Ok, ok....I know the holidays are over. The tree has been taken down and tossed to the curb, decorations and lights stowed away, cookies gobbled up with not a crumb to be found.
But I have one more little holiday project to share...I think you will like it!
I saw this blog back in November: A Beautiful Mess
Since I saw this 2 days before Thanksgiving, I didn't have time to prepare them for that particular dinner table centerpiece. No worries, another holiday was right around the corner! In keeping with the theme of Christmas, I decided to change the word from 'Thanks' to 'Noel' (although it is wonderful to be thankful at Christmas as well).
First thing's first. The cans. The tutorial said to use any old tin can, and then to later paint the inside with gold paint to really make it shimmer. I liked the idea of shimmer for sure but also thought,'Oh, another step to this that sounds kind of tedious. Getting a nice even coat inside a can is not easy. And then it has to dry, and then...is it really safe to burn a candle so close to paint. Probably, but maybe not?'
Then a magical thing happened as I opened my cans (I saved and froze the contents for later consumption) and poured out the tomato sauce. They were already GOLD!!!!!!
Buy these...no gold paint needed:
Next, I filled the cans with rice to the top (make sure it's as close to the top as possible) and then a little water to allow the rice to freeze in liquid. This will ensure that when you are pounding the nail with the hammer, the can will retain its shape and not collapse. (One of my cans was not quite to the top and I did have to be a little careful when pounding...a fuller can would have been better).
Once frozen, I cut out the letters I had printed (pick the font and size that makes you happy) and then secured them with a long strip of duct tape all around. This tip is a good one. Since the tape will not stick to the cold can, make sure you wrap it around and stick the tape to itself. Boom.
Next, start hammering. I made the holes pretty close together and went to town all the way around. The can had grooves in it, so hammering in the valley of each groove was easier and a helpful guide to keep the distance between the holes uniform.
I then removed the paper/tape and headed to the sink. I was too impatient to wait for the insides to defrost in a pan of warm water, so I ran the can under hot water. The holes I just punched worked nicely to drain water and retain the rice. Once thawed, I just dumped the rice out and rinsed.
Repeat with all cans and you will have a lovely centerpiece for any table or mantel. The tutorial also said to paint the outsides of the cans white, but I kind of liked the shiny tin...so I left it.
So pleased with the result and it was quite a quick project without having to paint anything! This is also such a versatile project - you really could choose any word to fit any fancy occasion! Happy tin can punching:)
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