Yes, I’m showing you how to make a pencil holder today. No, we are not back in kindergarten. When I wrote the title of this post, that’s what I immediatelycame to mind. Remember when you were little and wrapped a soup can with construction paper and then decorated it with ties or tools for Father’s Day? I wonder if kids still make those pencil holders.

Anyway, this is a more adult and modern version of the classic soup can pencil holder. As you may know, I’m part of Lowe’s Creative Blogging team. This month we were challenged to come up with a creative organizing solution. And since I’m tired of using an old flower pot to organize my pens and pencils, I thought this would be a fun project.

Plus, a container like this is multi-purpose. You can use it as a vase, straw holder, flatware holder at a party, etc. So, if you have enough pencil holders around the house, you have other options for its use.

Whenever I’m looking for a little DIY inspiration at Lowe’s, I often head to the molding / finished wood section. I tend to find some sort of inspiration there. This time I happened upon these decorative corner molding pieces and thought thst together they could make a really cool piece. Thankfully, my plan worked out.

Pretty cool, right?

Let me show you how to make them.

DIY Pencil Holders

Here’s what you’ll need for one:

4 decorative corner molding pieces
small piece of scrap wood (for the bottom)
miter saw
sander / sand paper
wood glue
wood putty
rubber bands
paint
pencil

The first step is to make miter cuts into each of the decorative corner molding pieces. If you’ve never used a miter saw or made a miter cut, you’ll want to practice on some scrap wood. Also, please use caution when cutting the pieces. Since they are rather small, your hands may be quite close to the the blade. Also, be sure to wear proper safety gear should any splinters fly off from the saw.

The pieces will end up going together like a picture frame. That means you’ll need to make two 45 degree cuts into each piece. Both cuts will be angled toward the back as seen in the picture below.

Once all of the cuts are made, use a sander or sandpaper to smooth any rough surfaces. Now we are ready to assemble.

Since these are basically just going to be holding pencils I’m only using wood glue to keep them together. If you prefer, you could use some finishing nails as well. Before adding any glue, put your boxes together to get the best fit. There will be some gaps, but we will fill those in later with wood putty.

Try your wood pieces in various combinations until you like how they fit together.

Once you’re happy with the fit, apply wood glue. I’m using this Gorilla wood glue because I’ve had luck with it in the past. Once everything is glued together, put rubber bands around the completed boxes to keep everything secured while drying.

After everything is dry, using a pencil, trace the opening in the bottom onto a scrap piece of wood. Then, using your miter saw cut it out. Apply a little more wood glue and place it in the bottom of your box.

When that is dry, remove you rubber bands and apply wood putty to any gaps or cracks. Allow to dry; then sand. Repeat this step if necessary for any additional areas that need to be filled. Now your pencil holders are ready for paint.

Since it’s a little too cold outside in my area for spray paint, I decided to use some leftover paint from my DIY Bulletin Board.

It took about three coats to get nice even coverage.

Once the paint was dry, I added a few felt pads to the bottom to protect any surfaces the pencil holder will be placed on.

And there you have it friends, some colorful and modern pencil holders.

Clearly Sharpies are my writing instrument of choice. I can’t get enough of them. Knowing I have a nice little collection here will keep my from wasting time searching drawers to find one. Part of my goals for this year is to simplify and get organized. Though small, I’m thinking this is a pretty good first step.

Plus, I love that these are cute, custom, and original. You can have fun with the paint and patterns to suit your space.

What do you think?

And don’t forget, for even more ideas, visit Lowes Creative Ideas. You can also sign up to receive their free Creative Ideas Magazine, which is loaded with inspiration! There’s even a magazine app so you can have inspiration on the go! And, don’t forget to follow Lowe’s on Pinterest and Instagram!

This post was created as part of my collaboration with the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Network (along with some other fantastic bloggers).  As always, all of the opinions, thoughts, and ideas in this post are my own.