Thursday 22 December 2011

Tin Can Tea Light Holders

There are only a few days left until Christmas! Are you excited? Exhausted from all the preparation?
Or are you filled with an unwavering certainty that surely, there must be more Christmas crafts to do?

Yeah, me too! I’m excited, worn out, yet still wanting to craft! 

Here’s something I just finished up:


These tin can tea light holders were something I saw in Tesco’s free magazine a few weeks ago. They’re basically free to make, and easy at that! They'd make a great last-minute gift or would look awesome at a party in the summer!

Here’s a quick run-down on how to make these:
  1. Fill a clean tin can with water and put in the freezer overnight (this gives you something solid to work with)
  2. Mark out a design onto the tin using a felt tip (use something that can be washed off!)
  3. Use a hammer and nail to punch holes in the surface of the can.
Optional:
Once the ice has melted, pack the can with old newspaper and spray paint the outside.

For a handle:
  1. Make two holes either side of the top of the can for the handle.
  2. Cut a piece of wire (or cut up an old wire coat hanger) and hook through the holes.

Notes:
  • The article I read said to use a screwdriver to make the holes in the can, but a nail worked just fine.
  • I found it was easier to rest the tin on a cloth whilst I punched the holes
  • The base of two of my tins buckled as the water froze; a few light taps with the hammer fixed this.

Safety:
Obviously being made of metal, these get very hot! If using these I guess it’s best to put them on a heat-resistant surface or a dish, rather than straight onto a table/TV/speakers.


As I already mentioned, this craft cost me nothing! The tins were from soup (tall tins) and pistachios (short tin), the wire and tools were liberated from Dad’s shed, and the spray paint was already in my stash!

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