soda can art

This is a design that I came up with^

I learned this one from a youtuber titled MsChar33. Thank you, MsChar!

A while ago, I learned how to make candle holders made out of soda cans. These make excellent gifts, and I highly recommend experimenting with your own soda cans and coming up with a unique design. However, here are some ideas to get you started. You will need...

For the pinwheel candle holder(pretty easy):                         For the bow candle holder(little harder):
soda can (note: some cans are made with thicker                             2 soda cans
     aluminum, making them harder to work with.                             scissors
     coke, pepsi, and root beer are all fine.)                                        hot glue gun
scissors
hammer or similar object (don't worry, there is nothing
     dangerous about this.)

The pinwheel and bow designs both start the same way. For the bow, though, you will do the same exact thing to both cans. First, make sure that your can(s) is/are clean. A sticky can is no fun to work with. Also, your can should be dry. Store them upside down on top of paper towels until the insides are dry, or else you will make an outrageous mess. Next, take the soda tab off. If you have a container that you can hold them in, you might consider collecting them because I am trying to come up with a craft that will require several soda tabs. Now grab your scissors and cut through that extra thick circle of metal around the top of the can.

 

(That was actually the hardest part.) From there, you can easily cut the very top off of the can and recycle it.

Now make 16 vertical cuts through the round part of the can, stopping at the bottom. The easiest way to make sure your cuts are evenly spaced is to make two cuts directly across from each other, so that the round part of the can is in two parts. Then cut each of those halves in half, so that you have four cuts altogether. Cut all of your strips in half two more times, so that you have 16. Fold all of your strips down, counting them as you go. Now your can should look like a cartoonish sun. Now is the time to cut the tips off the strips, so that you have no super sharp (ouch) edges.

That was just the prep. This is where you start creating art, and it is also where the procedures for the two types of candle holders start to differ.

Pinwheel
Take one of the strips and fold it over some of the other strips, as shown in the picture.

Do the same thing over and over, keeping your folds equally long. Once you get to the point where your folded over strips start to overlap your previous folds, just tuck the ends of the strips under those folds. Now, take your hammer and repeatedly tap the base of the can until the bottom is flat enough to hold a small candle without it tipping over.

I used a railroad spike^ instead of a hammer. Whatever works! : )

Bow
Take one of the strips and fold over the very end.Now curl the strip around itself and hook the fold that you made earlier onto the edge of the strip, as shown in the picture.

 
Do this with the rest of the strips, bending your curls outward. Then do the exact same thing with the other can, this time bending your curls inward.

Use a hot glue gun to stick the second can inside of the first can to make sure it stays.

Now put candles in your soda can candle holders and light with a match. Ta-da!

Other Ideas
I have not tried this yet, but you can experiment with decorating cans with things like glitter and paint, to make them truly your own. There are also other ways to make soda can art, and I encourage you to think up your own unique design. There are so many options for you to choose from!