I Have a New Desk Cup! (And This is How I Made it)

Many years ago, I was all into masking tape.  Meaning, I made things with it.  I made all sorts of things.  Wallets, animal sculptures, a hand (that was pretty neat), and I even made a desk cup for myself once!  It's been sitting now on my desk for all these years, filled with pencils, scissors, and other long things that go in a desk cup.

It is made of masking tape, so over time, it's gradually slumped over, or rather, backwards, so that it can't even stand up on it's own anymore.  It's been leaning against a picture I have on my desk, half covering my friend's face.  (Sorry Rachel!)

When my mom got rid of her big 4-cup measuring glass recently because the measuring indicators on the side were nearly all rubbed off, I rescued the big ol' thing out of the trash, sure that I could make something of it.  I had the idea to make it my new desk cup soon after I took it, but I didn't just want to dispense of the old cup and use the new one without decorating it in some way!  (And let's be honest; I wanted to blog about how I would decorate it.  ;))  So this is how I did it!

You've probably noticed by now that the title of this post is half false, as I did not actually make my new desk cup, I simply...reupholstered it, so to speak?  And what did I "reupholster" it with?  That, my friend, calls for STORY TIIIME!

Once upon a time, when I was about ten probably, I got two new pairs of PJ pants, of the same silky, lovable fabric.  One was brown with different colored stars, and other was off-white with different colored hearts.  You wanna see what they look like?

I loved one pair (the brown) more than the other, but I loved them both.  I told myself (and I think my oldest sister too) that I would wear those pants until I could no longer wear those pants!

One day, when I was probably 13, I was wearing the hearty pants.  Well, I forgot to pull up the pants before I squatted, and the next thing I heard was r-i-i-i-p.  I knew where they had ripped: right in the rump.  But!  I could still wear them!  Oh yes, I could.  I continued to wear those pants until a sibling or someone said I should stop, and I finally laid those pants down to rest...in my bottom drawer, where I keep fabric and other art supplies.  (Hey, I showed you a picture of my bottom drawer in this post!)

The next summer, I had a friend stay with me for about a week (the same friend, in fact, who's picture was half covered by the masking tape cup!), and I told her the story of how the pants broke, and she thought it was very funny.  Because it was very funny.

But me thinks I should get on with this tutorial, perhaps?  Ooh, and this might be a good time to mention that this was not my idea, so don't go spreadin' this around like I'm a genius for thinking this up.  'Cause it ain't the truf!  (I mean, you can definitely go spread it around, but don't give me full credit.)  I saw it on Pinterest, and I'm sure it's been done by more people than I know of.

(In a booming voice)...GET YOUR SUPPLIES READY!  Ahem.

Supplees
Old fabric (that you'd better not mind cutting)
A clear glass vessel to adhere your fabric to
Liquid glue
Water
Spoon (or finger)
Bowl
Scissors
Newspaper (to work on)
Almonds (to snack on while you work)

I already discussed where I got my fabric from.  Now you just have to get your own.  My fabric is silky, but I don't think the material really matters.

Cut your fabric into strips of about an inch wide, and however long they need to be to extend from the bottom of your vessel to the top edge.  Mine were about...seven-ish inches?  That's after cutting them like two or three inches shorter because I realized they were way too long.

Now mix together your glue and water, which you will be coating the fabric strips in.  At first I just unscrewed the top on the glue bottle and tried to squeeze it out, but, even though it made cool patterns in the water, it was not fast enough for me, so I just took off the whole top, and poured it in.  Mix it all up with a spoon (or your finger).

Dip a strip in the glue mixture and submerge until completely covered, and then pull out and sort of wipe off the glue with your fingers.

Then, making sure that the "right side" of the fabric is facing outwards, sort of lay the strip in the glass, with the top of the strip aligned with the top of the glass.  If you have a glass that is not completely straight all the way around (like this one), you'll have to trim the strips around that area accordingly.  Make sure to overlay the strips slightly.

Mind the fact that there may be bubbles, which you will want to remove before the glue dries.  It may take a few tries to get all the bubbles out, but it's worth it.  Especially if you're prone to act OCD about things...

When you're finished laying in all the strips you need, all you have to do is wait for the glue to dry!  I actually was able to pour out some of the glue that had collected in the bottom, and that sped up the drying time, or, lessened what it would have been otherwise.

Now, take a little break to snack on your almonds.  THEY'RE HEALTHY!  (I had been snacking on them this whole time, actually.  Ha, treachery!)  (Yes, there are also pretzels mixed in there with the almonds.  Ha, more treachery.)

Okay, your break's over!  BACK TO WORK!  I didn't realize until I finished the inside that I also wanted to do the handle.  My former self needed a reality check.  Because that handle needed doing!  So cut a strip that's short enough to go on the underside of the handle, and that won't curve at the top.  Dip it in the glue just like before, and then slap it on!  Nope, JK.  Don't slap it on.  It won't work very well.

The glue will drip probably, so...don't go showing off your work until it's all dry and dripless.  Isn't this heart at the bottom of the handle cute-puhtoot?

Here it is in action!

I must stress again that this idea does not come from my creative little brain, but, I have not seen any tutorial as detailed as mine (not like I looked for one...!), so I've got that at least.  Maybe you don't even care for all the details, but you got a story too!  Woot woot for bonus material!

P.S.  In case you were wondering...I still wear the brown pants.  Not sayin' they fit though.

P.P.S.  I haven't yet taken the time to figure out how to add the pin it button to my peektors, but I pin all my posts, so if you want them, go ahead and follow me on Pinterest!