Here’s a project from your grammar school days. This Valentine’s Day, there’s no need to buy candy in plastic containers with wasteful packaging or flowers in another unwanted vase. Use a soup can. Fill it with candy and nuts, pencils, a handmade toy, flowers, a plant (poke holes in the bottom of the can or use rocks for drainage), money, a gift card or whatever else your sweetie might like. I’ve made it easy for you by providing these templates for 15 ounce cans. Be sure to thoroughly wash the can, remove the label and make sure there are no sharp pieces on the rim.
If you sew, you can quickly make a fabric sleeve for your soup can. I’ve included instructions here (soup-can-fabric-sleeve) for a sleeve with an appliqué heart. I also made one without the heart from this great Cicada Studio linen blend fabric. Now for me, using small pieces of fabric from my stash is recycling, but you could also use some old clothing or vintage fabric.
If you don’t sew, here’s a quick template (soup-can-paper-template) using card stock, a craft knife, and some glue. I really like the look of the steel ridges in the can, so this one exposes them. Would be even better if you used some paper from the recycling bin. If you are one of those people like me who is constantly de-cluttering, you won’t feel bad about tossing these cans after Valentine’s Day because they can go right back into the recycling bin.
My kids also decorated some cans with stamps and paint. The possibilities are endless.
See these related tutorials:
Beaded cans from Susan Beal for CraftStylish.
Fabric vase covers from How about orange.
Can covers from Elsie Marley with great embroidery designs.
Silly as it is, I have started a Facebook group for The Long Thread. Not sure yet what I’ll do with it, but I’d love to have some more members. Not that 19 isn’t enough — those are 19 quality people there, but you know.
