How gorgeous is this copper color??? I didn’t think it was possible… but I may have found another spray paint that I like just as much as my favorite gold spray paint…
Here it is.
Rustoleum Metallic Spray Paint in Copper. I got mine here
Start with some tin cans and remove the labels and any gunk underneath them.
These cans used to hold diced tomatoes and are about 4 inches in diameter each. I actually really like the way they looked originally and you could totally skip the spray painting if you want to keep the silver chrome. If you’re set on making them copper like I was, then place them upside down and spray them in light coats with the copper spray paint. I sprayed about 3 coats. (If you’re new to my blog, then you will not have noticed that I’ve linked my spray painting tips a bajillion times before and I recommend checking them out to review some basics :)).
LOVE.
Ideally I wanted to apply the chalkboard paint directly to the cans, but I realized later that the ridges would get in the way of creating clean lines and writing smoothly with chalk. So, I came up with a plan to make chalkboard tags.
I chose to make the tags out of balsa wood because it’s easy to cut and more durable than something like paper or poster board. The sheet of balsa wood I used was 3 inches wide and 1/16″ thick. Since I conveniently wanted the tags to be 3 inches wide, all I needed to do was measure out the length of each tag and cut accordingly.
With a pencil, I drew tick marks every two inches (each tag will be two inches long) on both edges of the wood and I did three sets of these for a total of three tags to be cut. Using a ruler, draw a line connecting the tick marks across from each other. These are the lines you’re going to cut along.
Make sure to work on top of a cutting mat. Lightly go over the line with your X-acto knife first to create a shallow cut, then go over it again with more pressure to cut through the entire piece of wood. The groove will act like a little track that will help keep your knife guided along the line.
I rounded out the the corners free handed with my X-acto knife and cut out little holes for the twine to go through. First draw a small circle on each tag where you want the holes to be and then cut them out with your knife using more of a poking motion. Keep poking around the circle until the hole is created. Your tags should look something like this.
Paint them with chalkboard paint, allowing each layer to dry 1 hour before adding the next. I applied a total of 4 layers, though the minimum you should paint is 2. I let it dry for 24 hours before rubbing chalk on the surface to prep it for use.
Tie a chalkboard tag around each can with twine, securing it in place with a bow, and you’ll have these *adorable* labeled planters.
I knew I was going to put my herb plants in these cans and the chalkboard tags are a perfect way to label them. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t get creative or festive with what you write on them.
Want some Halloween spirit?
Thanksgiving is around the corner, isn’t it?
Or how about my personal favorite?
“Ugh” is something I say when I really like something, like UGH so good, or UGH these planters are so cute.
What would you write on the chalkboard tags? Leave me a comment and let’s chat :)
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