Tin Can Candle Holders

Hello craftsters! I have quite a few new projects to share, and I'm hoping to get them all posted in the next few days. First on the list: tin can candle holders. My friend Lindsey recently moved into a garden-level apartment that has a cute, but somewhat dark, porch area in the back. I decided to make her some candle holders that would brighten up her outdoor space and (when filled with citronella candles) would keep the mosquitoes away.

There are a lot of tutorials for this floating around, but here's the one that I looked at.

Cost: Free! I already had all necessary supplies.

Rating: Excellent.

Comments: I'm going to detail my step-by-step a little more than I usually do.

Step 1: Take the labels off and clean your cans (duh). BE CAREFUL of any sharp edges, so you don't cut the S#!T out of your finger, as I did. OUCH! Some of the cans had adhesive residue from the labels; nail polish remover worked pretty well to get it off.

Step 2: Decide what you want your pattern to be. I marked where the holes would go with a Sharpie so I could space them evenly.

Step 3:  The inspiration tutorial says to fill the cans with water and freeze so you're nailing into ice. I am really impatient and also have an aversion to cold metal things, so I rolled up an old t-shirt and stuffed it in the can instead. Worked just fine.

Step 4: Nail that sucker! I had to use a small picture frame nail since I live in a highrise and am rarely constructing anything substantial, and thus have little hardware to choose from. After making the first small holes, I used a Gorilla Hook to make them bigger.

Step 5: The finished products in the inspiration post are completely white; however, I've a sucker for all things metallic so I decided to make mine a little more snazzy. I taped off sections of my cans with painter's tape, being sure to leave any expiration dates and Sharpie marks exposed so they would get painted.

Step 6: Paint 'em up... I used Kilz white primer since that was the only thing I had available. I think pretty much any paint would work, as long as it sticks to metal and is fairly opaque to cover up any marks. 

Finished Products:

These turned out so well I decided to keep a few for myself!