I am a thrifty kind of girl. I mull over purchases for eons before I finally pull the trigger. I reuse foil. I do crazy things like making my own laundry soap. (I apparently inherited this from my mother, who my grandma loves to declare is capable of stretching a dime into a dollar. 😉 My penchant for thriftiness doesn’t stop with my crafting projects. I love to take an everyday object that would otherwise be discarded and turn it into something beautiful.
The project I have to share with y’all today is a perfect example of thinking outside the box when it comes to home décor. I have been wanting some bright napkin rings to liven up my kitchen table for some time. After seeing this post by Tammy at Not Just Paper and Glue, I knew I wanted to try my hand at creating some Coke can flowers of my own. (Working with the sheet metal for my Beguiling Blossoms was tons of fun, but I was happy to tackle a metal flower project that wasn’t quite as treacherous! 🙂 The entire framework of these little beauties – every petal, and even the napkin ring itself – is comprised of empty Coke cans. Interested in making a few of your own? Let’s get started!
Supplies:
A few empty Coke cans, rinsed clean and dried
Utility knife
Scissors (a spare set – promise me you won’t pull out your sewing shears for this!)
Sharpie
¼” corner rounder
Hot glue gun
Spray paint
Spray adhesive
Spray adhesive
Burlap in assorted colors
Assorted scrap fabric
Assorted buttons and/or beads
To start, cut out all of your pieces (see photos below detailing how to deconstruct your cans and cut out your metal pieces) using the following dimensions. Hint: I found it particularly helpful to cut out templates in the various sizes from card stock so I could trace them onto my metal and fabric to make quick work of cutting out lots of pieces, but you could most certainly measure things out as you go if you prefer.
For each ring, you will need the following pieces:
From deconstructed cans:
4 large petals – 1″ x 2-1/4″
2 small petals – 3/4″ x 1-1/2″
1 napkin ring piece – 1″ x 5″
1 joining piece – 1/2″ x 2″
From scrap fabric:
1 piece to cover napkin ring -1-3/4″ x 5-3/4″
From burlap:
(1) 2 1/2-inch circle
(1) 1-inch circle
(1) 3/4-inch circle
- Because these flowers are made of aluminum, they float. Add these to a fish bowl filled with water along with some floating candles for a truly show-stopping centerpiece!
- Before spray painting, make doubly sure all of the stray threads from your hot glue are removed from your flowers to save you the nuisance of having to deal with them later on.
- Try experimenting with different fabric combinations for the flower centers to achieve an infinite number of different looks!
- As always, when dealing with craft projects that involve materials that could be hazardous to small children, take great care to clean up thoroughly as you go to keep little ones safe!
I apologize for things having been so quiet around here for the last couple of days. Blogger has been quite petulant, but I am glad to report things appear to be back up and running now!
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
Another Great Project!
awesome! i love this! so easy too! I will have to see what i can come up with using a can. Thanks for sharing.
http://sixcherriesontop.com
Wow, they turned out great!
Im visiting from TTA!
You have alot of great projects..I love the homemade citronella candles..Im definitely gonna try that one!Im a new follower!
pineyflatsstyle.blogspot.com
Great tutorial, Amy! I loved these on Tammy’s blog. Thanks so much for the tip on them floating! They would look great floating with my homemade citronella floating candles my mom and I made over the weekend! 😉 I’m hoping to get them posted on my blog this weekend.
you have such a great style– colorful and practical and fun at the same time. love your work!
I’m your newest follower throught TTA, come follow me too!
http://mygorgeouspinkcheeks.blogspot.com
well, these are just incredibly adorable!!
So cute thanks for shareing!
Isn’t it amazing what you can make with a little imagination, and things around the house? I’m following you from meet up monday, hope you follow me too!
I have to say I am in shock and awe! If you hadn’t shown a step by step, I would never have believed that those beautiful napkin rings were made out of coke cans. How creative and cute.
xoxo
livinghappyhealthy365.blogspot.com
These are so darling!! Every time I read about one of your metal projects, I think how I would cut my hands wide open!! I am a little craft accident-prone. So I am super impressed!! Love how these turned out!
I am quite impressed!
Your blog is adorable!! I’m so glad I found you! I am SO following. 🙂
Love these Amy!! The colors and fabrics are so beautiful! Great job!
Found you on take a look tuesday and wow these are so cute. I want to make one into a brooch for myself. I am a new follower as well.
check me out at:
http://www.necciescreations.blogspot.com
Oh my goodness! These are sooooo adorable! I love how people take an idea and run with it. I never thought about making them into a napkin ring! I am so flattered that you used my idea and I think your project is spectacular!!!
so cute! I have wanted to make some napkin rings and couldn’t decide what kind to tackle. I really like these!
WOW WOW and WOW again! i came to you thru Ucreate and am wowwwed!
i have made many napkin rings over the years mainly for christmas. usually i use the tube from the kitchen roll so by the end of lunch of dinner some are all messed up and good to ditch. these are amazing…thanks for sharing. off to check the rest of your blog and looks like you’re going on my favourites!
becky
bpbajona(at)maltanet(dot)net
Such a great project! Extremely creative!
Thanks for linking up!
~Liz
my goodness that is amazing and it doesn’t seem to difficult with awesome results. found you from today’s creative blog feature. keep up the awesome craftiness.
I found your blog through UCreate- beautiful flowers.
I hope you will share how to make your own laundry soap sometime. I want to make that too!!
all i can say is WOW!!! you are amazing and those turned out darling!! i just wish i had the time to make those!
ps i am your newest follower!
Brilliant! I never would’ve guessed those were coke cans!
Visiting from Tatertots and Jello.
Whoa… those are gorgeous! What a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing these, I’ll be linking.
These are amazing! Thanks for linking up! I’ll be featuring these on my Saturday Showcase tomorrow. Be sure to come grab a featured button!
http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
Love, love, love it! It could not be cuter. I love the color combination of the red and blue too. So cute. I think I need to make some of these soon!
Thanks for linking up — love your projects!
XOX
jen
those turned out sooo cute!! very clever idea, visiting from weekend wrap up party.
justsewsassy.com
Hi Amy!
I featured this idea today:
http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2010/06/wednesdays-wowzers.html
Thanks for the inspiration and have a wonderful day!
~Alison
This is so cute! You are so creative!
Hi Amy! I wanted to tell you that I loved this idea. I used your napkin rings as inspiration to make a summer wreath. You can see it here:
http://paisleypinkpolkadots.blogspot.com/2010/06/freecycled-summer-wreath.html
Thanks so much for the idea!!
Jennifer
These are adorable! The step by step was explained so easily, and I feel like I too could make these. I’m going to try this in the future. Maybe I’ll try poinsettia looking ones for Christmas. Thanks for sharing 🙂