Prettied Up - Old Spool Style

What happens when you reorganize?  Well, sometimes you end up with things that are still useful, but maybe not in their present state.  Maybe they aren't as pretty or don't fit your current style.  This happened to me when I decided to organize my stash of ribbon.  I used old, wooden spools for many of my ribbons and ended up with the empty cardboard/paper spools.  Throw them away?  Nah, just pretty them up!

To pretty up your spool stash, grab these lovelies and get started...

• cardstock or colored paper
• pencil
• scissors or Martha Stewart paper cutter (that I also used here)
• Mod Podge or similar glue
• foam brush (or flat bristle brush)
• exacto knife
• ink pad (optional)
• sponge dauber (optional)

Measure the width of your spool.  Cut out two circles from the paper for each spool.  You can also trace the spool onto the paper with a pencil and cut the circles out with scissors.

Using a sponge or flat bristle brush, apply the glue liberally and evenly to the back of one circle.  Place this on the side of the spool and gently use your fingers and palm to smooth the circle onto the spool.  Take care not to move the circle as the glue sets up quickly and makes it hard to reposition.  Repeat with the remaining circle and the other side of the spool.

Let the circles dry.  If you prefer, you can use an exacto knife to cut out the hole in the side of the spool.  This is great for hanging the spools of ribbon on a dowel rod.  I found the middle of the spool, poked a hole in it with the knife, and while holding it up to the light, cut out the circle.  It was easy to see and cut this way.  I also used a dowel rod to push in the cut area of the spool center.  I then used my finger to gently soften the edges a little more.

If you like the vintage or aged look, you can use a sponge dauber to apply ink to the edges of the circles.  It doesn't take much to add a little color.  I used a sepia brown ink on mine.  If you don't have a sponge dauber, you can wrap a piece of paper towel around your finger, pat the stamp a little to receive the ink, and then lightly apply the ink to the edges.

And there you go!  I like these much better now.  Stickers with SKU numbers and ribbon widths and lengths just weren't my style!

I think I'm going to purchase a long dowel rod that I can insert between the brackets of the shelf that sits above my chalkboard.  It will free up some counter space and, you guessed it... pretty it up!