Unique Tin Can Uses

The tin can was invented in 1810 by Peter Durand. And, a great invention it was. But every time I put a tin can in the garbage, I questioned whether there was a use this for the can rather than putting them all in the garbage. I saved a bunch of empty tin cans of all different sizes; soup tins, coffee tins, juice cans, tuna cans, pop cans. When my nieces were out for a weekend visit, we sat down and let our creativity soar. We wanted to see what we could create with all these empty tins cans. Is it possible to turn an old tin can into a piece of art, or turn it into something that we could actually use on a daily basis?

I should point out that before we started, we made sure there were no sharp edges left on the tin can around where the lid was removed.

We then started brainstorming listing craft projects that we could make using these tin cans. We wrote down every idea that came into our heads. We had compiled a good list. We then sat down and actually made items using the cans. Here are a few of the craft projects we made using our old tin cans:

- pencil holder
We painted the tin can with acrylic paint. You can be as creative as you want here. We painted the entire tin one color, and then added different colors and patterns on the can. A very simple and easy project to make and one that is useful! This is a great kids crafts.

- tin man
One of my nieces had seen tin men at a craft fair. We took different sizes of cans and assembled a tin man. We used a large juice can for the body, then smaller soup cans for the arms and legs and head. We had my husband drill holes in each can. We attached the cans together with wire. And, we had one wire at the top of his head so we could hang him up. We then painted facial expressions on our head. We hung our tin man from a tree branch, and every time we looked at him he made us smile. This project took longer to do, but was worth it when we were done.

- candle holder
This is similar to the pencil holder. The difference in this craft project is that we used a small empty tuna can. We painted the can inside and out, and of course did some decorative painting on the outside to add character to our candleholder. You can use a tea light in the holder, or a small votive candle. An easy craft!

Another idea for a candle holder was to use a soup can. Drill holes in it. Paint it. Then put your votive candle in it. What happens is that the light shines through the holes giving you a different affect.

- tv remote holder
Using a medium size can, we used a coffee can, not the large one, but a medium sized one. We again decorated the can with paint. We then put the tv remote and the dvd remote in it. This was great, rather than our usual search for the remote, we now have the remotes in one place on our coffee table.

- soap dish
Simple and easy to make. Using a small tin can (tuna tin), we lined the tin can with tin foil, painted the outside of the can and we had a soap dish.

- drums
One project that my nieces had a lot of fun with was turning the cans over and creating a set of drums. Arranging them by different sizes, we used four different size cans. They then used spoons, pencils, and pieces of wood, for their drumsticks. Each drumstick offered a unique sound. We had my husband drill holes in the cans to hold them together. We had a lot of fun with this project.

- penny bank
I always have lots of pennies in my wallet. I wanted a place where I could put these pennies to get them out of my wallet. So we painted a large coffee can with lots of different colors. We then took a heavy piece of cardboard, cut it a bit larger than the shape of the top of the can. We painted the cardboard. Then using a glue gun we glued the cardboard to the can. We folded the cardboard so there was a lip that we could glue. The top fit inside the can. And of course, we cut a slot in the cardboard to drop the pennies in.