How to Make Soda Can Flowers

Do you love the look of flowers around the house, but not the expense and mess? Soda can flowers are permanent, fun displays that add color to your home or office, at little to no cost. They're also a "greener" alternative to traditional bouquets. What's more, soda can flowers can be recycled when you're done with them.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Empty aluminum soda can
• Tin snips
• Pliers (needle-nose work best)
• Scissors
• Colored scrapbooking brads
• Hammer
• Small nail
• Glue gun or tape
• 10 to 16 gauge wire

1. 
   Tear off the top of the can

   Rinse out the empty soda can. Using the tin snips, cut off the top of the can. You can use the tin snips all the way around the top, or you can simply use the pliers to tear away the top.

2. 
   Cut down the side of the can

   Using the scissors, cut all the way down one side of the can to the bottom. Make the cut through the nutrition information; that way you won't have a calorie count down the middle of your soda can flower!

3. 
   Cut away the bottom of the can

   Cut the bottom of the can away. You now have a square sheet of aluminum to work with--flatten it out by rolling it over the edge of a table.

4. 
   Cut flower shapes from the aluminum sheet

   On the inner-can side of the sheet, use a pencil or the small nail to draw flowers of several sizes. If you are talented with scissors, you might skip this step and simply free-cut your flowers.

5. 
   Be sure to cut flowers of varying sizes

   Using the scissors, cut all the flowers from the sheet of aluminum.

6. 
   Nail a hole through the center of the flowers

   Placing the cutout flowers on a safe surface (block of wood), use the hammer and small nail to drill a hole through the center of each cutout.

7. 
   The brad will hold the flowers together

   Stack all the cutouts together, color side up, the largest on the bottom of the stack, to the smallest on top. Place a scrapbooking brad through the holes, and tack them all together.

8. 
   Finished soda can flower

   Shape your petals according to your preference to give the soda can flower a 3-D aspect. Curl them, fold them up, down or sideways. You can fold each layer of the flower in different directions for added dimension. Have fun with the flower shapes!

9. 
   Glue or tape the flower to a wire stem

   Secure the back of the soda can flower to a piece of wire using the glue gun or tape (the wire should be 10 to 12 inches long, depending on the vase). For a colorful base, plant them in a clear jug or vase filled with crushed glass or colored marbles or glass pebbles. Once you have made several flowers, you can make a bouquet. Now you have a beautiful, arty bouquet that will last for years!

Tips & Warnings

• Aluminum edges are sharp, and cutting may produce metal shavings and splinters. Take care to avoid being cut.
• As soda can flowers can involve sharp edges, they are not a project for small children.
• Don't use your best pair of scissors to make soda can flowers; the aluminum is likely to wear them out pretty quickly.