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I’m willing to bet you have some tin cans around from all the quarantine meals being made. Tin cans make for fun quarantine crafts to spruce up the home and have some kid-friendly DIY fun.
Check out other quarantine crafts here.
Can Planters
What you need:
- Tin cans (any size. I prefer the larger cans)
- Paint (left over wall paint or spray paint)
- Items to decorate (buttons, fake flowers, googly eyes, etc…)
- Glue gun or super glue
- Hammer and nail (or drill)
- Small plant of your choice (like this one)

Who doesn’t love the smell of fresh flowers?
Use the hammer and nail to punch holes in the bottom for drainage. Then decorate the cans in any way that makes you happy! I like to glue all sorts of things to it. Fake flowers are pretty with a shimmery spray paint.
If the paint you are using is not for all surfaces, you can use a primer first and then paint with any other paints, such as acrylic.
Add garden or planter dirt and add plant. Many hardware or grocery store will have big discounts for plants that are looking sad. They can usually be perked up with some TLC. Annuals work well for this so you can mix it up every year.
Can Candle Luminaries

What you need:
- Tin cans
- Hammer and nail
- Paint
- Tealight candles
- Wire or string (if you want to hang them)
These are great for sitting on an outdoor patio or several of them can be strung from a wire above a deck or porch for a beautiful light display while you enjoy the warm evenings.
This is limited to only your imagination. Use the hammer and nail to punch out patterns, shapes, or initials. If you are craftier and want to cut out shapes, more power to you. I let my kid create the design and then I punch the holes. If you plan to hang them, punch two holes opposite each other by the top of the can. Wire can be wound through the holes for a non-flammable way to hang them.
You can paint it any color you want or leave it the tin color, which gives a rustic look.
If you plan on leaving them hanging outside, punch some holes in the bottom so they don’t collect rain water. When using candles, safety first and avoid using flammable decorations. If you don’t want to use candles, Amazon has flickering solar powered candle lights. Just be sure to not leave them in the rain.
Have you tried any tin can designs of your own? Show us your designs in the comments!
