Upcycle Your Recycleables - A Cute Tutorial!

We are die-hard recyclers here in Oregon, but reusing or upcycling is even better for the environment than recycling so I am always looking for ways to reuse everyday items.

We use a lot of aluminum cans and this project will work for any size can. You simply need to adjust your other materials to fit. In my example, I used a large can that held juice (pineapple juice if you must know - it's my favorite).

I first used spray primer to prepare it for several coats of pink paint until it was covered to my liking. (You should coat yours to your liking.)  I then selected a piece of decorative paper to match both the paint color of the can and the colors in the picture I wanted to use. 

Selecting the paint color, paper, and picture is my favorite part of this project.  This is where you get to be really creative!  Cut the paper large enough to leave space for the photograph you will be using and small enough to fit on the can.

 

You can use a multitude of adhesives for this project, but of course some will work better than others. I used double-sided tape which worked well. I tried scrapbooking tape, but that did not hold. When finished you can use your now beautiful can for storing just about anything!