We love upcycling almost as much as we love
gardening – and that’s like, allot! For this month’s DIY, Life is a Garden is
inviting you to accept our eco-friendly, trash to treasure project, all about
cans, creativity, and décor. If you also get that funny feeling whenever you
throw away a can, that’s probably because: A – you care about the environment
and just can’t bear the thought of a turtle choking on baked beans packaging,
and B – like us, you can see the exciting, uncharted, open canvas of that baked
beans tin that just screams “decorate me”.
Here’s a step by step guide to help you create
your upcycle can masterpiece:
You will
need:
Some empty
washed cans with a few holes made in the bottom (time to put that buying in
bulk stage to good use)
String/twine/ribbon
(natural fibre string or coloured string, depending on your vibe)
Some pebbles
(store-bought or from the garden)
Moss (real
moss available at your GCA Garden Centre or visit your local craft shop for
fake moss sheets)
Arts and crafts
accessories you have lying around
Super
superglue or double-sided tape
How to decorate:
Start by
thinking about which cans will be for outdoor and indoor decoration to
determine which décor accessories would work best.
Have a look
at all your goodies and think about the theme/colour scheme you’re going for to
spice up your chosen area.
Use the
superglue or double-sided tape to secure your string/twine/ribbon around the
can.
If you are
using pebbles or shells, pop them on too with some superglue.
Add a little
texture to your can by tying a different piece of string/twine/ribbon around
it. This will also help to keep your design together.
Décor tip: You could
always decorate half of the can one way, and the rest with a different
accessory. For example, try decorating the base of the can with pebbles or
shells, and the top half with moss or twine. This will give you added texture
and bonus points for creativity!
Plant picks:
Indoors
For an easy
to maintain, low light tolerant, and occasional neglect forgiver, we recommend
the ZZ plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia).
Vriesea varieties are a great choice if you’re looking for a
colour-poppin’ plant with interesting foliage and texture.
Outdoors
Wild iris (Dietes
grandiflora) is a lovely flower
choice for a spot on the patio with sun or semi-shade.
The
Mickey-mouse bush (Ochna serrulata)
is a charming can contender and will flourish on your stoep in sun or semi-shade.
Upcycling cans is all the talk of the town and for good reason. There are infinite ways you could go about decorating cans to use as pot plants and other DIY projects too.