, to seal it. Having a full coat on both sides of the card stock will make it sturdier and prevent damage from the things you store in the holder later.

The finished result

When it’s all dry, go ahead and fill it with markers, pens, and pencils and add it to your desk.

So cool and functional, don’t you think?

Yes Chica, I think it's very cool! In fact, I think it's so cool that I can't wait for the new phone book to get here, so I can try this hack out. :-)

If anybody else has a cool project they do with their old phone books, we'd love to see them...leave a link in the comments below or email me at thedailyhack@gmail.com. Keep hacking, modding, and building!

Via Zedomax and Chica and Jo

Subscribe to The Daily Hack's full RSS site feed

Your Ad Here