Recently I saw tin-punched candle holders at Crate and Barrel and immediately drifted off to that exhilarating third grade craft day. I thought making my own version of these candle holders would be terrifically nostalgic, not to mention a great almost-free way to decorate our holiday table.
-tin can (opened and emptied)
-primer
-gold and white spray paint (or multi-surface acrylic paint)
-rice
-water
-tape (preferably duct tape)
-printed template (I simply printed out large letters to spell a word, though you can find lots of tin-punch patterns with a quick Internet search.)
Tools:
-mallet or hammer
-punch or nail
-brush (if not using spray paint)
Step Two: Fill each can with rice and water to the top. Freeze completely. This will provide a stable can for punching, preventing the can from denting or collapsing.
After punching the rice and ice filled cans, defrost them in a container of warm water before proceeding to the next step. You don’t have to completely defrost— just a few minutes in the warm water will allow you to dump out the rice ice cubes.
Tip: Punch both sides of the can if you plan to place the candle holders down the center of a table— but if you do, plan for the letters being in a different order!
Step Four: Prime the cans. Then paint the inside with gold paint and the outside with white (or the color of your choice). It’s important to prime the cans to ensure the adhesion of the paint. While the image above shows brush painting, I found through trial and error that spray paint worked best. I sprayed the insides of the cans with gold spray paint, then after that dried, turned the cans upside-down and sprayed with light coats of white paint.
Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with Stella from the Signature Collection.
60 Comments
Aww, I used to make these as a kid with my mom every year! One of my fondest memories/traditions. 🙂
Super cute diy idea!
xx
this is so pretty 🙂
These are just so pretty, I love crafts that use everyday items. Really want to make some of these before Christmas. xxx
I’ve never made these before but they look so darn cool and relatively easy to make. I love that you can personalize them and that something as simple as a tin can, can potentially make life long memories.
Thanks for sharing ladies and take care.
Lyle
These are absolutely adorable- I need to make them asap!
These are SO sweet! What a great idea! Such a cool way to recycle these cans!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
so cute! great idea! 🙂
http://www.blogiration.com
This is so clever and cute! I remember making a version of this in elementary school, but they didn’t turn out anywhere near this pretty. Love them!
XX,
S. Roderick
http://www.currenthabits.com
These are gorgeous. I love them! Thank you for sharing!
They look lovely!
http://www.peonyandpeach.blogspot.com
These look gorgeous! I’ll definitely have to try it out – even though I totally lack the artistic qualities you so clearly possess 😉 Thanks for sharing!
thebalancedtraveler.com
I assume the rice is going to be useless after this, is it worth it? thow away food in order to recycle a can? Sorry but i’m not up for it.
So cook it instead of throwing it out. Put it in a pan, cover it, bring to boil, boil as long as you would any other rice (depending on white, brown, instant or long cooking). After all, the can is clean and not yet painted just be sure to clean your utensils (Nail or punch, etc.) that might come in contact with the rice & water.
Besides, try finding this same thing at the store and you’ll pay way more for the decoration than the cost of the rice, if your still going to throw it out.
Another thought: think of the joy you can bring to so many: show a child (or children) how to do this; give the completed project to someone in confinement (i.e; nursing home) who hasn’t anything so pretty for a holiday. Be sure to add the LED votives or tea lites.
Try using gravel or dirt. It will froze and still give u the firmness you need to pass nail thru without denying the can. Just am idea 🙂 and yes gravel will still be good after this project 😉
These look so good and I love the gold effect inside the cans. Think I’ll make some for Christmas!
http://www.josephinepenelope.com
These are super cute!
I’m definitely going to give these a go with my boyfriend and my initials to decorate our fireplace! x
I love the soft golden glow from inside of the cans. It’s great rediscovering crafts you did when you were younger isn’t it? These are really up to date after being painted white and would look great on any table.
Wow these are gorgeous and eco-friendly
♥ Fancy Nancy’s YouTube
Hi! I tried making these over the summer for our back porch, but when I filled the cans with water and froze them, the water expanded and THAT ruined the shape of the can. How can I prevent that from happening?
Thanks!
I’ve always found tin can candles so endearing, but have never made them. I don’t really have time to make these before Thanksgiving (unless I get a snow day…fingers crossed!), but I may try to translate these over to Christmas or Valentines day.
-E
http://amie-eo.blogspot.com
does the tin get hot when you burn the candle? x
This is so charming and adorable!! I can see these in a rustic style wedding as well. I wish I did pretty projects like these in elementary school. I was over the macaroni art by age 7!
Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to try my own.
That is super cute!
Xo
Diary Of A Mua
So cute! I’ve got a load of cans waiting to be recycling so I’ll definitely be giving this a go!
http://www.mywonderbox.wordpress.com
Super
http://imyownmuse.blogspot.com
very cute! question though. Is it really necessary to fill the cans with water and freeze? Will it not work if you just fill it with rice and seal it with tape at the top? Maybe even small pebbles if you don’t want to waste rice?
Why the rice? Does it keep the water from expanding too much and distorting the shape of the cans as Lisa said above? I use Nellie’s Laundry Soap and it comes in great tins. I had planned on using those for Holiday votives but am curious about the rice…Thanks!
i LOVE this idea!
but its weird that i was instantly sad about all the wasted rice! lol.
can wait to try this!!!!
i think this is great for xmas!
This is beautiful…love the gold inside…cute yet such a festive decor idea…
xo
Hems
agoldentulip.blogspot.com
Beautiful! I wish this was posted earlier – probably won’t have time to make these for our table this year. Oh well – pinned for next year :).
One thing to note, and I can totally see myself doing this and then being so annoyed :)…
If you are going to run them down the center of the table make sure the other side isn’t backwards, “SKNAHT”. Because thats what will happen if you put the same letter on both sides of each can. Whoops!
My tins didn’t get hot, though when I moved my hand close to the top of them, it was fiercely hot! Any votive holder will get warm, though, so if you’re worried about it with people passing food, etc, then I would use battery powered LED tea lights. They usually even flicker! -Mandi
You could certainly try! The rice+ice method worked wonderfully for me. I did some punching without the ice (but no rice), and the can collapsed. If you don’t want to waste rice, you could fill it with sand and water, probably. -Mandi
If you just filled them with water, they would be too hard to pierce. But the rice allows it to give a little when you punch the tin. You could use sand or other porous materials too! -Mandi
You don’t have to waste the rice! You can just cook it when you dump out the rice from the cans. You’ll have a lot of rice, though. 🙂 -Mandi
Did you add anything to the water, or did you just use plain water? The use of rice will help this. My water/rice expanded still, but upwards, not outward. Although, even if you didn’t add anything to the water, it’s odd that it would destroy the can. Usually water looks for the path of least resistance when expanding, so I would have thought it would expand upwards. -Mandi
No, my rice barely absorbed any water, and it can still be cooked (even in the same water) when you take it from the can. It will be a lot of rice, though, so you’ll want to freeze the excess or else have a big family dinner. 🙂 If you don’t want lots of rice on your hands, you can use sand or another porous material. -Mandi
i saw a previous comment so i see what you mean! (:
i love this idea but while we do eat a lot of rice i dont think we eat that much so i can settle for making a can a week! that’ll also give me time to collect cans!
thanks for the idea! <3
Love the white paint and the soft glow of the candles – candles always add a warm feeling to a room.
These are so pretty! x
https://www.marjorievie.blogspot.com
Super cute!!! Love the price!
At what point do you take the rice out? Im confused by that missed step.
Ha! Good point! You’d need to do some extra planning and use a different letter on the back. I didn’t do the back of mine, but would’ve been bummed if I had probably! -Mandi
Sorry that wasn’t more clear! You can defrost the cans in a bucket of warm water (that’s what I did) after punching the designs. -Mandi
Thank you so much for tips! 🙂
Great idea for pressies! A few months of saving cans would’ve been handy. I now have to work in many canned items into my family’s meals over the next few weeks……”Not baked beans again, mum!”
I love this idea! These little votives are getting added to my DIY to-do list.
these are soo cute!
xx nikki
http://www.dream-in-neon.com
I used tomato sauce so I could just dump the sauce into a container and pop it into the freezer. I did two containers, which worked out to be enough for two pasta dishes for the next couple of weeks. -Mandi
What font did you choose? It is perfect, I love the S!
I’m in the market for diy Christmas gifts this year and this definitely fits the bill! I’m excited to make these! Thanks for sharing 🙂
wow …great job !!
love your style
visit back : http://www.artwoxs.com
It’s called Duality and I got it on Dafont.com -Mandi
Ah! So cute!
Those are so cute!
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Use the large amount of rice to make rice pudding, to give as gifts. Or, tuna-and-rice casseroles, or chicken and rice soup, etc. Stuff that can be frozen. Someone you know is sick, or just had a baby, or is bed-bound. An old-fashioned rice pudding would be a treat to receive as a gift, at the holidays or any time.
And, if you use coffee cans or large juice to make luminarias (beautiful,) use sand and water.
Tried making these before but wasn’t successful. I didn’t know of the rice and water trick to make a stable surface for punching holes. Thank you!!!