Project: New use for old lotion bottles

Source: Makeit-loveit blog

Here's how to make aperfect little holder for yourcell phone while it’s being charged.

And no more phone hanging down from the outlet while in this room or that room……..the cord and phone are  now up off the ground, and tucked away into the little holder, while the phone drinks up a full charge.

And of course I couldn’t just leave the poor little holder alone……I had to Mod Podge some fabric right onto it for some kick.  Hey, when my cell phone is happy, then I’m happy.

If you look closely, you can see that the orange print is fabric.  There are edges of fabric along the bottom and then one line down the back where the fabric met up.  But hardly noticeable while in use.  (For a few more options……you could also spray paint it, then stencil it or use vinyl cut outs over the paint.  That would be cute too.)

And my favorite part, is that I didn’t have to buy a thing.  The entire holder was made from things I had on hand. 

And turns out, it’s pretty useful.  And not one bit of an eyesore.

Would you like to make your own Cell Phone Holder?

First of all, take a look around your house?  Do you have any old plastic bottles that are just about empty?  A lotion bottle, a mustard bottle, a hairspray or shampoo bottle?  Whatever you choose, find one that’s more flattened rather than a circular bottle.  The flattened shape will keep the bottle closer to the wall and out of the way once a cell phone is placed inside.

Now, measure your cell phone against the bottle, to be sure the bottle isn’t too big or too small.

I found that this bottle of baby lotion was the perfect size for my iphone.  So I washed this out with hot water and let it air dry. 

Then I held my phone up to the bottle, starting at the bottom…..and decided how high I wanted the front of the holder to be.  Then I made a line with a pen across the front at that point.  Then I turned the bottle around and continued the line to the back but curved the back upwards.

I cut the bottle out with some kitchen scissors but a box cutter (or exacto knife) would work too.  I just have more control with scissors…….so I used them for this part.  I cut along the line until I was left with my phone holder shape.

Then, I drew a curved box shape on the upper back of the bottle.  Then I cut it out.  (What worked best for me was using a box cutter/exacto knife with a cutting board underneath.  This helped my control a ton.)  Then I used sand paper to smooth out all of the edges.

Like I mentioned above……you could now try spray paining and adding vinyl or stenciling it to finish your look.  Do whatever is best for you.

But here’s how I added the fabric:

First, you want to sand the surface of the whole thing.  This will really help to rough it up so that the Mod Podge will stick really well in the next steps.  Also, I didn’t want that blue ink to show through from the other side, so I sanded most of the lettering off too.  Worked great.

Then, I cut a piece of fabric that was big enough to wrap around the phone holder and was also an inch or two taller on the top and bottom.

Then, I turned the phone holder with the front facing me, and applied a generous layer of Mod Podge to the front.

Next, place the fabric right on top, centering it where it needs to go.

Then, apply more Mod Podge around the side of the container and continue to lay the fabric down right against it, pulling tightly as you wrap.  Also, be sure to pull the fabric down around the curve of the bottom of your bottle, if needs be.  This will help keep the fabric flat and smooth.  Use plenty of Mod Podge to aide you in this process.

When you get to the back, overlap one of the edges over the other.  Make sure the fabric is smooth all the way around the bottle……and then cut a straight line up the back of the container, trimming off the excess fabric.

Then trim around the entire container, cutting off the fabric nice and close to the edge.  Now, apply a nice thick layer of Mod Podge over all of the fabric.  Be sure and seal around all of the edges of fabric with the Mod Podge, ensuring that the fabric won’t peel off.

Lastly, cut an oval shape (or whatever shape applies to you) to fit the bottom of the bottle.  Place a layer of Mod Podge on the bottom of the bottom, place the oval shape on the bottom, then apply another coat of the Mod Podge.  Now set it upside down on something tall and slender and that your container can fit on top of, so that it can dry without touching anything.  (That’s a single flower vase that I’m using.)

Once it’s dry, use a box cutter/exacto knife to cut out the square-ish opening.  You’ll probably need to apply more Mod Podge around the opening and allow it to dry again.

Now, don’t worry if your edges aren’t smooth and have little pieces of fabric sticking off.  Use your box cutter/exacto knife and run the blade right along the edge of the phone holder all the way around, to remove any stray threads or chunks of dried Mod Podge.

And that’s it.  Your phone holder is ready for use.