10+ ways to upcycle an old tin can into a creative DIY project

What do pinto beans, sweet peas, blueberry pie filling, and ground coffee have in common? They come in cans – and what an unsung craft material the lowly tin can is. They are easy on the budget (think 10 cans of creamed corn on special for 50 center per can), come automatically equipped with a silvery sheen and exist in a multitude of sizes.
The transformers of the craft world, this item's versatility lies in the fact that virtually anything can coat a can: spray paint, fabric, a map or magazine cover fragment or glitter. Like painting a room, tin can crafts are all about the prep: It’s important to fully peel the labels from the cans and scrub away all glue residue completely for the can to be fully project-ready.
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One of the first things that comes to mind is a tin can’s potential for helping to organize everything from kitchen utensils to a home office desk. Think “outside the can,” though, because they can easily brighten a picnic table, add charm to a mantel, add life to an outdoor space and more. These projects prove that tin cans offer uses other than the traditional one: announcing a newly married couple driving in the next lane.
Luminescent luminaries
Some sweet souls still grace their friends and family with homemade treats during the holiday season. A fun way to wrap up a dozen cookies or brownies is to tie them up in colored cellophane with ribbon and place the wrapped confections in a coffee can. The can-covering possibilities are endless, especially if you have with a hot glue gun. Butcher paper with kids' crayon drawings, festive wrapping paper, fabric and twine are just a few.
Edible holiday treat treatment
Some sweet souls still grace their friends and family with homemade treats during the holiday season. A fun way to wrap up a dozen cookies or brownies is to tie them up in colored cellophane with ribbon and place the wrapped confections in a coffee can. The can-covering possibilities are endless, especially if you have with a hot glue gun. Butcher paper with kids' crayon drawings, festive wrapping paper, fabric and twine are just a few.
Brightener for the winter-weary
Who can resist the intoxicating scent and promise of spring that forced amaryllis or hyacinth bulbs offer in the dead of winter? Painted or plain coffee cans can be filled with a bit of soil and rocks to coax the bulbs to bloom. For an added edgy effect, distress the cans before filling by pounding randomly with a hammer and then paint. They will add a natural yet avant-garde touch to a living room coffee table.
Cute caddies
Tin cans are ideal for holding cutlery at a barbecue or buffet table. Wrapping patterned ribbon around the cans or even applying washi tape ups the originality and fun factor on this project. Seasonal treatments might include gluing colorful leaves – harvested from the yard – onto the cans or covering them in bark for a rustic faux (except that it’s real) wood effect.
For the birds
A coffee can birdfeeder may not be completely squirrel-proof, but it’s certainly ingenious. Oriented horizontally, the can's ends are removed, the plastic cover cut in half and placed on either end, filled with birdseed and hung with a rope. This project’s minimalist mod look puts the Hansel and Gretel-inspired models to shame.
The simple life
This tin can project requires absolutely no effort (except finding the can) but adds considerable appeal to a bedside table or outdoor space. Because cans without labels often have energetic and colorful graphics printed on them, they’re good on their own as striking bouquet holders.
ID, please
A common party problem is keeping track of one’s beverage. Charms and metallic markers are typically used to help wine sippers identify their glasses, but tin cans covered in fabric, stickers or funny bumper stickers work well as identifiers for beer and soda drinkers. After all, once nonwine-drinking guests get to chatting and balancing plates of food, they too could use a hand when it comes to finding their liquid refreshment.
Customizable porch décor
A windsock fluttering in the breeze is the visual equivalent of hearing wind chimes – all-around pleasant and calming. A large can that’s painted and covered with weather-proof embellishments (such as foam shapes or letters) can announce a children’s birthday party or harmonize with other outdoor holiday decorations. Ribbon strips or crepe paper streamers work well for the moving elements, and four holes punched in the top of the can are perfect for threading more ribbon or rope to hang the windsock.
Birthday fun
A classic canned food is Boston brown bread. Available in cans nowadays, the product’s roots go back to the 19th century, when the bread was baked in the can. A festive take on this idea works wonderfully at kids’ birthday parties: individual birthday mini-cakes. Recipes can be found online, and when done baking and cooled, the mini-cake slips right out of a greased can with one end removed. They can even be cut into several sections. When the tops of each layer are frosted, behold: a mini-layer cake!
Tin can Christmas tree
Make a whimsical Christmas tree by hot gluing three cans of different sizes (the largest is the base, the medium one comes next and the smallest is placed at the top) after spray painting them green. Anything goes paintwise, from a realistic forest green to Grinch-inspired lime. Hammer a nail through the top to hold a topper made with a decoration (paper snowflake or foam star) glued to a toothpick. The “tree” can be decorated with everything from stickers or pom poms to glitter, buttons and bows.
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Small-footprint kitchen gardens
Whether the kitchen is full-sized or part of a tiny home, countertop real estate is a prized and fought-over commodity. A half-dozen silver tin cans brighten the space and can even serve a function. A row of mini-succulents on a windowsill conveys a Southwestern flavor. Using those same cans for growing cooking herbs means that every recipe – from chili to chicken salad – will be deliciously accented.
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