Tin Can Tea Lights

When we made our recycled wind chime out of the lids and bottoms of tin cans, we were left with the bodies of the cans. We could have just tossed them in the recycling bin, but where's the fun in that? We turned to an idea given to us by our crafty friend Jill, who told us about making tea light covers out of them instead!

What you need:

• tin cans
• permanent marker
• petroleum jelly (optional)
• hammer
• nail

First we washed out our cans.

Then using our marker, we marked out designs using dots. Be as creative as you'd like!

Next, we filled the cans with water until they were almost full. Since the cans we were using had no bottoms, we put a thick layer of petroleum jelly on a small plate, then put the cans on top. This created a seal so the water didn't leak out (if the cans you use have bottoms, you can obviously skip that part). Then we put our cans in the freezer.

Once the water in the cans was frozen, we took the cans out and began to hammer out our dotted designs. The ice inside the cans acts as resistance, so the can won't crumble and dent when you hammer it.

When we finished hammering out our designs, we ran the cans under warm water to melt the ice, then gave the cans a coat of bright paint! Cute right?

But we think they look even better when they have a tea light inside them and are lit up!