Punched Tin Garden Lanterns: How To

Today’s feature is from Fine Gardening with How to Make Garden Lanterns:

Punched Tin Garden Lanterns Project By finegardening.com

I’ve made candle holders from antique tea cups found at thrift shops and from inverted garden cloches hung with twine from tree branches. My favorites, however, are my punched-tin lanterns. They add a folk-art touch to the garden and are fun and easy to create. Most of the materials can be found in the recycling bin and in a reasonably well-stocked tool shed. The designs I use are often inspired by the plants and trees around my house, and they reflect the overall feeling of my garden—casual and personal.

This nifty project turns empty cans that would normally be thrown into the recycle bin into something functional and pretty for the garden. The secret to punching a design into the cans (without the cans crushing) is to first fill the empty cans with sand, add a bit of water and then freeze them. This makes the can firm enough to take the holes being punched into them (using a hammer and nail). After making the design, empty the cans, spray them with paint and voila! pretty decorations for your garden.

Please visit the site listed above for all the project details.

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