Altered Can

Another assignment in Everyday Moodlings, the free online craft course I enrolled in, was to alter a can and make it into a vase. This required painting a recylced tin can, wrapping a strip of fabric or patterned paper around it, and prettifying it with ribbon and flowers.

In my version, I plastered a Pik-Nik canister with handmade paper (recycled from a set of paper window blinds I made years ago), glued a swath of beautiful Japanese washi paper round the middle, trimmed it with gold ribbon, then topped it off with a four-layered flower of handmade paper held together with a fancy brad.

While working on this can, I made it a point to stick to the colors on the washi paper: red, pink, blue, yellow, white and gold. Hence, the gold trim and the layered flower made with blue, pink, red and white paper.  I also patterned the cutout flower after the design on the paper, down to the gold outline and the tiny white bloom in the center.

Actually I’m extremely pleased with the way it turned out. I think it’s the washi paper that pulls everything together — and come to think of it, it’s the washi paper that inspired me a lot with this project!

Tags: Handmade Paper, Paper Crafts, Recyled, Washi