Upcycled Colored-Pencil Decorative Basket

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a surprising number of colored pencils from school. Each new school year came with a fresh box of supplies, but I rarely used all the colors. Now I have several boxes sitting around, still in good condition.

With summer here and several parties on our calendar, I had a fun idea: why not upcycle those pencils into a decorative piece? I could turn them into snack baskets, candle holders, or even mini flower vase holders. Maybe I could even design these holders to be reconfigurable, allowing me to tweak their color palette for different holidays or party themes!

Tools & Material

1. Color pencils, pencils
2. 3D printers & PLA filament
3. Hot Glue Gun

The idea is to design a 3D model that can hold a set of colored pencils in a basket-like structure. I chose Tinkercad for this project, mainly because its Codeblocks feature makes parametric design easy and flexible. The model begins with a circular arrangement of hollow cylinders—each one acting as a holder for a pencil. I then added a hollow cone structure to wrap around and connect these holders, followed by a slightly raised base to provide support. I designed two versions with subtle variations and planned to experiment with different angles to explore a range of basket styles—from tall and narrow to short and wide. I also left a hole in the center of the base to allow more flexibility in usage, for example by threading a wire through to stabilize a lampshade.

Print out the STL files.

I started by sorting my colored pencils in rainbow order, then arranged them by inserting each one into the holes of the structure printed out earlier. If you want to finalize your design, you can secure the pencils in place with hot glue. Or, keep it flexible—leave the pencils loose so you can rearrange them for different occasions or color themes.

If you have printed out multiple STL files, you can stack them on top of each other to create a tower of color.

While working on this project, I ran into a number of issues with my 3D printer. Frustrated and a bit discouraged, I began looking for alternative ways to bring my idea to life—and that’s when I decided to go with polymer clay sculpting. Surprisingly, the detour turned out to be a fun and flexible creative outlet. I eventually got the printer working again, but I’m really glad I took the time to explore this hands-on method. Here’s a simplified version of the steps I followed:

1. Find a suitable object to use as a mold for the basic shape of the basket—I used a lampshade.
2. Cover the lampshade with a layer of plastic wrap to prevent sticking.
3. Press colorful polymer clay firmly onto the wrap, covering the surface until the desired shape is formed. (Since I didn’t have enough clay in bright colors, I used some dull tones in between.)
4. Arrange the colored pencils in a circular layout. Wrap each one with a short piece of straw to create extra space, making it easier to remove later. Then, press clay around each straw-covered pencil to form individual holders.
5. Add a layer of aluminum foil to reinforce the structure.
6. Cover the foil with another layer of polymer clay.
7. Carefully remove the pencils and clean up the holders.
8. Apply an even coat of glaze, then bake according to the clay instructions.