Recycled cans and plastic bottle turned into a Wind Spinner

You can make such neat projects with recycled materials! 

Soda Can Lanterns

Making the lantern

You need:

Clean Soda Can
Wire – 30cm
Cutter and small pliers
Screwdriver
Piercing tool
Black marker
Dish cloth
Basin
Tealights

1. Pull the tab to open the can, taking care to leave the tab intact if possible.  Rinse out your can and fill it with water.  Freeze 6-8 hours.

2. Lay the frozen can on a piece of folded dish cloth and keep wiping it as you work on it.

*If the tab was detached when you opened the can, pierce two holes on opposite side of the top of the can.

3. Use the black marker to draw 12 equally spaced dots around the can, 2cm(.79") from the top edge. Draw another set of 12 dots corresponding to the top dots on the lower part of the can, also 2cm(.79") from the bottom.

4. Lightly mark a cutting line to join a top dot to the bottom dot which is on the right of the one directly beneath it.  Draw it in a slight S-curve.  Join all the top dots to the bottom ones in the same way. Follow the lines to cut through the can with the cutter. Take care to hold the can firmly with your left hand.

5. Set the can in your dish rack or empty sink and let the ice melt. Wipe it dry. I ran hot water over mine to speed up the process.

6. Lightly press the top of the can downwards to open the cuts. As you do that, slip the screwdriver inside a slit to press onto the bottom of a strip of the can to shape it outwards. Repeat for all the strips to shape the can into a lantern.

7. Turn the can upside down and press onto the strips in the same way, to obtain an equally-balanced lantern shape.

8. Place the lantern in both hands and twist it slightly, pressing inwards a little.

9. Pass the wire through the set of holes at the top of the lantern. Bring the ends together to form a loop before twisting into a hook for hanging. If the tab is intact, use it to hang the lantern.

Making the tea light holder

Follow all the steps for making the lantern but do not pierce the set of holes at the tops. (Note: The body of the orange can is cut in straight lines unlike the lanterns which has lines cut in S-curves.)

Cut out two strips from the can to make a wide opening. Use the pliers to bend the cut sharp edges of the top and bottom of the opening inwards.

As the top of the can is flat compared to the bottom, use it as the base instead. So turn the can upside down to place the tea light inside it.

* Remember, never leave the light unattended.

If you mess up, you can always turn it into something else.  

I DID!

   I turned my failed Soda Can Lantern Project into this Recycled Wind Spinner!

 So now you know how to make the middle of the wind spinner. So lets move on to the top and bottom.

I cut the top of a water bottle off and the bottom.

I took lightly went around the edges (not on them) with a lighter.  For the top I cut horizontally and VERY lightly went around with a lighter.  Poke a hole on each side of the top of the bottle to push green crafting wire through.

I spray painted the can with gold spray paint. Let Dry

Traced designs from a stencil I had laying around from walmart with a black permanent marker.

The bottom was painted with only red nail polish.  The top was sprayed with gold spray paint, then painted with red polish and finished off with a few stripes with the permanent marker.  I used what I had laying around and I didn't have any red paint but the red nail polish worked just fine. 

After everything was dried I assembled with hot glue. To hang I strung string through the crafting wire and hung up.