Incredibly easy paper towel holder (DIY).

We have a tiny kitchen, and counter space is always at a premium. Our paper towels used to sit on the counter top, but a few weeks ago I got fed up and decided I needed a way to suspend the roll from the cabinet in order to free up some precious space. I also decided I needed it IMMEDIATELY (I'm not a very patient person, which frequently leads to me making up quick fixes such as this... admittedly with varying levels of success). I honestly think this took me less than a minute to put up. 

We've been using this for several weeks now, and it works great. The paper raffia is stiff, which makes it easy to thread through the paper towel roll. Of course, this isn't the prettiest solution, but it was free and fast (and we're renting, so I'm not willing to spend much on improving the place). 

~ Update ~

After about two months of use, the raffia ribbon started to fray and eventually snapped. It was easy to replace, and I'm still very happy with the paper towel dispenser. I'll probably replace the raffia with something more durable soon.

Supplies and Tools

2 small nails

hammer

2 feet of raffia, or other stiff string/ribbon

Directions

Decide where you want to hang your paper towels - mine are underneath a cabinet that is just a little wider than the roll.

Hammer in one nail on each side - you could measure and mark the spots for the nails, but I just eyeballed it. Leave enough of the nail sticking out to loop the raffia around the head of the nail (be careful not to drive the nail through the other side of the wood also).

Without the paper towel roll

Tie a slipknot in one end of the raffia, and hook it onto one of the nails. Thread the raffia through the towel roll and hold the raffia up to the other nail in order to find the correct length. Tie the raffia to this nail, and trim the end.

Slipknot

When the roll is empty, simply unhook the side with the slipknot, remove the empty roll, and thread the new roll on.

                                                                                                                                                 

My "tripod"

This is another example of one of my quick fixes. The light in our kitchen isn't very good, so I needed to use a very slow shutter speed in order to get decent pictures of the paper towel holder (1/4 second I believe); this means I needed a tripod to hold the camera. My gorillapod is great, however it does need something to cling to. The hubby looked at me a little funny when I started stacking chairs, but this worked out to be the perfect height.