Sunday, March 11, 2012

diy rope bowls

so it's been a while since i've posted anything remotely crafty lately...i suppose i must be getting lazy (technically lazy-er).  anyway, i saw this cute bowl on craftgawker over the weekend so i decided to make my own-with my own tutorial 'cause i need the practice anyway right?

anyway, it's a pretty simple process, it's actually really similar to my recycle magazine bowl but with rope instead. basically just glue, wrap, glue, wrap, etc, etc.


all you need is a hot glue gun and rope.  i got my rope for $2-it's 50 ft, 1/4 inch, manila rope (i almost went with the sisal but i liked the color of the manila more).










start wrapping in a circular motion to form the base.  if you plan on making several i might consider making all the bases first just to make sure they're the same size.  when i made my second i tried to make it the same size...which of course, it isn't.  but that could just be the fact that i can almost never make the same thing twice...








to start the walls, just start stacking the rope on top of the previous layer instead of to the outside.  keep wrapping until you've reached the desired height, or until you only have enough rope for 3-4 more rounds.










to form the rim, i glued the last bit of rope to the inside.  this makes the bowl feel a bit sturdier which is nice if you plan on moving it around a lot.








making one bowl took me about an hour...ish?  it's currently keeping all my wrapping/craft paper from falling all over the cupboard.  and then i made another today which i filled with granola bars.  i wanted one for the bathroom but the fact that it's hawaii and the bathroom tends to be the most humid room in the apartment...i thought it might be a bad idea.


so dimensions-both of the ones pictured are made form 50 ft ropes and they're roughly 6.5" x 6.5" and 6" x 7.5".  yeah that's my attempt at making two that are the same size...and i still have one more rope...i have the feeling it's going to be a different size as well.

these bowls (now that i'm looking at them they're not really bowls so much as...tubes?  rope tubes?) um, these rope thingies are actually pretty easy to make and super cheap.  and they have so many organizational uses...

52 comments:

  1. This is such a neat idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Where did you get the rope?

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    1. i got the rope at City Mill which is a local (and pretty over priced) hardware store found only in hawaii.

      i imagine you could find something similar at other hardware stores...unfortunately the nearest lowe's or home depot is almost an hour away by bus so i haven't really checked

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    2. our lowes sells this same 50 ft rope for 9 bucks! I'm going to try a feed and seed or Ace, but it seems like you got a pretty good deal!

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  3. I really like this idea! I'm all about stuff like this :0) I will have to try it! I found you via Pinterest.
    Your newest follower,
    Emily

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    1. hi emily thanks for visiting!!

      the great thing about this project how simple it is-you could make in less than an hour!!

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  4. I bet these could also be made using hemp string....

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    1. i know that's the glorious thing about this project...there are so many possibilities!!

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  5. Love this idea and the wheels are already turning thinking about all the color variations I could use!

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    1. have you seen those dip-dyed baskets? i've been wondering if i could use that technique on one of these...

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  6. Do you think using a different type of glue in addition to the hot glue would make it sturdier? Just worried about the hot glue not lasting long.

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    1. i'm not sure-i use this same method to make bowls out of old magazines and they are generally pretty sturdy.

      mine are doing pretty good but i wouldn't recommend putting anything too heavy in them.

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  7. This is such a great tutorial! Thanks! I just love your blog. You have so many neat ideas. I found you on craftgawker...Have a wonderful day.

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    1. hi abbie thanks for stopping by!!

      i love craftgawker-i have to check it every morning lol (even on the weekends when i know they're not updating...)

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  8. such a cute idea, looks great with the rope!

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  9. Where are you using the glue? So totally doing this. Found you via Pinterest also. Love it!

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    1. hi-when you are making the bottom you want to put the glue on the outside edge of the rope (you will coil the rope on the outside edges to build it outward). when you are making the sides, put the glue on the top edge (you will coil the rope upward to build up height).

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  10. This is neat! I have some reallllly thick hemp that I think would make some fantastic containers. I'll have to find my glue gun and try it out!
    -Nicole
    Knit, Nicole, Knit!

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  11. You could do the same thing with clothesline (not wired) and a sewing machine

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  12. Love this idea and I'm making these tomorrow :)

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  13. LOVE THIS :) Found you through Pinterest -- new follower :)

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  14. to make them sturdier (and uniformly sized if that concerns you) you could wrap and glue the rope around a tin can

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    1. that's a good idea desarae!!

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    2. And it would make them watertight so they could be used as a vase :)

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  15. did you glue the rope as you wrapped it or just at the end?

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    1. you want to glue as you wrap to make sure all the coils are stuck to each other.

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  16. Wow, those look fantastic! I just clicked over from Apartment Therapy and I'm so glad I did. I would love to link to your project if you didn't mind.

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  17. Great project. They look professional.

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  18. I'm going to try this, Thanks for sharing! I am in Hawaii too!

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    1. not to be a creeper but i read on your facebook page that you used to live in missouri-i went to school in missouri!! how weird that we are both in hawaii now!!

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  19. thanks for the idea! I just finished making rope mats to put under my plants using your technique :) it worked so well i may have to make more for my mom!

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    1. that would be an awesome mother's day gift!!

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  20. i just love these :) cant wait to make some!

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  21. Hi!
    I got inspired by this to make a rope garbage can and it turned out super well! I had a cheap plastic can from the dollar store, and wrapped it up. I had to glue every layer on the bottom, but along the edges I didn't have to glue except for at the top and bottom. As a result, even though mine was physically a much bigger project, it only took about 1.5 hours. Anyway, I just thought you might be interested.
    Thanks for the great idea!
    -Leila

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    1. hi

      thanks for stopping by!! i'd love to see photos if you have any-i just started a flickr group so people can post their projects:

      http://www.flickr.com/groups/1944465@N24/

      have a good weekend!!

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  22. might do these for my country theme wedding :-) Thanks.

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  23. Love this! I saw some very similar to these at the store the other day that I was tempted to buy, now Im glad I didn't. Im going to give a try at making these!

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  24. I love this! I've admired baskets like this in stores before, but who knew these were so easy and cheap to make! I think they would look amazing with a pop of color, too. Maybe dip-painted in neon?

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  25. I just made six of these last night! Thanks so much for the idea! I did change it a bit to suit my needs though- I took a $2 walmart bucket(6qt)and cut to top off, then wrapped the rope around the bucket. It made them a little more sturdy. I also sprayed them with several coats of clear sealer since I will be using mine in the bathroom. I then attached a 1" ribbon around the middle of each container and placed a small daisy on each. They look beautiful! Thanks again! I did all 6 containers for about $25.

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    1. they sound awesome, i bet they'd be perfect for rustic weddings too! and for less than $5 a piece!!

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  26. I want to try a square or rectangular shape.

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  27. I love this, I'm sure I'll make one, just need to buy some rope.

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  28. I'm wondering using braided fabric would work too. My mother quilts, and I can get all kinds of fabric remnants from her. Thinking of my son's room, so I would have to do them to be a bit sturdier as he is only 2.. lol Very cool idea!

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    1. if you have a lot of fabric scraps check out this bowl from BHG:

      http://www.bhg.com/crafts/easy/1-hour-projects/fabric-scraps-bowl/?page=2

      you just wrap the scraps around a cotton rope and sew it together!

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  29. Lots of Good information in your post,
    I favorited your blog post
    so I can visit again in the future, Thanks.

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  30. I loved this DIY rope bowls. Gonna try it for sure :)

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  31. Wow! This diy project is really turns trash to treasure.

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