Crafting at Home + Creative Recycling: TIN CAN LANTERNS

First, gather the required number of cans for your lantern project. This may be one per letter of a word, or any quantity for the space you wish to put them or the number of cans you have available. The cans need to be big enough to put a tealight in. They can all match in shape and size or can vary if desired.

Next, remove all the labels so the aluminum is bare. Ensure the cans are fully cleaned by washing or soaking. You can scrub or chip off the residual glue strip or just leave it and position the ridge to the back of each lantern during the design phase.

Fill the cans most of the way with sand. This will help prevent them from bulging once frozen, which may happen with just water. Rice may also be used for the same purpose. If you have neither, you can try freezing with just water and smooth out the bulges the best you can with a hammer.

Pour water on top of the sand. Leave a little room at the top so the liquid does not expand out of the cans as it freezes but make sure the water level goes up at least as high as you intend to place your design on the side of the can.

Leave your cans to freeze completely solid inside. If you're lucky, it will be winter when you plan to do this project and they can simply be left outside!

While waiting for the cans to freeze, prepare your design templates if you do not plan to do something freehand. If possible, print your design or letters to be an appropriate size to fit on one side of the can. Ideally, find or create something with an outline that will be easy to follow. If you are unable to print, draw it out on a small piece of paper. You could also try to find a small, simple design to cut out of an old magazine.

Use a highlighter, pen, or marker to mark your hole point along the outline of each design. These letters were printed with a dashed outline and highlighted roughly every other dash.

Once the cans are frozen, bring them inside or take them out of the freezer to work on one at a time. If the can you are working on starts to melt too much, place it back to freeze while you work on a different one in rotation. They need to be frozen to keep the can from collapsing in on itself when struck.

Tape the design sheet onto one side of the can. Depending on the surface you are working on, you may wish to place a towel or similar under the frozen can to prevent damage to the floor and to keep the can from rolling around.

Line up your nail with your highlighted hole marks. Be prepared that the tip of the nail may slip on the can's round surface, especially when it starts to form condensation.

Use a hammer to punch through the side of the can for all the holes of your design. Until you get used to what it feels like, you may want to check under the paper as you go along to make sure each hole is large enough to let a twinkle of light shine through. OPTIONAL: If you wish to hang your completed lanterns, be sure to punch holes near the top on both the left and right sides so they can be threaded through with wire at the end.

Repeat the hole punching process for all cans. When they are all done and checked, you can leave them in the sink, a bucket, or wherever is convenient to let them thaw. Do not just leave them on the floor as they will make a big mess melting their contents through the punched holes! If you would like to speed up the process, you can try running hot water over the ice. Once melted, dump and rinse the cans and leave them to dry completely.

The remaining steps are optional. If you like the plain tin look, simply skip ahead to the candle step. If you would like to add color to your project either inside or out, gather your painting supplies and decide on your color plan. Spray paint would be easiest but if that is not available to you, paint and paintbrush are fine. In this example, indoor/outdoor paint was used so the lanterns can be used on a deck.

Paint each can and leave to dry on a non-stick surface. Be sure to paint the bottom if the lanterns will be hung. You can either prime and then paint, paint more than one coat, or leave one thin coat of paint if you like that look.

Paint all of your cans the same color, a different color, or in any kind of color pattern. They can be solid or have a painted design aside from the punched design. It is also an interesting look to leave the outside bare and use a bright color on the inside. Get creative!

If you have chosen to paint your cans, the paint will most likely fill and dry inside your punched holes. This is tedious but easy to remedy. First, try gently tapping your original nail into each of the holes. Be sure not to hammer too hard so you don't squish the can. This may or may not fix the problem, depending on how thick your paint is.

If the nail doesn't poke through enough, try using a push pin or similar to remove the paint plugs. Don't wipe away removed paint from the inside with your fingers, as the punched metal is quite sharp. If necessary, you could use steel wool or an old toothbrush to clean off excess paint flecks inside.

The craft is now complete! This is a very versatile project, especially if you have space for the lanterns outside. They can be used as anytime decorations, add to a celebration or memorial, be used as illuminated table numbers for an outdoor gathering, or to light a path.

Find a safe place to set up your lanterns where no one will knock them over. Or, attach hanging wires at this time if you planned ahead to do so.

Add the tealights close to the punched design and wait for dark...

...then let your design or message light up the night!