I have a suggestion for coffee cans. I use two different sizes and larger one covers the smaller one upside down. I have one on my porch for smokers, call it my butt can. So you can put the butts in it and cover it so no smell and doesn't fill with rain water. Then when full put plastic lid on it and throw in trash.
Susan
COVERING CANS
I do the recycling thing a little strangely, I think. I use cans for pencil holders, candle holders, stuff catchers, crochet hook holders, knitting needle holders (long cans like Pringles). Some of them I cover with plastic canvas and some with contac paper. Bigger cans can be made into banks, canister sets, cookie jars (coffee cans, espec.) and such. I have a bunch of neat patterns that help me find something to cover them in and away we go. Of course, cut a piece of plastic canvas to fit around with 6 extra rows for overlap (or three to just meet edges) and put on any pattern that comes to mind or fits where you want to put them. They make wonderful gifts and don't cost an arm and a leg! Not that I am cheap or anything, just careful with money!!!
Thanks to Barb at Every Nook and Cranny
CHRISTMAS GOODIE CONTAINER
Spray paint a 3-lb can with geen matte spray paint. Drill a hole on each side, about 1/4" down from rim and create a handle with small guage wire. Cut out a country christmas design from fabric, wrapping paper, magazines, etc., to decoupage around the can. Add buttons or other embellishments if you desire. Tie a raffia bow around the handle and fill with homemade hot chocolate mix, chocolate covered pretzels, or any other goodies to give as an inexpensive gift during the holiday.
TOILET TISSUE HOLDER No 1.
You will need 3 or 4 3-lb coffee cans plus one lid. Leave the bottom on one can, cut the bottom out of 2 and 3rd can. Glue coffee cans together with a good glue, stacked with one with bottom still on as your bottom of stack. Reinforce joints with duck tape. Cover outside with carpet wrapping around can and cutting butt joints where ends meet. Cover lid with carpet also just outside do not wrap under lip. Secure a wooden knob or knob of your choice in middle of lid. Used to store extra toilet tissue, etc. in bathroom.
TOILET TISSUE HOLDER NO. 2
(Lin gives us this alternate version. Thank you Lin)
On your Coffee cans for the toilet tissue holder. Make it as you describe, but put batting (as used in quilts) then cover with fabric of your choice and blind stitch where the seams come together. Get a paper bowl and fill it with batting and cover the top of that with the matching fabric you used on the cans. Then attach a plastic tie (like comes with plastic bags) and there is your lid for the toilet tissue holder for the bathroom.
TOILET TISSUE HOLDER NO. 3
(Alisa also gives us another version. Thank you Alisa)
Using three coffee cans, glue them together as stated above using duct tape on the outside to reinforce as suggested. Instead of carpet or fabric, use one towel and 2 matching washcloth. Hotglue the towel to the cans by laying the can tower down and rolling it and gluing it at the same time so that it's glued all the way around, use some in the middle too, trim off any extra around the top. With the washcloths, usw one around one lid centering it and gathering it in the middle wrap a rubberband around it and then you can use a ribbon to cover the rubberband. You can also glue any corners that may stick out. With the second washcloth you can use it to make a pocket on the t.p.holder by hotglueing it to it you can also use any towel bits that you trimmed off to make other pockets. I made one with two large pockets w/2 washcloths and then made 4 small ones to place items such as shaving razors and feminine products in. The large pockets can hold soap, washcloths, shaving cream, etc.. This is good to give as a house warming gift or to use in a guest bathroom. The pockets you can fill w/items that a guest may have forgotten such as shampoo and conditioner. Samples fit great in the smaller pockets too. I also glued a wide ribbon to the lid and attached it to the holder so the lid wouldn't fall off. Decorate the finished product w/anything you want. If you have an ocean themed bathroom, shells look great on these.
Hint: The dollar stores sell towels for $1.00 and the washcloths are usually 2 for $1.00. so it's pretty cheap.
If you don't have enough coffee cans you can also use the economy size cans of beans, tomatoes, etc. If your using it for a class project let the lunchroom workers know and they will save the cans they use for the lunches. These are sometimes wider then coffee cans and will hold the wide rolls well.
TOILET PAPER HOLDER NO 4
Use terry cloth to wrap around the can. More than one color can be used. Then run a wide piece of lace up the front of the can. The type you can run ribbon through. Run ribbon through the lace. Space miniatures roses of a matching color every so often. The lid was a round wooden disk with a knob bolted on top.
GIFT WRAP CONTAINER
(from Linda S in WV)
Another use for the toilet tissue holder; using 4 or 5 cans put together in the same manner and covered with contact paper, makes great storage for those gift wrap rolls. Keeps them from rolling all over the closet and dust free.
TABLE
(Posted by Donna on June 02, 1999)
I saw a TV program (I don't remember the program) where they used 4 coffee cans stacked together one on top of the other, taped together with duct tape. This is used to make a leg for a table. You would need 16 coffee cans. Once the cans are taped together they used wallpaper by wrapping around and gluing to the cans, they used a beautiful black with gold paper. For the top they used a piece of glass. It was like a sofa table but you could do any kind. Just another idea.
CHRISTMAS MAILBOX
(Posted by Carmen Cagle Mar 25, 98)
Hi, I'm new to this but I do have three uses for large coffee cans. The first project I did turned out great. I took two large coffee cans and a tall dowel rod. I made a small mailbox by turning one can sideways and attaching it to the dowel with a screw. Then I set the other coffee can on the floor, with the opening up and I centered the dowel and then took a screw and attached it. Oh I almost forgot, I made a hole in the plastic lid and slipped it over the dowel so that it would still fit on the can. Then I painted the entire "mailbox" with a metallic gold spray paint. When it was dry I took heavy red posterboard and cut out a red flag and glued it to the side along with some minature poinsettias and greenery. Then I wrapped the dowel with greenery garland and a short string of clear Christmas lights. Just to add another special touch I also glued a cardinal on top. I used this to keep my Christmas cards in and it looked really cute standing by my tree. I never did fill the base with anything but I intended to put sand in it. This idea was a hit with everyone that saw it and it wouldn't have to be Christmas, you could make a mailbox for everyday fun!
BUCKETS
(posted by Carmen)
Another thing I do with any size can, more often larger cans though, is make buckets. First I choose two colors of paint, one should be lighter than the other, for instance I made Valentine buckets. I sponged the can red (or pink) then let it dry. Then I sponged it again with white and let it dry. Then I took heart and cupid shaped sponges and sponged those all over the can. I took a hammer and nail and made a hole on each side of the "bucket" and then used bailing wire to make the handle by running it through each hole. I then took the excess wire and rolled it, or curled it and then filled it with tissue paper and goodies! Simple and a cute gift that you could do for any holiday! If you buy the dry, flat sponges you can cut out any shape you choose!
SANTA CANS
(posted by Carmen)
There is one other project I do using cans. My mother and I call them "Santa Cans". You use the same sponging concept, red then white and this time you paint a skin colored oval in the center and then you take muslin and you rip it into pieces about 2-1/2 inches wide and cut them to the preferred length and glue them around the "face" for hair and beard. After that you paint on some simple eyes and a nose and a mouth (we usually glue a piece of muslin over the mouth for a mustache) and there he is a "Santa Can".
FAUX ENAMELWARE
(Joy posted April 21, 1999)
After I clean the cans making sure that all glue residual is gone, I use acrylic paint in a dark blue to base coat, inside and out with two coats. Once the paint has dried I spatter them with white paint. You can add a water base varnish to seal. You now have faux enamelware! Very Country! You can poke holes in the sides and add a handle made from wire twisted around a pencil or wooden dowel. You can embellish thes in so many ways. I like to add raffia bows and sunflowers - you can get them in very tiny sizes. (Or, try making them your self from bread dough (white bread and glue kind). There is even an acrylic paint color called sunflower!) Once completed, these make ideal holders for pens/pencils,can even hold guest soaps or potpourri in the bathroom. One word of caution. If they are exposed to moisture they can possibly rust even though they have been sealed. It is best to cut a circle from felt or cardboard and glue to the bottom to prevent moisture from seeping up. (Note from Granny2shoes: Use a plastic lid on the bottom.)
SCOOPS
(Here is a suggestion from "Butterfly Kisses")
I take small and large coffee cans and add a handle on the side, the kind you use like to open cupboard doors (the cheap ones). Well once added to the coffee can I use them as a kind of scoop for dog food. We have a german shepherd and the bags are quite large, Dip the coffee can into the bag to scoop out the food. It's really a great help.
VASE
Paint can gold and sponge over with copper. Add ornate handles for a vase. Put a jar (mayo or otherwise) of flowers or a plant inside.
BIRDFEEDER
(from Wanda)
Recently, somewhere in my travels on then net, I saw where someone had made a bird feeder. They cut the ends out BUT only half way, bend the cut end down inside the can so the edges are not exposed to cut you. Then punch a hole in the side of the can, at both ends, where it would be the "top" of the feeder and put some wire thru each end to make a hanger.
BANK
(from Wanda)
You can use either the plastic top for the top or cut a slit in the metal bottom and use the plastic on the bottom to get the money out easily. Paint, decoupage, or wallpaper the can to dress it up.
CANISTERS
(from Wanda)
Also, I paint them and use them as canisters in my camping trailer. I try to avoid anything glass in the trailer since things tend to move around as I go up and down the road. I put decals on them to decorate and use them for flour, sugar, tea, coffee, baking mix, flour, rice, pasta, powdered milk, etc.
A grease can: Whenever I cook something that has to be drained, I do it in a 1# can and when I'm packing up to go home, just throw the can away, or throw all the grease in the trash since you can't put in down the drain in the trailer.
Small parts canister: I always have nails, bolts, screws, etc in the tool compartment so I store them in a 1# can and they don't get lost.
WINDSOCK
(from Wanda)
Fill 1# can with water and freeze; take a nail and punch holes along the rim-several all the way around one end. Thaw the water and dump; cut the second end out of the can and put a hanging wire thru two holes. Cut the material for the windsock to 14" length and 7" wide, put the two 7" ends together and stitch. Cut streamers to the length you want and sew a small hem around them so they don't ravel, as well as around the windsock. Sew, glue, or staple the streamers to the windsock. Glue the windsock to the hanger end of the can so that the windsock covers the can.
LUMINARIA
(from Wanda)
I think everybody knows how to make these: freeze water in can, punch holes in a design with a nail, thaw and dump water, paint the can, put a candle in and light. Especially pretty lining a sidewalk.
GIFT PACKAGES
(from Diane Tracy)
Something *I* do is to use them for packages instead of boxes! I wrap them in the brown side of a paper bag (or craft paper), and then decorate that!
SNOWMAN IN A CAN
(from Diane Tracy)
"just add snow!" Fill with a snow cap, mittens, painted 10 rocks black for the eyes, mouth & buttons, and 1 orange for the nose... You can add in whatever you want to complete the snowman...a pipe, a scarf, whatever. Then I painted the can (w/a sponge brush) midnight blue and speckled them with white paint to look like snow... if I'd been more adept (and had more time), I would have painted a snowman on ...but I just glued bits of material to look like a snowman. Voila! A Snowman in a Can. Just add Snow!
SOME SUGGESTIONS FROM Crafts4All
For those of you with dry heat - coffee cans filled with water on top of the furnace (I have panelray in the wall) or registers helps to put moisture back in the air that the furnace removes. It helps with keeping down the build-up of phlegm in the throats of the family. I do not dry my dishes on a drainboard, so a coffee can with a paper towel in the bottom holds the silverware and cooking utensils to dry. I also use the older decorative cans for holding macaroni, beans, powdered sugar and such in the cabinet.
I use a lot of the International Food cappuccino cans and I work with beads. Ergo! I use them to store my starflake beads, flair bead strings, polished apache tears, etc. and the plastic lids can be written on with magic marker or fine point laundry markers perfectly. I keep safety pins in them, too. I use the safety pins with the beads, so store them all together on the same set of shelves.
I keep a can full of rock salt in the house for clearing my steps in the winter.
When all else fails and I can't get to the school for gallon cans, I even plant young plants in coffee cans. I actually prefer cans to the pots you can buy for 2 reasons. One being the price is right - Nothing. The other is once planted you have a longer time before you have to transplant to a large container.
UMBRELLA STAND
Cover three cans (very large juice cans work well). Remove bottom and replace with a plastic lid. Put a round sponge in the bottom to absorb water from the wet umbrellas.
Cover 3 cans with carpet remnant. Rub catnip into carpet and use as a scratching post for cats. Be sure to put in a brick or stones or something to weight it down so it doesn't fall over.
Have some suggestions for coffee cans? Add your ideas to our current list? Please share them with us. And don't forget to leave your page address or e-mail address if you want it linked. Photos are always welcomed. Thanks to all who have submitted suggestions.
