Recycled Soup Can Craft Project

Repurpose Metal Cans and Make Collage Art Pails

Jul 18, 2009 LuAnne Payne

Think about recycling in a whole new way by taking some of those empty soup, vegetable or fruit cans and transforming them with paint, glue and paper.

Most of us go through lots of cans of all shapes and sizes. Set aside a few of these cans and make decorative pails that can be used for gift-giving, storage or party favors. Once you get started, you may find it hard to stop.

You'll need these supplies:

• Empty, clean metal cans from soup, fruit or vegetables
• Sandpaper
• Pliers
• Gesso
• Acrylic paint
• Mod Podge decoupage medium
• Decorative or vintage paper
• Hole puncher
• Pipe cleaners or wire
• Other decorative elements such as buttons, small trinkets and glitter
• White craft glue
• Paint brush or sponge

Follow these instructions to make a decorative pail:

1. Wash out the can and remove any paper from the outside. Use sandpaper to remove glue residue. It may be necessary to use pliers to flatten some sharp sharp edges along the inside of the rim.
2. Use fine grit sandpaper to lightly sand the outside of the can. This will help the gesso to adhere.
3. Use the sponge or paint brush to apply a layer of gesso. Allow the can to dry according to the directions on the gesso container.
4. Give the can a layer of acrylic paint and let it dry for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. "Squishing" the can with your hands will give it more of a flat surface area to decorate. It also allows the can to lie flat against the wall if it's going to be hanging.
6. Now it's time for the fun part, the addition of decorative or vintage paper. If you'd rather not use the original vintage paper, copies will work great. Think about using old maps, copies of vintage letters, or wallpaper. Tear strips of paper that are long enough to wrap around the can once.
7. Start at the top or bottom of the can. Have a strip of paper ready and brush a layer of Mod Podge around the can. Be careful not to apply it too thickly, or the paper will bubble. Press the paper around the can, smoothing it with your fingertips to remove any wrinkles. Repeat this step until you're happy with the design. For the can in the photograph, only the top and bottom couple of inches were covered.
8. Give the paint another layer of Mod Podge and let it dry for 30 minutes or until it no longer feels sticky.
9. Use craft glue to add some embellishments to the front (and back, if desired) of the can. Some suggestions of embellishments that work well are buttons, tags, stamps, small game pieces and paper ephemera. If you decide to glue a heavier item (like a game piece), it may be necessary to lay the can on its side so the embellishments don't slide off while the glue dries.
10. Use a hole puncher to punch a hole on each side of the can, about an inch down from the rim.
11. Thread a pipe cleaner or wire through the holes to make a handle, bringing about two inches of each end up to twist tightly around the rest of the wire. Be careful of sharp ends on the pipecleaner. Pliers work nicely to bend the sharp edges up and flatten them against the rest of the wire.
12. As an optional final step, give the rim a layer of Mod Podge and sprinkle it with some glitter.

Keep a few hanging on a peg board as a pretty organizer for small items or make some holiday-themed pails to give as gifts or party favors. The smallest cans can even hang on a Christmas tree and hold a small gift or candy. The finished decorative pails can be utilized in many different ways, so enjoy experimenting!

The copyright of the article Recycled Soup Can Craft Project in Crafts is owned by LuAnne Payne. Permission to republish Recycled Soup Can Craft Project in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Moon pail

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