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Do you have stacks of old magazines lying around that you just can’t seem to trash? Are you a fan of greener living? Try your hand at making art from what would have been thrown away. The possibilities are endless. I have seen everything from picture frames to bowls to jewelry. I will be showing you how to make the coils, and sharing what I found works best. This cross took me 2-3 hours total. The duration will depend on how much of a perfectionist you are, and how many coils your project requires.

Supplies:

Magazines

Bone folder

Glossy accents or other quick dry glue

Scotch tape (optional)

Mod Podge or other sealant

A good movie or soundtrack to enjoy while you fold

Instructions

I like the folded strips making up the coil to be thin, so I cut the page in half lengthwise, then folding each half in half, and cutting along the folds, making 4 strips from each page. It looks fine if you use a whole page per strip, just chunkier coils. Start folding by bringing each long edge to the center and creasing to make 2 new edges (see pic). Using the bone folder to crease makes much neater coils. NOTE: THE PICTURES SHOW STRIPS BEING MADE FROM ENTIRE PAGES; I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT STRIPS MADE FROM 1/4 OF A PAGE LOOK MUCH BETTER IN THE PROJECTS I SHARE HERE AT SBLC.

Continue folding the edges to meet in the center until your strip looks like this…

Now coil your strips. When your come to the end of your strip, place a small dab of glue and hold pressure to secure it in place. If you want the coil larger, begin another strip where your first one ended. You can place a thin piece of scotch tape where the two strip ends meet, or just secure each end with glue leaving no gap between them.

To make the cross, I sketched out the design, made the coils I needed, attached them together with Glossy accents (I love using this on paper – dries clear and fast) and outlined the joined coils with strips to form the “+” shape. You can make anything you imagine. Google and you will find all kinds of ideas. I coated the final piece with Mod Podge attached a wire to the back for hanging and that is that.

I would love to see what you create with your lovely coils. Recruit friends and family to fold pages into strips for you if your project is big. My nephew and grandmother were pleased to play along!

ADDENDUM: I just found an wonderful tutorial with some other tips, here, at Craftstylish. She used a glue gun and mentions you could use glue, but you have to hold the coil in place til the glue grabs. With Glossy Accents, this happens in 5 seconds. Easier and less burn potential than glue gun!