Formula Cans Made Beautiful

Last week I mentioned that I had been inspired by another blogger to organize my daughter's art supplies (mostly crayons!) into a better system.  I had thought that reusing formula cans and decorating them for the purpose of holding crayons and markers might be a good solution.  And yesterday I finally found the time to repurpose the cans.  Here's how I did it:

1) First, wash the insides of the cans and lids with a damp washcloth.  Be careful not to get it too wet or the cardboard sides will get too soggy.  Dry them thoroughly.

2)  Next, gather scrapbooking paper and supplies that coordinate with each other.  Pretty gift wrap would work instead of scrapbook paper, if you have it.  Last year I picked up one of those "all in one" scrapbook kits at the craft store for 80% off.  I decided to use some of the things from that kit for this project.  A good glue stick is important also for this project.

3)  Measure the height of your can and then cut the paper accordingly.  I wanted my can to have alternating stripes of flowered and plain paper, so I cute several pieces.  Using a paper cutter helps you to cover the can completely.

4)Glue the paper to the can.  If you are doing stripes like I did, slightly overlap each piece so that none of the original can wrapper shows through.  

5)  Add words and embellishments.  This can is for Gabi's multitude of crayons, and so I labeled it "Create with Crayons."  Use whatever you have on hand - stickers, small flowers, ribbons, markers, paper shapes, etc.  

6)  Next, decorate the lid.  Cut your matching paper to fit on the top of the lid.  I used all the leftover scraps from decorating the sides of the can.  Glue it down securely.  

7)  Finish decorating the lid by labeling it and adding something special along the edge.  On the crayon can, I used large pink rick-rack.  Isn't it adorable? :)

8)  And there you have it-formula cans repurposed!  I made a second one ("Make It with Markers") and have plans for a few more.  This can work for all kinds of cans - coffee cans, cocoa cans, etc. and can be used for so many things!  Chris has a few at his desk at work that are decorated with pics of the kids.  He uses them for Post-it notes, pens, and odds and ends.

And the creativity keeps coming!  I finished a couple of other projects yesterday that I will have to share in another post.  Happy Friday, all!

(fingers crossed for snow this weekend!!)