Coffee Can Card Holder
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Easy
Age: 6 and up
Average User Rating:
Coffee cans have so many uses; why not turn one into an adorable collection box for your child’s Valentines. Inexpensive fabric coupled with decoupage medium and a little lace, transform a plain coffee can into this charming card collector.
What you'll need:
- empty metal coffee can
- Valentine related fabric, enough to cover can completely, one-quarter yard is plenty
- lace
- sheer white ribbon
- colorful ribbon in a pattern that contrasts your fabric choice
- heart-shaped craft jewel
- hot glue
- Liquitex Basics Gesso
- decoupage medium or homemade mixture, recipe below
- medium paintbrush
- pinking shears
- white craft or Tacky glue
- sharp knife or scissors
How to make it:
- Wash out coffee can and allow it to dry completely. Do not discard lid, but do not put back it onto the can yet.
- Cover your work surface with a plastic tablecloth, newspaper or other protective cover. This project can be a little messy!
- Apply one coat of Liquitex Basics Gesso to the entire outside of the coffee can and the plastic lid. Allow to dry completely.
- Lay fabric out on work surface, wrong side facing up. Lay coffee can down on fabric. Wrap fabric around can to be sure you have enough for sufficient coverage. Fabric should overlap both the top and the bottom of the can. Unroll fabric and lay flat again.
- Using your paintbrush, apply some decoupage medium to the edge of the fabric. Bring fabric up and lay it onto the can.
Homemade decoupage: To make your own decoupage medium, simply mix together equal parts of water and white craft glue, such as Tacky Glue. Mixture should be milky and a little thick, not too runny.
- “Paint” the decoupage medium right onto the fabric as you wrap it around the can. The coffee can will remain on the table; simply roll it to move on to the next section to be decoupaged.
- Continue all the way around the can, fabric will be wet and you should have applied decoupage from top to bottom.
- Using your fingers, smooth out any wrinkles in the fabric and press the end seam down and make sure no edges are sticking up.
- With can still lying on its side, use the hot glue gun to adhere the excess fabric to the bottom of the can. Stand can up.
- Use hot glue to adhere the excess fabric at the top to the inside lip of the can.
- Allow the decoupage to dry completely.
- While the can is drying, place the plastic lid on top of a piece of excess fabric. Either trace the lid lightly with a pencil, or simply use pinking shears to cut around the lid, leaving about at inch overlap.
- Place lid, right side up, on work surface. Apply decoupage to the top of the lid, and then press fabric down onto the lid to adhere. Allow to dry.
- Use a sharp knife or pair of scissors (a box cutter works great) to cut a slit in the lid big enough for cards to fit through. Touch up edges with glue if needed.
- When can is dry, fit the lid securely onto the can. Use Tacky Glue to fold edges of excess fabric down around the lip of the lid.
- Use hot glue gun to adhere lace around the edge of the lid.
- Using the white sheer ribbon and the colored ribbon, Tie two separate bows. Hot glue onto the front of the can.
- Hot glue a heart shaped craft jewel to the center of the ribbon.
Tips:
Fun variation. Instead of a craft jewel, use a heart-shaped woodsie painted in whatever color you choose. Decorate your wood heart with glitter around the edge if you like.
Be careful . Parents should operate the hot glue gun. Older children should be supervised but not left alone with hot glue or sharp cutting utensils.
Fabric tips. Instead of one large piece of fabric, use scraps of different fabrics in Valentine colors of pink, red, and white to create a more collaged look. Fabrics are very inexpensive when purchased from discount department stores. The fabric used in this craft cost us two dollars per yard, only fifty cents for this craft!
