Cans Wrapped in Pretty Paper

Well, I can't believe the weekend is over and I made it through Monday already.  It went by so fast!  I'm still in the middle of getting things re-organized.  Right now, I'm not focusing on one specific room or project - just doing what I feel like at the moment (I call it A.D.D.) and getting some of the prep work done.  My 10-year-old nephew was here on Sunday and I enlisted his help in the garage for a bit.  He was a great little helper, so I made him one of his favorite dinners and gave him a bit of cash.  I usually don't pay him for helping me because he should be learning how to help out.  But, today he was extra helpful and he never complains when I ask for help, so he definitely earned it!

Today I have a good recycling project for you.  I found this picture on Pinterest awhile back:

Via Pinterest

I've also seen something similar on other sites.  I thought I'd give it a whirl, since I remembered that I have a set of scrapbooking papers that has pinks, browns, and whites that I thought would go perfectly in my craft room since I have those pink fabric bins in there.  Here is a quick tutorial - it's super easy!

Supplies needed:
*  Recycled food cans (these can be of any size you want.  I saved various sizes and also even saved a plastic can from one of those Welch's frozen drink mixes)
*  Papers (your choice here - use all the same pattern or different variations.  Scrapbook papers work well for this, but you can also use wrapping paper).
*  Adhesive
*  Scissors or paper cutter

1)  I had managed to save some cans in different sizes.  The white Welch's plastic actually works really well for this project.  It's easy to clean and won't rust - also no sharp edges.  You can use any adhesive for this - I just happened to choose my hot glue gun and glue sticks. 

2)  Choose which papers you want to use to cover the cans.  Hold the piece of paper up to the can and make a mark where you want to cut.

3)  I used a paper trimmer since it's easiest and just trimmed away .

I measured everything all at once so I could just cut all the papers at the same time.

4)   I then held the paper up to the can, making sure it fit when wrapping it around.  Then put dabs of hot glue at the corners to secure the paper onto the can.

5) Wrap the paper around the can and once the paper is positioned the way you'd like,  put a line of hot glue on the edge and press into place.

6)  Since I washed these and they're made of metal, I was worried about any rust spots (although I didn't see any).  So, I just put a layer of Mod Podge on the bottoms and bottom edges as a coating, so it wouldn't ruin any surfaces that I set them on.

 

7)  Once the bottoms were dry, they were all done!

(don't mind kitty cat's bottom half on the left side there)

I actually wanted to stack them like in the Pinterest picture, but since the cans were all different sizes, it didn't work out so well.  So, for now, I put them in one of the cubbies of my Ikea Expedit shelf unit in the craft room to test them out and they look pretty good.  This is a quick & easy project and great to use as an organizing tool.