TUTORIAL: Tin Can Caddy for Earth Day and Mother's Day

Everybody loves a good tin can project, right?
So. many. options.

And today I'm teaming up with 3 other bloggers: Make and Takes, Prudent Baby, and Petit Elefant and a great online site called Consumer Crafts to share a craft that works for Mother's Day....and Earth Day.

 I basically went from this pile of fun:

to this....which you could even stop right there, filling them with mom's favorite flowers, plants, or treats:

Or you can lash a few cans together with twine and rope to create other fun options:

 (which should definitely include a few Dandelion pom poms)

Okay, you only need a few supplies which are all found on consumer crafts.com.  And I gotta say, I was really impressed with the selection on their site.  They have party decorations, art supplies, stuff for kids, all your basic craft needs....even American Girl-ish doll clothes! (Lucy's excited)....oh and Perler Beads! (Owen's excited)

Now you could use spray paint for your cans.  But I found that acrylic paint has a bazillion more color options, is cheaper, and more Earth friendly.  Ding!  I also found that mixing the paint with a bit of glossy Mod Podge gives the dull paint a bit of shine and adheres to the cans a little better.

So grab your mod podge, paint, bakers twine or hemp, brushes, and whatever cans you have lying around.

I love using old baby food containers for mixing paint because they're just the right size, and have lids.   So in a small container mix equal parts Mod Podge and acrylic paint.  Then start painting it on your dry, clean can.

I found that painting worked best in layers, using a blowdryer to dry between each layer.  Some colors needed about 3-4 coats of paint.

And just like that you've got a rainbow of tin can beauties!
Seriously, these colors just make me happy.  

Now let's lash or link a few together.  This reminds me of my Girl Scout days when we lashed 4 boogie boards together with rope and made a big raft at the beach.  Totally fun (and I guess pretty impressionable to a 9 year old).

So from this totally messing photo diagram below you basically want to start at one can and do Figure 8's around the other cans. Wrap one way direction on the first can, then wrap the other direction on the next can, then go back and forth between the 3 cans, etc.  Don't always follow the same path on the same can so you can vary the way the cans are linked together. 

Do the same method on the bottom of the cans and you've got a cool silverware caddy for a summer party.

Now using the hemp rope is a tiny bit trickier only because it can be kind of stiff (softer, pliable hemp is ideal).  For two cans, dab a bit of hot glue on the first can to hold the rope in place, then wrap it around and over to the other can in a Figure 8.  Wrap the rope a few times, then cut the end and glue it in place (hide the ends in-between the two cans).  Do the same for the bottom of the cans and then shift and shimmy the ropes till they're right where you'd like.
Boxwood plant vase!

For the Craft Caddy, let's lash 8 cans together.
Start by linking 4 cans and 4 cans separately (this makes the whole thing easier to manage).  Then put the two lines together and weave in and out around the 8 cans.  Some of the cans may shift so do your best to keep them straight (as you can see, I did not.  But it works).  Then lash the cans together at the bottom as well.

 To make the little handle....

Braid 3 strands of hemp together, stick one end of the braid in between the last two cans and hot glue it in place.  Do the same on the other end of the cans. 

Then fill the caddy with your favorite supplies!

 And carry it wherever the crafting may go.

Any mom would love a colorful tin can surprise on Mother's Day.  I'm sure. 

And for even more options, check out what Marie from Make and Takes did with washi tape:

And we've got two more Earth Day DIY projects, sponsored by Consumer Crafts.....
Upcycled Carnival by Prudent Baby.

 And T-shirt Necklaces with Petit Elefant:

And for a ton of Earth Day DIY ideas, check out our Earth Day Pinterest Board.

Okay. One last bit of fun.  Want free money to Consumer Crafts?....enter with the rafflecopter below for your chance to win a ConsumerCraft.com bundle worth $250, so you can get started crafting up a storm for Earth Day DIY! Be sure to visit ConsumerCrafts on twitter, facebook, and see their Crafts Unleashed blog for more craft ideas.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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This is part of Celebrate MOM, a series with gift ideas for moms and women.

Here’s what we’ve shared this week:
• Dishtowel and Napkin Totes
• Fabrics A to Z book Giveaway
• Dandelions Pom Poms
• the Vintage Pearl Giveaway