35 ways to reuse tin cans

Any of you who read my blog often know that I love to reuse things. Today I thought it would be fun to share a collection of things you can make using tin cans. Many we have made and many more we would like to make sometime. :-) I have tried to give links to photos and instructions if possible. If you know of some other neat use for old tin cans that I don't mention, please tell me about it in the comments!

1. 
   
   A bird house.
2. 
   
   Wind Chimes
3. 
   
   Play Armor
4. 
   
   Double boiler saucepan for making candles.
5. 
   
   Molds for candles (the smooth edged little cans.)
6. 
   
   A Tin Can train
7. 
   
   An organizer.
8. 
   
   Make a tin can knitter. (Something on my list of things I think it would be fun to do with my kids)
9. 
   
   Make Art
10. 
    
    Make Luminaries.Simply put water in the can and freeze it and then draw a design on a piece of paper and lay it on the can and use a hammer and nail and punch a design. You freeze the water in it so the can doesn't dent when you are hammering. Paint it if you desire. (here are some 4th of July ones)
11. 
    
    A perpetual calendar/pencil holder.
12. 
    
    Make a pin cushion. (Here is another cute example)
13. 
    
    Cans for the Newlyweds car.
14. 
    
    The base for a centerpiece
15. 
    
    Make a hobo stove for camping. (I have long planned to try this but never have.)
16. 
    
    Napkin Rings.
17. 
    
    Make Boston Brown Bread (you use tin cans for the "pan")
18. 
    
    Pretty cool night lights.
19. 
    
    Kids craft: Tin can lamb.
20. 
    
    Or let them make a Turkey.
21. 
    
    Make Fabric covered vases
22. 
    
    A kitchen utensil holder (Similar idea as the vases just much bigger!)
23. 
    
    Make tin can stilts!
24. 
    
    Tin Can dollhouse furniture. (and I can imagine some that are much simpler to make than where the link goes.)
25. 
    
    Tin can Elephant purse (super cute!)
26. 
    
    Punch holes in the end and then pour water in it to softly water your seedlings.
27. 
    
    Set melons (in your garden) up on a tin can to ripen with out rotting where they touch the ground.
28. 
    
    Tin can lid snowman.
29. 
    
    Tin can snowman.
30. 
    
    Tin can hanging planters.
31. 
    
    Tin can baskets.
32. 
    
    Tin can lid matching game. If you have the type of can opener that unseals rather than cuts (so there are no sharp edges!) you can put stickers on one side
33. 
    
    Tin can Dog Robot
34. 
    
    Tin can telephone.
35. 
    
    Art supplies organizer.

What else can you add to the list?

For more frugal ideas please visit Life as MOM

35 ways to reuse tin cans

Any of you who read my blog often know that I love to reuse things. Today I thought it would be fun to share a collection of things you can make using tin cans. Many we have made and many more we would like to make sometime. :-) I have tried to give links to photos and instructions if possible. If you know of some other neat use for old tin cans that I don't mention, please tell me about it in the comments!

1. 
   
   A bird house.
2. 
   
   Wind Chimes
3. 
   
   Play Armor
4. 
   
   Double boiler saucepan for making candles.
5. 
   
   Molds for candles (the smooth edged little cans.)
6. 
   
   A Tin Can train
7. 
   
   An organizer.
8. 
   
   Make a tin can knitter. (Something on my list of things I think it would be fun to do with my kids)
9. 
   
   Make Art
10. 
    
    Make Luminaries.Simply put water in the can and freeze it and then draw a design on a piece of paper and lay it on the can and use a hammer and nail and punch a design. You freeze the water in it so the can doesn't dent when you are hammering. Paint it if you desire. (here are some 4th of July ones)
11. 
    
    A perpetual calendar/pencil holder.
12. 
    
    Make a pin cushion. (Here is another cute example)
13. 
    
    Cans for the Newlyweds car.
14. 
    
    The base for a centerpiece
15. 
    
    Make a hobo stove for camping. (I have long planned to try this but never have.)
16. 
    
    Napkin Rings.
17. 
    
    Make Boston Brown Bread (you use tin cans for the "pan")
18. 
    
    Pretty cool night lights.
19. 
    
    Kids craft: Tin can lamb.
20. 
    
    Or let them make a Turkey.
21. 
    
    Make Fabric covered vases
22. 
    
    A kitchen utensil holder (Similar idea as the vases just much bigger!)
23. 
    
    Make tin can stilts!
24. 
    
    Tin Can dollhouse furniture. (and I can imagine some that are much simpler to make than where the link goes.)
25. 
    
    Tin can Elephant purse (super cute!)
26. 
    
    Punch holes in the end and then pour water in it to softly water your seedlings.
27. 
    
    Set melons (in your garden) up on a tin can to ripen with out rotting where they touch the ground.
28. 
    
    Tin can lid snowman.
29. 
    
    Tin can snowman.
30. 
    
    Tin can hanging planters.
31. 
    
    Tin can baskets.
32. 
    
    Tin can lid matching game. If you have the type of can opener that unseals rather than cuts (so there are no sharp edges!) you can put stickers on one side
33. 
    
    Tin can Dog Robot
34. 
    
    Tin can telephone.
35. 
    
    Art supplies organizer.

What else can you add to the list?

For more frugal ideas please visit Life as MOM

Fruit Popsicles

I've found a homemade popsicle that the kids really love. I've tried just fruit juice in the past but they didn't really love them. This time I pureed fruit mixed with pineapple juice to sweeten it (you don't have to use pineapple... I just use it because I save the juice from any can of pineapple I open). These popsicles turn out like those "whole fruit" popsicles that sell for big bucks in the store.
This version was strawberries, banana, and pineapple juice. I've also made yogurt pops with banana, vanilla yogurt, and whatever other fruit I have around.
Easy, cheap, healthy....

Charlotte's Cotton Tank Top

Cotton yarn was on sale at JoAnne's recently so I got a huge skein and started this tank top. I loved knitting it because it had an incredible amount of stockinette stitch knit in the round which means lots and lots of just plain ol' knit stitch. I knit this without thinking or looking at what I was doing much (on the skirt at least).

The yarn I used is Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Twists (Lava Lamp Twists). It's funny how it looks mostly green from far away but close up the pink stands out.

I'm so glad I knit the skirt an inch longer then the pattern called for because it shrank 2" in length when I washed it. Next time I'll knit it even longer to anticipate shrinkage.

The bodice turned out MUCH larger then I think it was supposed to. I'm not sure what went wrong because all the stitch counts matched up and I followed the directions exactly.

So, instead of ripping out all of that knitting, I grabbed the sewing machine and made the bodice smaller. It's a bit of a bulky fix and it won't win any awards but it took 10 minutes versus a couple of days to fix. It made a pleat in the back of the skirt but it doesn't look too bad. I also shortened the straps.

I think I'll try this pattern again because this style of top is so cute on Charlotte but I'll be reworking the pattern to make the bodice fit.

Felted Hat and Sculpted Angels History

Today I had a great visit with my friend Lynn from Edmonton.

Lynn owned Cottage Creations on Broughton Street, Victoria BC ...many years ago...1994??

The concept of her business was that we artists rented wall space from her.. paying monthly rent..****and we received 100% of all sales *** unbelievable!!

I made hundreds of felted hats and also the angels that I sculpt using fabric mache'... Today she told me that I was the top seller in her business along with another artist who made angels out of seashells (I have one of her angels..I think she is from Saltspring..not positive)...

The felted hats were the first sold in Victoria...I found 'the pattern' while on a winter stay in hot hot Mesa, Arizona...I can't handle hot weather and I needed a cold place to hide and happened to walk into an air-conditioned yarn store and was VERY impressed with the felted hat in their window display...I asked to buy the hat..."Not for sale..but you can buy the kit and knit/machine felt one for yourself"...the rest is history. Hundreds of hats later..and still making them..

I have Lynn to thank for giving me that extra push to believe in myself and sell my products. What a friend she is. Thanks Lynn!!