Wondering what to do with old cookie tins? This simple cookie tin craft idea is a great way to repurpose tin cans and use up scrap fabric at the same time!
It’s the end of the month, and that means it’s Int’l Bloggers Club Challenge time. For those of you who are here for the first time, this is a monthly challenge that I participate in with my blogger friends who live all over the world. We meet up each month to compare notes and see how we do things in our corner of the world. Last month, I repurposed a tire rim into a wind chime, and the month before we looked at our epic hits and fails.
Upcycled Tin Can Craft Ideas
This month we’re doing crafts with tin cans – any kind of tin cans. We all have them at home – why throw them out when we can reuse them for storage? Today I’ll be showing you how to upcycle them and make pretty cookie tin cans with fabric.
I had a collection of old cookie tins cans that I wanted to use for storing things. But they didn’t look so pretty. So I decided to upcyle them with fabric.
Materials Needed for this Cookie Tin Craft
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This was the fabric I chose to use for the upcycling project. It’s pretty and because I’m from Greece I like to use bright colors with some of that aqua blue in there to remind me of the sea.
I cut the fabric about three times the width of the side of the tin. For the length I wrapped the fabric around the tin, plus four fingers.
Once it was cut, I folded it over one third of the way and pressed it down. That fold would go on the top rim of the tin.
Now it was time to start gluing it on with Mod Podge.
The Exterior
I first brushed the mod podge on the outside of the cookie tin. I added a little at a time because it dries really fast. Then I pressed the fabric with the fold on the top of the opened tin. I slowly worked my way around the whole exterior of the tin in this way. I used the fold as a guide. The fold was on the top rim of the tin.
Here you can see that the fabric has been glued all around on the exterior except for the edge.
The edge was folded over but first I applied mod podge so that the fold was glued onto itself.
More mod podge was applied to the folded edge and then pressed down onto the tin side. This gives us a nice crisp look.
The Interior
Next it was time to tackle the interior. I applied the mod podge on the inside of the empty tin can. You can work much faster than the exterior because you don’t have to worry about the fabric since it has already been secured.
This is the second third of the fabric. I just pressed the fabric down to the insides of the tin.
I pressed the fabric all around and tucked it to the bottom of the edges leaving the excess on the bottom.
The Exterior Bottom
Now it was time to tackle the bottom of the tin. I was working with the last third of the fabric for the bottom. I cut the excess fabric into strips.
Working with one strip at a time, I would apply mod podge and press the strip down to the tin. As I went around, the fabric strips ended up being glued on top of each other.
The round hole in the center was covered with a small piece of fabric that I’d cut into a circular shape.
The Interior Bottom
To cover the interior of the bottom I took a piece of cardboard and tracing the tin, I drew a circle. I cut the circle out and placed it inside the tin. If it was a little too big, I simply trimmed it a bit till it fit into the tin with ease.
I took another piece of fabric that was square and glued it onto the cardboard circle. Then I cut the excess fabric into strips, just like I had done above on the tin bottom. And then I glued the strips all around. They don’t have to be perfect.
Once this was done, I flipped this cardboard over and placed it into the bottom of the tin.
Below you can see how the interior looks now that the fabric covered cardboard has been inserted.
And lastly I painted the covers of the tins with chalky type paint. And since I had a few tin cans I painted them too. And because I was going overboard anyway I covered a telephone book with this fun fabric.
Well that was quite a long tutorial. It’s not as hard as it seems, I just wanted to make sure to show all the steps in detail.
I think it was so worth it to do this cute tin can craft. Now my cookie tins look like fancy decorative storage boxes. And how long did all of this take, maybe half an hour? But so worth it to achieve this pretty look.
With this cookie tin craft I was able to use some of those supplies that we all have lying around the house and transform them into something really pretty.
I hope you enjoyed my how to make pretty cookie can tins with fabric. Do you reuse and upcycle your tins or do you just recycle them?
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Hi Mary, I see you've not lost your touch! Who knew an empty butter biscuit tin could look so good? My husband tends to use old tins for storing screws, nails and bits like that. His expression would be classic if I titivated his tins up with some pretty fabric!
xx
Katrin
Monday 29th of May 2017
Those cookie tins are perfect Mary! Wrapping them in fabric is a clever idea and the bottom and inside look fantastic, you're a pro! I love that summery fabric too!! A great cookie tin recycle!
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
After having them for about 10 years it was time for a beauty makeover! ;)
Sarah - Craft Invaders
Monday 29th of May 2017
Really pretty project, and such a great way to re-use tins - love the fabric (and they match your wonderful chairs!)
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
Sarah it seems that this is becoming my blue summer. Thanks.
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Monday 29th of May 2017
These look great and are so practical, too! We all need more storage, right? ;-) Especially for craft supplies! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
Yes Marci, why shouldn't our storage be pretty as well as practical!
Ntina
Monday 29th of May 2017
Mary they look super cute! All this fabric and glue scares me a bit but I think it's worth trying it!
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
Ntina it's nothing to be scared of. It really was easy as long as you fold the fabric into thirds and use that as your guideline.
The Exterior
The Interior Bottom
Debbie
Saturday 7th of March 2020
Hi Mary, I see you've not lost your touch! Who knew an empty butter biscuit tin could look so good? My husband tends to use old tins for storing screws, nails and bits like that. His expression would be classic if I titivated his tins up with some pretty fabric!
xx
Katrin
Monday 29th of May 2017
Those cookie tins are perfect Mary! Wrapping them in fabric is a clever idea and the bottom and inside look fantastic, you're a pro! I love that summery fabric too!! A great cookie tin recycle!
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
After having them for about 10 years it was time for a beauty makeover! ;)
Sarah - Craft Invaders
Monday 29th of May 2017
Really pretty project, and such a great way to re-use tins - love the fabric (and they match your wonderful chairs!)
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
Sarah it seems that this is becoming my blue summer. Thanks.
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Monday 29th of May 2017
These look great and are so practical, too! We all need more storage, right? ;-) Especially for craft supplies! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
Yes Marci, why shouldn't our storage be pretty as well as practical!
Ntina
Monday 29th of May 2017
Mary they look super cute! All this fabric and glue scares me a bit but I think it's worth trying it!
Mary
Monday 29th of May 2017
Ntina it's nothing to be scared of. It really was easy as long as you fold the fabric into thirds and use that as your guideline.