Creative crafting ideas

Marvelously multipurpose: 15 brilliant ideas for repurposing toilet paper rolls

Did you also make animals and other characters out of toilet paper rolls as a child? These cardboard tubes found in every home can also be turned into so many other fun and useful creations. Just look at these amazing ideas from the readers of the Finnish Kotona website!

Author Johanna Sjöholm

February 24, 2025Lue suomeksi

1. Start seedlings

You can easily turn toilet paper rolls into handy seedling pots by cutting them in half or into even smaller pieces. You don’t even need a bottom for them if you pack them tightly together in a plastic container. When it’s time to move your seedlings to a pot or outdoors, there’s no need to remove these biodegradable pots first. It’s recycling at its best! The seedlings in the picture are tomatoes, growing in Minna Öster’s home nursery.

2. Make fire starters

You can use toilet paper rolls as fire starters just as they are. However, you’re even more likely to spark a flame if you fill them with paper waste or dry twigs, as suggested by Jyrki Rantasalmi. He and his partner, Anne Salminen, stuffed the rolls with apple tree branches, and it burned brilliantly! You can also fill the rolls with shredded paper or other flammable scraps.

Marika Kelhä made adorable fire starters from toilet paper rolls with melted candle wax. First, she cut the rolls into a few parts and folded extras inside them into a flower shape. Then she dipped the shapes into wax melted from leftover candles. “I melted the candles in a tin can set inside a pot of hot water. That way the pot stays usable, and it’s easier to clean up after,” Marika explains.

3. Craft charming flowers

Can you believe this floral garland is made of toilet paper rolls? To make roll flowers, first cut the roll into one- or two-centimeter rings, pinch them into a pointed shape, and fasten them together with glue or tape to form flowers. Finally, arrange them in whatever shape you like. Anna-Johanna Seppä painted her garland gold.

Jaana Kangas made these fabulous roll flowers.

Heljä Välimaa decorated her flower with buttons.

Minna Rautiainen’s window ornament features shimmering beads and other details.

4. Crochet cute chicks

Irma Rönkkö crocheted these whimsical toilet roll covers with leftover yarn. She made Easter chicks from rolls cut in half and roosters from whole rolls. First, she crocheted a chain to fit around the roll, then continued with single crochet stitches until the cover was tall enough. Finally, she fastened the top of the cover and slid the roll inside.

5. Make miniature beanies

Riikka Pajunen made sweet beanie ornaments from toilet paper roll pieces. She found the idea on Pinterest. “Now that spring is here, you could craft yellow or other bright-colored beanies for Easter,” Riikka suggests. You can find tutorials for these mini beanies on Pinterest or YouTube by searching “Mini yarn hat.”

6. Slip onto a shopping bag handle

Päivi Järvinen cut open a roll on its side and slipped it onto the handles of her reusable shopping bag. Now the straps don’t dig into her palms, even if the bag is heavy.

7. It’s a masonry stove!

Sari Vaskivuori crafted a masonry stove (a traditional Finnish columnar stove) for her dollhouse out of a roll and a half. “I glued paper twine around it to make ridges, then covered the stove with tissue paper. The top part is actually the sifter part from a loose powder box, I made that wider section from it. Finally, I painted it several times with acrylic paint so it would look like old paint. The metal parts are made of the aluminum cup of a tea light,” Sari says.

Tiina Hujanen also made cheerful, colorful masonry stoves for her dollhouse with bright papers, twine, buttons, and snap fasteners.

8. Roll romantic roses

Unna Kuittinen made delicate roses from strips of toilet paper rolls. You can use them to decorate wreaths, picture frames, or greeting cards—your imagination is the limit!

Unna Kuittinen photographed each step of her rose-making process. “If you moisten the flattened roll lightly, it bends more smoothly. You can also skip folding the edge if you want a simpler look. Hot glue works best for attaching the pieces. I usually paint the roses only at the end, if at all.”

Unna has also made wreaths. The large roses in this wreath are made from watercolor paper, but the same technique works for toilet paper roll roses, too. “I spray-painted these roses, but using a brush is just as effective for adding color.”

9. Knit a case for your double-pointed needles

Anja Suomalainen discovered that you can make a holder for double-pointed needles from toilet paper rolls or a paper towel roll. This holder started out as the cardboard tube from a roll of foil. Anja cut a round piece of cardboard for the base. Then she knitted a tube to go around the cardboard cylinder and added round pieces for the base and the lid. She sewed on a button next to the lid opening and attached a loop to the lid so it could be fastened onto the button. Finally, she sewed the bottom and lid to the knitted tube. “When I travel by bus, I knit socks. It’s so convenient to store my needles in the tube when the journey ends.”

+ 6 other excellent ideas

Shred and put on the bottom of your compost bag: You can shred toilet paper rolls and put them on the bottom of your compost bag to absorb moisture from food scraps.
Make paper pulp: Soak rolls in a small amount of water and add glue or wallpaper paste to form a paste that you can mold into pretty shapes with cookie cutters or even fashion into a mask.
Keep germs off the doorknob: Slip a roll over the doorknob and open the door by holding onto the roll, so you don’t have to touch the knob at all.
Keep germs off shopping carts: Cut two rolls open along their sides and bring them to the store. Slide them onto the cart handle, and you’re ready to shop!
Craft a pen holder: Pen holder is a classic toilet paper roll project. Cut rolls into rings of various heights and glue them side by side. Attach a sturdy piece of cardboard as the base. You can decorate it with watercolors, paint, stickers, or anything else you can imagine. It’s been popular since the 70s!
Make a treat puzzle for your dog: Slide some treats inside a roll and fold both ends shut for a fun dog treat puzzle.

These ideas were collected from the readers of the Finnish Kotona website. Many thanks to everyone for these fantastic ideas! The photos in this article were taken by the people we interviewed.