Coffee can project...

I'm sharing an easy project today. You only need a few materials, a trip to Lowe's, and a little bit of time. 

I stopped (cut back) drinking diet Dr. Pepper and picked up a coffee cup. This is what happened - I now have lots of nice cans. 

Nice cans

I realized my can collection was getting rather large during the week of spring break. My wheels started turning for what to do with them. I hated to just throw them away. Here's what I came up with...

I pulled all the paper I could from the cans. Then I let them soak about ten minutes in soapy water and scraped off as much as I could of the paper that was left. 

To get the remaining dabs of paper and the sticky off the cans, I used Goof Off. It worked great! The guy at Lowe's was right. I sprayed the cans really well and let the Goof Off stay on maybe two minutes. Then I wiped them down with a paper towel. I just followed the directions on the bottle. 

From Lowe's

Clean can!

While at Lowe's, I also picked up some primer for metal and a pretty blue spray paint. 

I started with the primer. I primed the cans and let them dry over night. 

I wanted them to have a little character, so I decided to give them a stripe with painter's tape. (Yes, I realize that the tape is not in the same spot on each can - my son's observation.)

I was careful to press the tape down hard on the can, especially on the edges, so the color wouldn't bleed. Then I sprayed the color on and waited a few days for it to dry.

I thought they turned out pretty good! 

The Mr. drilled drain holes in the bottom for me, so I could use them for flowers.
I added a little texture with string. 

Of course you could use them to hold just about anything and decorate them tons of ways!

Have you done anything crafty with your used containers? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you...

Kathryn