Using items that you already have around your home for craft ideas is a great way to do something fun without having to spend a lot of money. And, it’s a great way to keep things eco-friendly since you are basically recycling stuff by re-using them for your crafts. Tin cans are great materials for these types of upcycling projects, especially for beginners, for two reasons. They are sturdy to use in your craft projects and they are rather versatile. In this article, we’ll teach you two easy tin can craft projects that you can make using only the materials in your home.
Tin Can Holders and Planters
This first project is very easy to do and can be customized in a number of ways, depending on the materials you already have. Start by choosing a tin can, preferably one that has no dents and is not rusty. For pencil holders and desktop organizers, you would want to use smaller-sized cans with diameters of around 2 to 2 ½ inches. Meanwhile, you could use standard single-serving soup cans for hanging planters and one-liter cans for on-ground plant pots. Remove the top of the can (you can run a can-opener along the edges a second time to make sure that there is no metal sticking out) and wash the can thoroughly with soap and water, removing the labels. Dry. For planters, you would have to drill or bore holes (using a nail and a hammer) at the bottom of your can. If you are using it as a hanging plant pot, drill a hole at the top of the can, as well.
Now that you have a clean can, you can proceed to the fun part – decorating! You can decorate it with washi tape, gift wrappers, beads, trinkets, or even fabric. For outdoor planters, you would want to paint your can to make sure that it does not rust. Insert a short piece of rope or wire through the top hole so you could hang it.
DIY TIN CAN-dle Lanterns
As with the first project, start by choosing a tin can. Go as small or as big as you want – it’s entirely up to you! Remove the top of the can and following the procedure laid out in the previous section, clean your tin can. Dry.
To make this lantern, we will be poking holes along the sides of the can to create a pattern (you can use whatever pattern you like). You can do this by using a drill. If you don’t have a hand drill at home, you can use a nail and a hammer instead. To keep the can from being deformed during hammering, fill it with 2/3 sand and 1/3 water and let it sit in the freezer. Once frozen, take it out the fridge and start boring holes on the can. Doing this will make boring holes using a nail and hammer easier for you, as well as help preserve the shape of the can. After creating a pattern, paint the can with the color of your choice. Let the paint dry.
For the final step, fill the can halfway with sand and place the candle on top of it. Light the candle and enjoy your personalized lantern!
Tin cans are durable and easy to come by, making them the perfect materials for DIY projects. So before you throw out your soup cans, see if you can turn them into something useful and fab.