On December 17, 2009 by voneinspired
I saw this idea last year and finally got around to trying it and I love it. It’s super simple to do - check out full instructions here.
Start off with an aluminum pop can and using heavy scissors cut the top and bottom off and down the side (near the Nutrition Facts part since you won’t want to use that part). Wipe clean and lay flat. Then trace or draw out the image you want. You can use a pencil/ pen or I had some other pointy thing that I think is for rubbing off transfer sticker (from university or something). Draw out the image and add some detail lines and cut out. Becareful as the edges are sharp but they weren’t as bad as I thought they would be.
Using sandpaper on a block smooth out the edges and distress. If you added detail lines on the inside of the can then when sanding on the coloured side they will become silver when sanded. If you add detail lines on the coloured side, they will stay coloured when sanded. So play to get the look you want.
Circles that I used a hammer punch to make holes and linked together with rings.
This is why you want to avoid the Nutrition Facts - it doesn’t look very good.
This star I added the detail line on the coloured side so you can still see them. I like that effect too. The small star was glue gunned on afterwards.
For the holly ornament - I cut out 3 leaves and used the back side of them and then the berries are the coloured side. Then I glue gunned them together adding a bow on a loop behind it.
I added it to this small box. All I did was wrap the box with the ribbon and then used a paper clip to hold the ornament in place.
We only drink coke in our house, so we only have red cans. I did take a green can home from when we were at a friends place which I want to use to make another holly ornament. Also when I was walking with Isla the other day I found a few more cans on the ground, a blue can and one of the pretty Arizona Ice Tea ones. Amazing the pretty stuff you can make from garbage.
Those are beautiful! I love the different shapes. I think the round ones are my favorites, with the swirl. So neat!