Introduction: How to Make Can and Bottle Flower Dish
Soda Cans and Bottles are every where.
People litter and throw them away without recycling or re-using.
This instructable will teach you how to make a shallow or deep dish for holding pocket change, candy, other small objects, or even cigarette ash and butts out of aluminum cans and plastic bottles.
Step 1: What You Need
A soda or tea (aluminum) can or plastic bottle
Scissors or box knife
Step 2: Prepare the Can or Bottle
Drink the contents of the can or bottle.
Rinse it out.
You may want to put on some gloves to keep yourself from getting cut. Aluminum cans are very sharp when you cut them.
Cut the top of the can off.
Step 3: Mark the Bottom
Mark the bottom how deep you want your dish to be with a sharpie.
Dont worry, you wont be able to see this mark when you are finished.
Step 4: Strip Width
Decide on how wide you want each strip to be.
I normally go with a little under an inch.
You can mark this out or eyeball it.
If you eyeball it, you will invariable get 2 or 3 strips that are a bit wider than the others. Dont worry too much about this, it will still look good in the end.
Step 5: Bending
Once you have cut strips all the way around the can down to your mark, start bending each strip down.
Bend them all down.
Step 6: Flipping and Bending
Flip the can around. It's much easier to do this from behind.
Pick one strip to be the first.
Slip it under the one to the left.
Step 7: Folding
Slip the strip behind the others.
Dont bend this one down completely. You need it to stay as a loop so you can thread the last strip through.
Step 8: Creasing
Do the same to the next strip, but this time crease it.
Step 9: Around
Do this for all the strips all the way around the can or bottle.
When you get back to the beginning strip, push the second to last strip around and through.
Crease them both to finish this stage.
Step 10: Last Bends
Then take the ends of the strips that are just hanging out and fold them under. Look at the pictures, they should explain it better than I can.
You may need to trip some of the ends off of the strips to get them to fold up perfectly.
I do this to make sure little hands, like those of my kids, wont get cut.
Step 11: Finished!
Admire your can or bottle dish and fill it with something!
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- CrawfishYAY made it!
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22 Comments
9 years ago
There is an easier way to measure the strips and make them all the same width. After cutting off the top, gently squeeze the top "in half." Cut at the pinches. Repeat with each section until you have 16 equal strips.
13 years ago on Step 11
when its finished are the ends still sharp?
13 years ago on Introduction
awesome!!!!
13 years ago on Introduction
I tried this with a Dr. Pepper can, it looks so cool! And great for my first try ;D You should try it with a pot noodle can, the plastic is a bit tough to cut through and it can easily snap if youre not careful, (As i found out as i was FINISHING IT ): It Looked lovely as well), you can't really cut yourself unless you slip when cutting with the scissors (:
14 years ago on Step 11
this is so cool! i just tried it and although my technique needs work, it came out pretty good! so easy to understand thanks for sharing!
14 years ago on Introduction
I did this once to use as ashtrays at a party we threw...the hubby and I are non-smokers so of course we don't have ashtrays in the house. I used beer cans...they were at hit at the party!
14 years ago on Step 5
can't believe i havn't seen this until now! i have a "metal-crab""metal-crab" instructable that is quite simillar upto this step!
14 years ago on Introduction
It is strictly tall aluminum cans, or do average cans work?
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
average cans work as well.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Good to know, thanks!
14 years ago on Introduction
i love arizona tea
14 years ago on Introduction
regardless if there is another instructable about this, this is really, really cool. Me and my girlfriend are going to do this tonight when we get home! Hopefully it works!
14 years ago on Introduction
Well crap. There is already an instructable like this.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
yep, i already submitted an instructable on can dishes, but didn't thought about making them with plastic bottles, Very nice !!
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
dont worry about it, dont delete instructable. Nice job
14 years ago on Introduction
I didn't know this would work with plastic bottles too! Cool!
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Make sure to press the folds nice and hard...
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
It seems like it would be harder to make one with a plastic bottle than a can.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
It's not harder, you just have to make sure to really press the folds... I often use pliers or even a heat gun to make sure.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Oh ok thanks! Yours look really good.