Because life’s celebrations shouldn’t cost the Earth

Tuesday 5 May 2015

Altered Tin Can Tutorial

Upcycled Shabby Chic Soup Cans



It shouldn't surprise anyone to hear that I'm a fan of creating upcycled crafts, after all my tagline at SewforSoul is 'Because life's celebrations shouldn't cost the Earth'.  In keeping with this, the female guests at our recent Easter party were each gifted with an empty cat food tin!


Thankfully, I washed and altered the cans first! 



I lovingly created them with the application of delicate lace, a lick of paint and some handmade clay embellishments, I then filled each tin with a gorgeous little Primula bedding plant.  Whilst mine were created for Easter, they would make equally stunning wedding table centres.  The romantic blend of lace and linen conjuring up visions of antique wedding frocks, and their shabby chic vibe adding a touch of relaxed glamour to the celebration. 

Unlike cut blooms, flowering plants also won't fade within a few days, thus providing a lasting memento of your perfect day, which honoured guests can take away with them!  I actually popped my plants into a small paper inner cup, so that they could be lifted out and planted into the garden where, as a hardy perennial, they will provide years of beautiful flowers.  The empty tin cans would then make wonderful pen pots.


Viola who blogs over at 'Shabby Chic Inspired' also uses hers for stunning art supply storage



Tutorial


So, firstly prepare your tins with a very hot thorough wash, as mine had contained cat food this was an essential stage to remove any lingering odours!  Once dry, I then used a pair of pliers to flatten out the slightly sharp inner lip on each tin.



Next came a quick coat of white acrylic paint followed by an application of Powertex Stone Art mixed with Powertex Fabric Hardener which provides a lovely rough 'aged' texture.  If you can't easily source Powertex you can either miss out this stage or mix your white paint with a small amount of craft sand and plaster of Paris.


Leave to dry and then let your imagination run wild with a glue gun and lace trims.  You can use any colour of lace as the tins will have more paint applied, however pale colours will require less paint to cover.  I used lots of different lace, some from my Granny's sewing box which are at least fifty years old, mixed in with more modern pieces.


Once you're happy with your lace placement, give each tin can a couple more coats of white paint and then leave in a warm place to dry.


If you like the plain white look, then you're done!  I left the tin on the right below pure white and it looked lovely.  However, you can also get busy with your paints again and 'antique' the lace by sponging it with complementing shades of cream, grey and taupe.
The beauty of this project is that once you've created the basic tin, it can be then customised in any way you like, creating a totally unique finished item which perfectly reflects your individual character and tastes!



I added linen yo-yos, vintage 1950s buttons and personalised embossed clay tags


I also gently sponged the same shades of cream and taupe paint onto my linen yo-yos (Suffolk puffs) to tie them in with the lace and really rock the vintage shabby chic vibe!


A matching embossed clay butterfly completed the romantic spring feel


The possibilities are endless, what will you add to yours? Silk flowers, pearls or gems perhaps? 


Happy Crafting!







31 comments:

  1. So pretty! Great for Shabby Chic lovers! Perfect for my make up brushes or kitchen utensils! xx

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  2. Another fab idea Josie, I'd have to add some crochet flowers and use it for my hooks. Hx

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  3. What a great idea, love the textures and soft colour.

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  4. Fabulous! Really effective. I do like your lace stamping & names on your clay adornments!

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  5. These are just lovely Josie, I bet your guests were thrilled with them :)

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  6. Lovely idea Josie, and they look beautiful. Thanks.

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  7. Dear Josie
    Another great idea - I need to try this! Thank you for sharing.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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  8. Hi Josie, your posts are always so pro! Lovely lovely work xxx

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  9. Hi Josie, Brilliant tutorial! I had never heard of Powertex Stone Art and found the video on their website fascinating. Not sure it was the same product in the video but nonetheless I have learnt something new! I love those clay tags - something else I shall have to have try making sometime too! Thank you for sharing. Barbara xx.

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  10. Love, love, love them all! I done some for a bridal shower a couple of years ago and have used them so much since then. Love how you used plaster of paris! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  11. No one would ever guess your BEAUTIFUL containers were once tin cans, Josie. I LOVE them!!! Paint and I are usually not good friends, but I'm Pinning.

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  12. These are beautiful. They would look great sealed and used for plants in the garden. I love the little clay tags too. Thanks for the link to the Powdertex. Have never used this stuff before but it looks really interesting. Xx

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  13. Wow, these are pretty incredible. And I just can't get over your photos, they are so professional x Sam

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  14. These are absolutely delightful, what a brilliant idea.

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  15. These are so beautiful! I want to make lots and use them for everything!

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  16. What a clever, creative idea! And they look soooo good. I shall look out for the power tea. Thanks!

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  17. Beautiful, what a fabulous way to recycle your cans.

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  18. Aww these are just so pretty, what lovely gifts! Beautiful pictures too xx

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  19. They are beautiful and you would never guess that they came from cat food tins!

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  20. I love these Josie! I wouldn't have guessed that there was a tin can underneath! The texture makes it look like ceramics.

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  21. Dropping by from Handmade Monday, these look fabulous. I use tin cans for storage all the time but have never painted them, great idea - Chris :D

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  22. What a super cool idea. Will have to look at cans a bit differently from now on! haha

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  23. oh my goodness these are amazing, you would never know that they are tin cans. What a fabulous makeover youve done, thank you for sharing your tutorial xx

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  24. Just beautiful! and so many possibilities!

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  25. The clay embellishments are just gorgeous - love them!
    And thanks for the great tip about flattening the sharp edge. I've always avoided using cans for just that reason, I've tried altering tubs from gravy granules and someone at work has this posh coffee substitute that comes in a lovely tub with a lid, which I always liberate from the bin when it's empty! This opens up a whole load of possibilities - a real "doh!" moment!

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  26. Love altered art and your tins are fantastic. The muted colours are ideal

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  27. What a great idea - simple but very effective. I couldn't even tell they were tin cans in the first photo!

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  28. Really love the effect of the lace, what a simple but effective idea!

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  29. These are so beautiful. I love your style :)

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  30. I love these, I've been looking for little pots to put primulas in for ages and not found the right ones. Now I have. Thank you.

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