The holidays are just around the corner, and what would they be without decorations? Unfortunately, Americans throw away about 25% more trash during the holiday season than any other time of year. This amounts to approximately 25 million tons of additional garbage. Want to know one way to reduce your waste this Christmas? Instead of buying new plastic lights or wreaths, create your own using things around the house! Making your own décor can be a fun activity and will help keep trash out of our storm drains and waterways.
Here’s how to make some decorative bells out of old soda cans that you can hang on your tree, on doors or even with stockings!
What You’ll Need:
- Gold or silver paint
- Black spray paint (optional)
- Hammer (optional)
- Soda cans (rinsed and wiped down)
- Paintable tape
- Twine
- Scissors
- Utility knife
- Needle nose pliers
- Wire cutters
- Hot glue and glue gun
Photo By: Lily Ardor
Instructions:
1.Shape your can by putting dents in it with a hammer. This will give your bells a vintage feel.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
2. Cut the can with a utility knife, leaving approximately 3 inches of the top portion of the can for the bell.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
3. Trim the bottom of the can with scissors to create a smoother edge.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
4. Take needle nose pliers and fold the sharp edges in about a 1/4 of an inch.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
5. Once the edge is folded in, use your pliers to clamp the fold to create a clean edge.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
6. Using wire cutters, cut out the center of the tab on the can and use the needle nose pliers to flatten down any sharp edges.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
7. Cover the opening of the can with paintable tape, and move the tab so that it’s pointed upwards.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
8. Cut out a square piece from the bottom of the can. Fold the aluminum a few times to create a tongue for the bell.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
9. Attach a piece of twine to the tongue using a hot glue gun.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
10. Paint your can gold or silver. Spray paint works well.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
11. If you want to give your bells even more of a vintage look, you can spray a little bit of black paint on the bell once the gold paint has dried.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
12. Attach the tongue to the bell by hot gluing the twine to the top of the can from the inside.
13. Use the tabs to connect your bells and hang them with some twine.
Photo By: Lily Ardor
These DIY Soda Can Bells look charming and will last for many years. When making crafts, always try to repurpose materials from around your home or office, and limit the amount of plastic products that you buy. This will save you money, and will help reduce the chance that the litter will end up in our storm drains and waterways.
Sources: Stanford, Lily Ardor