Cutlery Recipe Card Holder

Awhile back I saw a Cutlery iPhone Stand and I thought that it was awesome but I didn't have much need for one with my crappy flip phone. Then I realized that it would make a fun holder for these Printable Vintage Recipe Cards! It could also sit on your desk and hold a family photo. :)

The blog that I originally saw this on didn't have any sort of tutorial to go along with it so I just kind of winged it and I think it turned out pretty well. You will want to find cutlery that is on the thin side otherwise you won't be able to bend it. I found these at Dollar Tree and they worked really well. I also liked the simple dot pattern since I'm not into stuff that is super ornate.

I considered soldering the utensils together but I don't know how to solder and my husband was at work so I just used some glue that is designed for all surfaces including metal. I tested it to see if it could hold heavier objects and it did just fine but I have no idea how it would hold up to the extra weight long-term. For something light weight like a recipe card, it works perfectly though!

Supplies:

3 forks

2 spoons

E600 Adhesive

Tools:

Pliers

Clamp

Rubber Mallet

Start by bending the spoons (the feet) at an angle as shown above. These spoons were pretty weak in that spot so I was able to do that part by hand.

Now you need to move up an inch and bend it back the other way. This part was a little trickier since the spoon was stronger in that spot. Clamp the spoon to a work table with the spoon positioned so that the edge of the table is right where you want it to bend. Then whack it with a rubber mallet until it is bent to the correct angle. I didn't feel like rummaging through the garage looking for our mallet so I just used a hammer which works fine but it does scratch the metal.

When you are finished bending it, the handle should be straight up as in the photo above.

Now put a thin layer of glue on the spoons and one of the forks just in the area that they will be joined together (in holy matrimony). Let them dry separately for 15 minutes then press them together. It takes about 2 hours for the adhesive to really bond so every once in awhile I would notice that it was slipping and I had to re-position it. I had it sitting next to my computer while I was working so it wasn't a big deal but it is definitely something that you want to keep an eye on. Don't worry if some of the glue squishes out. It is kind of rubbery when it dries so it is easy to remove the excess later. I tried clamping them together while it was drying but it didn't work very well since the utensils curve a bit instead of it being a flat surface. 

While that part is drying you can start bending the forks (arms). To get the straightest bend I used needle nose pliers and held them parallel to the tines with the nose positioned where I wanted it to bend. Start by bending them all at the base...

...then bend again about half an inch up.

Use two pairs of pliers to bend the neck to kind of a "Z" shape like above.

Bend the far right tine of one of the forks all the way in. Do the same to the far left tine of the other fork. This will hold your recipe card in place and keep it from slipping down.

Once the bottom half of your little guy is dry (you don't want to add the weight of the arms before the base is ready to support them) hold the fork arms up to the body where they are going to be placed and angle the Z curve a little bit until the hands are positioned correctly. Make sure that the tines that are bent in all of the way are on the bottom of each hand. Then glue those in place using the same method as you did gluing the bottom half and check it periodically for the first couple of hours to make sure they aren't slipping. You may also want to lay it face down over the corner of a book to take off some of the weight while it is drying. Allow the glue to fully cure for 24 hours before placing anything heavy on it.

I think he turned out pretty stinkin' cute! Of course, usually when I am excited about a project and think people will really like it, that is the project that ends up only getting one comment (usually from my mom) and not a single pin. At that point I realize that my style which I see as "fun and quirky" isn't always appreciated by others. Lol! I'm sure there are at least a few kindred spirits out there who will enjoy it though. ;)

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