Want to upcycle your empty containers into a DIY gift that’s guaranteed to delight your mom on Mother’s Day or a friend on her birthday? Can do! Upcycling soup cans into pencil cups, vases, and other decor is a fun and earth-friendly craft project. The finished decorative cans are a stylish way to organize your desk.
They’re also great to use events! You fill them with flowers and line them down the center of the table as a centerpiece at a wedding, shower or dinner party. Then let guests take one home as a favor.
These DIY upcycled decorative cans are so easy to make! Just paint the empty cans white, and add designs with a gold paint pen or sharpie. Of course, you can pick any colors and patterns you like! They’re a fun project for Earth day or any day you have a playdate, or crafternoon.
Can-Dos
There’s so much you can do with a decorative can! Here are a few ideas.
Pencil Holder: To hold markers, crayons and other desk supplies
Vases: Just fill with water and add flowers. (For another fun way to make upcycled vases, click here)
A Window Garden: Add soil and plant seeds so you have an herb garden in your window sill
Luminaries: Use a hammer and nail or chisel to punch holes—they can be in a pattern or shape like a letter or star, or just dots so the light peeks through like stars—then place votive candles inside the can to light up the night.
Hero-in-a-Can: A fun project for kids that can become a gift itself, this activity involves decorating a can to resemble a person you admire—that could be your mom or Ruth Bader Ginsburg—and filling it with mementos or thoughts related to that person, like a list of their accomplishments or the qualities you admire about them. You might include photos of that person or a sweet note if you’re giving it as a gift.
Time Capsule: Fill the can with newspaper clippings, photos, and other memorabilia and take it down each year on the same day to add to your memories
Try the same painting technique with tuna cans—or other flat, shallow containers. (You can decorate the inside, too!) Then you can use those as:
Catch-alls for spare change
Ring dishes by the sink or the side of your bed (paint a heart or initial on the bottom of the dish to personalize it further)
Favors or place cards: Paint each person’s name on the inside of the decorative dish
Candle holders for pillar candles
What You’ll Need:
- Empty soup cans
- Coarse sand paper (optional)
- Paintbrush (we used a 1” nylon flat brush)
- White paint (craft or house paint both work)
- Gold paint pen
How-To
Step One: Rinse out your empty cans and peel off the labels. If there are any rough edges at the top of the can (where you pulled off the pull top or used a can opener), use coarse sandpaper to smooth the rim. This is especially important if you are Doing It Together with kids and letting them paint the can.
Step Two: Make sure the can is completely dry, and paint it white.
Depending on the kind of paint you use, you may need two coats.
Step Three: Once the paint is dry, use a medium-tipped gold paint pen to draw circles, lines, hearts, write names—whatever you choose to decorate your can.
Step Four: Fill it with flowers, pencils, whatever you like! If you’re planning to use the can outdoors as a luminary or planter, you may want to add a varnish like outdoor matte mod podge.
For more fun ways to upcycle containers, click here.
