Repurposing Tomato Cans: 5 Tin Can Crafts

In the summer we enjoy homegrown tomatoes and even canning some into homemade salsa but come winter my can opener gets a work out and I find myself opening lots of cans of tomatoes. Whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes go into the crock pot for chilies, soups and stews. Those 28 oz. cans, especially the painted ones from my favorite brand, Scalfini, are just too pretty to recycle but even plain cans with the labels removed can be repurposed into creative and purposeful crafts.

Create a unique utensil holder. A family size can be used as a utensil holder for spatulas, whisks and so on. Plain looks perfect in a rustic kitchen but tin cans can be painted, decoupaged with fabric or simply adorned with a ribbon. The 28 oz. cans are the perfect size for smaller utensils like pie servers or ice cream scoops. The Scalfini can with the bright whites, yellows, blues, greens and reds looks perfect as is in my eclectic kitchen.

Design the perfect pen holder. I love the ideas I've seen in businesses where I've seen flower pots filled with dried beans or even coffee beans to hold pens for customers to sign on the dotted line. The dried beans or coffee beans, which also smell fabulous, give you the perfect place to plant a pen without having them clunk around in the can. Again the can could be decorated in a variety of was including scrap book stickers or painted designs.

Save a can for cashing in on coins. A decorative can sitting on a dresser or on the kitchen desk cubby is a great place to drop in change. Save a pig and repurpose a can that's super sturdy and up to holding the weight of lots of coins.

Protect a precious present. When you have a fragile gift whether it's a handmade decoupage Easter egg or a pottery pendant, sometimes you need to think outside of the box for gift wrap. Simply wrap the small treasure in tissue paper and place it safely inside the tin can. You can then bunch up tissue paper or gift basket wrap around the outside and tie it off with a bow for show.

Create an eco-friendly herb or plant gift. For beginner plants, a tin can can be the perfect home. It's a great way to give a truly green gift by starting an herb or baby plant to gift your own home or give away as a gift. My favorite painted tin can for a plant was a red and black lady bug design for a child. Again for a kitchen, the already label painted tomato cans make a great home for herbs.