I made this pen holder out of jewel cases. I had one that I used for over a year and got rid of only because we moved. The tape holds up really well (as anyone who has ever tried to remove a security sticker from a CD knows), especially if left on the desktop most of time. I then put these tape transfers on it for decoration. The tape transfers make the most of the transparency. And I love these pics of my mom when she was in high school.
Materials:
- 4 SLIM jewel cases
- Clear packing tape
- Toner copies, sized down for image transfers (optional)
- Scissors
- Craft knife
Step 1 - Open 2 jewel cases and face them toward each other to form a cube (w/no top or bottom yet). Tape the corners.
Step 2 - Separate hinged sides of 3rd jewel case. Snap off hinges.
Step 3 - Tape the side with broken hinges to the bottom of the cube.
Step 4 - Separate the 4th jewel case and break the hinges off of it as well.
Step 5 - Create 1st divider. Insert side with broken hinges into the cube and tape in place.
Step 6 - Trim one of the front cover sides by scoring along the line that it is already there. Butt the knife against the line and place medium pressure. Score only once. Snap off at scored line. Holding each side, bend back and forth until plastic breaks off. (This may take a 2nd try…luckily you should have a spare cover). You will get it right by the second try, it’s really easy. **Watch out for flying pieces of plastic. Goggles should probably be worn.
Step 7 - Create 2nd divder. Insert the trimmed piece into the cube and tape in place.
Create the image transfers.
Step 1 - Place a piece of packing tape directly over image of toner copy and burnish. It’s difficult to see the tape in the image, but it’s there!
Step 2 - Trim images close to tape and place in water.
Step 3 - Rub off wet paper backing. The tape should still be sticky. Place transfer onto pen holder.
Here’s the finished project without my impressive collection of Sharpies!
April 4th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Wow…what a great idea! I know what I’ll be doing at work tomorrow…
April 5th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
great!
April 5th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I never knew about the toner transfer trick! Awesome! (I work for a copier dealership, so this will be tested tomorrow!)
April 6th, 2007 at 7:50 am
I love it! That would be great for my huge collection of pens!
April 6th, 2007 at 9:17 am
Wow, i was just needing a pen organizer, this is great!!And FUN! You can also transfer magazine and book pages, just not inkjet. The embellshment possibilities are endless. Thanks.
April 7th, 2007 at 9:26 am
[...] I scanned in a piece of vintage lace and printed it onto a sheet of inkjet printable window decal paper. Or you can make a transfer from clear contact paper using the tape transfer process described for the pen holder. [...]
April 21st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Amy…
I love this transfer method. I’ve used it numerous times in the past. For simple sayings, regular “Scotch” tape works also.
Great recycling idea. Thanks.
Jaci
May 9th, 2007 at 11:06 am
What is a toner copy? How do you make one?
Thanks!
May 9th, 2007 at 11:19 am
A toner copy is a print made from any machine that uses toner, such as a copy machine or a laser printer. A print from an inkjet printer will not work.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:04 am
Loved the idea of the toner copy..it has opened up endless possibilities for me!!
Thanks
April 25th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
this is too wonderful. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
December 29th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Thank You for CD project…I was going to just throw away a ton of CD cases…You Rock!..;)
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:32 am
step 1 of transfer image…what is burnish?
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:33 am
burnish means to rub and apply pressure
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 pm
thank you so much for taking the time to give all this instruction. your information is better than several books i have read. nice to have so many pictures too! have a blessed day. :o)
November 12th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I love it!! I do a lot with photo transfers in my art (nikkiyeager.com)and I’ve been trying to think of which ones I haven’t used lately.
Contact paper works really well for larger images
Anyways, awesome project.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
A really fantastic idea! Love crafts and what we can do with old stuff such as
Old CD and CD cases Thank you for sharing…I’ll be trying this out for xmas!