Creative or crafty Ideas for empty formula cans?

Question

We go through a lot of the 12 oz formula cans each month (like small tin coffee cans). Instead of just tossing them or putting them out for recycling, I'm saving them and looking for some creative or CRAFTY uses. I organize a preschool playgroup with 0-5 year olds and parents and was trying to think of how I could use these for a craft project. Otherwise, how could I make them into something for Christmas presents for friends/family - fill them with something cute and somehow decorate the outsides or something?? There is also an aboundance of the plastic little scoops that come with each can as well which could somehow be incorporated...Are anyone's else's wheels turning enough to share some creative ideas with me?! :) Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

You could spraypaint them a solid color, then decorate as you wish with paint, stickers, buttons, cutouts, whatever.  Then fill them with homemade cookies or candy (and the recipe), or homemade spice tea mix and the recipe (you know the one, made with instant tea, Tang, dry lemonade mix, I forget the rest, some call it Russian Tea), or with a mixture of dry beans and the recipe for 15-bean soup (or 7, or whatever number bean soup you like).

For kids, you could put a small game inside, like jacks, marbles, a small handheld game, or one of those small "fun pad" coloring books and crayons, if it'll fit.  Or pretty much any other kind of present for a kid that will fit inside.  Tiny cars, hair ribbons/doodles, pretty much anything.

Or a few small rubber balls of different colors/sizes.  Make up a game, and put the instructions inside with the balls -- such as the red ball = 3 points, blue one 2, yellow one 1, see if you can bounce the ball into the can.

Cut a hole in the lid near one edge, then glue it onto the can.  Decorate the outside.  Punch two holes in one side of the can opposite the edge the lid hole is on, so that when you hang it, the lid hole will be near the bottom.  Make the two punched holes about two inches apart, and use this to put in a cord for a hanger, and you've got an easy birdhouse.  Read up on it first, to see what color house and size hole the birds like that you want to attract.

Punch holes around the rim, and hang several of the plastic scoops around it on different lengths of monofilament fishing line or durable string.  Punch holes in the bottom, and make a hanger.  Spray paint it and the scoops first.  It's a wind chime, but not so loud that it's annoying.  Decorate the can any way you wish after spray painting it.

Make very deep Easter baskets, or May baskets,  Cut around the inside edge of the rim of the lid, leaving about a half-inch uncut, opposite each other.  Then cut out a circle about 1/3 inch inside that.  Put the cut lid back on, and bend up the free semi-circles to touch each other -- bind with ribbon to make a handle.  OR cut down the cans to make them shorter, and glue on the lids so they don't come off.  I suggest GorillaGlue.

Turn it upside down, and cut a slot in the bottom, which is now the top.  Decorate as you wish as a savings bank.

Just a few things off the top of my head.

Answer 2

Pencil holder?

just decorate the outside (it can be as simple as wrapping paper)

Flower holder?

(you can make gorgeous flowers form magizines just cute them in a wavey circle and stick a pipe cleaner through it and then you  can squish em a bit and they look fab! i get lots of compliments on these)

I thought you where talking abought those beaker things (i was gonna say paint them for a boquet holder-which you can do with beer bottles or jones bottles)