Thursday, September 16, 2010

Gettin' Crafty With Empty Cans


Question :
What do you do with your empty food storage cans?


Answer :
Ummmmm, I save them for a rainy day......of course!



I knew I was hanging onto them for a good reason. I just didn't know what that reason was, until this week. I was clamoring around for a last minute birthday gift, with very little time and even less money...not a good combination for a winning gift! Luckily, I work best under pressure and came up with, what I think, is a pretty cute idea.



I found some adorable scrapbook papers in my stash that I've been hanging on to for years. I cut them to fit the can, mod podged them on, added a cute tag with vinyl letter stickers (all cut with my cricut), and voila.....a custom birthday bucket is born!


When you're finished decorating the buckets, you can stuff them full of all kinds of goodies. Army men, glow swords or crowns, silly putty, dvds, candy......the possibilities are endless! The best part.....you can totally customize them to fit the personality of the birthday child {and your budget as well}!



For this cute boy bucket, I ended up using a paint can you can buy at the craft store to decorate yourself. I had an old one I'd never used lying around, so I thought I'd put it to good use now! Better late than never, right?



This one was a bit more fun to put together, honestly. Boys are usually more adventurous and really dig things like flarp (noise putty, for those of you without young boys) and stretchy, gooey frogs and lizards!




I had so much fun making these birthday buckets, they might very well become my new gift staple! The price was right {free}, they were quick and easy, and they look so darn cute! How could you resist that? So, go dig those empty #10 cans out of the garbage and give them new life!





61 comments:

  1. That is a great idea Amanda! And they look so festive - I love the paper and ribbons that you used. You are so clever!!

    I hope you are having a great week. Love ya!

    xox
    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  2. that is awesome! I am totally stealing this idea. I am bookmarking it, so when I do use it, I'll link to you and give you your props! I may not get the vinyl on, though. As I have made you well aware, I am scared of my Cricut. It lives in my closet and has rarely seen in the light of day. Sometimes I am afraid to walk into my closet because I know it's staring at me. And laughing. And mocking. I deserve it. Maybe I should just put her up for adoption. She deserves a better home. But, that would mean touching her. And she scares me...

    ReplyDelete
  3. PS, will you stop by my family's blog. It's lonely...

    www.camachohouse.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. A great idea! My 10 year old daughter said "those are soooo cute!" :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. CUTE! I think I may have to make one for myself next year, for my birthday,hehe ;) Thanks for the cute idea!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great idea! The colors you chose are so cute & festive, it's like a Bucket O' Fun! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really like this idea. I have a couple of these can around and didnt know what to do with them - Im so going to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looove!!! My problem is that I save stuff like that and need to MAKE the time to use it, otherwise it just lays around. :s

    ReplyDelete
  9. That is so totally cute you won't need the following info... but just in case... Most stakes have a machine that will fix the top of the can so that it can be reused for food storage. You run it through the machine and then fill and seal as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  10. this is so cute! What a creative, simple idea. One question: it looks like you put a handle on the can... how did you do that? THanks for sharing. Could you email me? I probably won't check back for a response. katecreer@gmail.com

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great idea. I've used my leftover cans for gift buckets as well. I've filled mine with cookies to deliver to a new neighbor too. They work great for lots of things. Love the paper you chose.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh Amanda- this is my new favorite idea!!!!! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love this idea! Super fun and cute! Definitely brings new life to the decorating the tin can pencil holders!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, I love your cans, those are beautiful.
    One year we used one of those openers that doesn't leave sharp edges, to open a soup can. Washed it out carefully, not to ruin the label, and filled it with a bar of gourmet soap and a gift card to her favorite store, then glued the lid back on. Gave it to my 'crafty' daughter in law, and laughed when she opened the package and thought she had a can of Campbells Vegetable soup.

    ReplyDelete
  15. These look great, Amanda! And frankly, I think any age "kid" would be glad to get one filled with fun stuff. I think you've got a winner of an idea here!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Amanda-That is a great idea. It is so much more fun that a box with a model in it or something.

    Wonderful idea! Diana

    ReplyDelete
  17. Girl, I have a stack of 8 formula containers like this in my studio bathroom RIGHT NOW waiting for organizational use or something else. Love your birthday idea! So personal and cute!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow, that is really cute! I love that you are recycling too! Fantastic job.

    Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love this! I had actually just saved some for a rainy day too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I was wondering what I should do these cans.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love this idea! Looks like so much fun. The possibilities are endless.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, how creative you are. Well I already knew that! I bet any kid would be happy to receive one of those, I know I would!

    Megan

    ReplyDelete
  23. Those are not just pretty cute, those are WAY cute! I wouldn't have thought to use food storage cans like that. What a fun project!

    ReplyDelete
  24. hi there! I just wanted to say hi and thanks for picking my family room at CSI Project! I don't know if I ever commented on this post before, but I love them and am totally going to keep it in mind - I often give buckets of arts and crafts as a gift, and these would be even better than buying the buckets.

    I've missed your posts lately - I'm sure you're crazy busy! Can't wait to hear what you've been up to when you have time.

    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  25. this is a fabulous idea! I love it. Bet it would be great for Christmas too.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh goodness! These are so cute. What great ideas (:

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm totally going to have to steal this idea and use them for Christmas gifts! A pair of warms socks, some popcorn and some treats...what a perfect little gift! Yeehaw! Thanks for sharing your creativeness!
    I'n soooooooo excited. I also have a TON of paper and I'm not scrapping any more because of time so this uses it nicely!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Amanda,
    I am in love with this post! Woohoo! I am fix'n on trying it out tomorrow and doing it with Christmas paper and using your tips for the Cricut to cut out some vinyl! Thanks for your smarts!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I've been saving cans to make pencil holders. My Guy finds them and throws them away - if he doesn't use them for cooking grease or cleaning solvents. (That's what the glass jars w/ lids were for that I saw in the trash can too!) Ugh! I started hiding them but just tonight I have them sitting on the coffee table right now with fabrics. I told him that UPcycling is a cheap way to give gifts. I will show him this tutorial of the paint cans. Very nice work!

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is an amazing idea! Now I know what to do with all of the empty paint cans in our basement!

    ReplyDelete
  31. so nice - I would also love to know how you fixed the handles on there?

    ReplyDelete
  32. That's a great idea ! it totally looks fascinating ! that paper you select and ribbon is looks super cool.....
    Dissertation Writing

    ReplyDelete
  33. really nice ,I think they are creative.very nice blog ,thanks for your useful blog!I learn a lot from it ,I would also like to share you something about laptop battery.

    ReplyDelete
  34. They look so festive! I love the paper and ribbons that you used.

    San Diego Catering

    ReplyDelete
  35. New Blog Follower & Cricut owner...I hope u might inspire me to use my Cricut more :) check me out at www.wannabegreen.net

    ReplyDelete
  36. Wow, that was a very good read. In conclusion, someone who actually thinks and understands what they are talking about. Quite difficult to determine lately, especially on line . I bookmarked your web blog and will make sure to keep return here if this is how you always post. Thanks, keep it up!
    Estetik

    ReplyDelete
  37. I was very encouraged to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this special read. I definitely savored every little bit of it.
    Estetik

    ReplyDelete
  38. They look so festive! I love the paper and ribbons that you used in it.
    JOB SEARCH

    ReplyDelete
  39. I have a collection of empty coffee cans that I have been keeping for just the right project! Thanks for the inspiration!

    http://madcraftingmama.blogspot.ca/

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thanks for the great article. We come from 928bet login
    the website. You may know, please click

    ReplyDelete
  41. Laser for Taurus Revolver : Viridian's E COLLECTION laser sight is particularly created for the day-to-day conceal as well as lug owner. This model certain, trigger guard mounted, Laser Sight for Taurus 709 Slim offers one of the most effective red laser legally readily available, providing rapid target acquisition when you need it most. Taurus PT111 G2 Laser

    ReplyDelete
  42. I would like to thank Ultimate Life Clinic for reversing my father's Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). My father’s ALS condition was fast deteriorating before he started on the ALS Herbal medicine treatment from Ultimate Life Clinic. He was on the treatment for just 6 months and we never thought my father will recover so soon. He has gained some weight in the past months and he is able to walk with no support. You can reach them through there website www.ultimatelifeclinic.com

    ReplyDelete
  43. Finding the best Sig P365 Accessories can be a challenge for some individuals. Nevertheless, if you require magazines for your Sig P365, regardless of the application you mean to utilize it for, you'll have to find one that will fit your pistol best without numerous concerns. A wonderful Sig P365 Accessories has to be dependable as high as it is trustworthy. On top of that, it needs to have the ability to hold as lots of shots as you want it to. You may not utilize the entire magazine, for example, however you'll have ample convenient for whatever the use asks for. Sig P365 Light

    ReplyDelete
  44. Thanks for the amazing information. If you know about the Custom Packaging then please visit Custom Packaging

    ReplyDelete
  45. error code 0xc0000225 windows 7 is the error occur because of the usualy when windows not able to find your system files that is using for booting and boot configuration data you can rebuild bcd to easy recovery of essentials etc. windows 7 code 0xc0000225.

    ReplyDelete
  46. really nice ,I think they are creative. very nice blog ,thanks for your useful blog. Art Attackk

    ReplyDelete
  47. spectrum roadrunner email support our customers support always available 24X7 for any kind of related roadrunner email problem will be listen with patience and we try too solve all your querry or anything you have related roadrunner email support number.

    ReplyDelete
  48. hushmail account login if you have any issue related hushmail than you can contact us our customer care service is available 24X7 all the days our technical expert will provide you all kind of hushmail related solutions which will help you hushmail free trial.

    ReplyDelete
  49. system mechanics professional is the best antivirus and real time protection that protect your pc and malware, trojan horse and many kind of latest viruses and give you the best experience of while using your systemmechanic activate.

    ReplyDelete
  50. system mechanics professional is the best antivirus and real time protection that protect your pc and malware, trojan horse and many kind of latest viruses and give you the best experience of while using your systemmechanic activate.

    ReplyDelete
  51. thank you for this excellent information . it is very helping and am learning many things . you are doing good. thank you so much
    best crm software in india
    crm software in india

    ReplyDelete

I love my lurkers, but....show me some comment love!