Pop Can Caroler Craft

When I was a little girl, we would often spend part of Christmas break at my Nana and Grampa's house. And each time, we always did some sort of Christmas craft. My Nana was a crafty lady back in the day, and she was not afraid to attempt crafts with us kids that I never would have. She had an area in her basement dedicated to sewing and crafts. It was fantastic. One year, we made these really cute "pop can carolers", and for the past 5 years, I have wanted to make more. Finally, I got my act together and did it this year. I think they turned out pretty good! 

What you need: 

-washed and dried pop cans (the cans without the wide mouth work best, but I don't know if you can even get these anymore) 

-acrylic paint (or another paint that works on metal) in black,"skin tone", pink and your choice of colours
-clear acrylic spray  (optional)

-fabric scraps 

-buttons, rhinestones, flowers, etc for embellishments 

-socks (if ankle sock, 1 per caroler, if regular 1 sock will do 2) 

-ribbon or string 

-hot glue gun and glue 

Directions (sorry, I didn't take a picture of each step!): 

1. Pull the tabs off the can. Make sure to pull the whole ring off. Then take your pop can by the sides so that the hole is at the front and bend the top forward.

2. Paint inside the can black. You only need to do the part of the can that shows. 

3. Paint outside of can whatever colour you would like. If you are using acrylic paint, you may have to do a second coat, or just do it really thickly. Remember that a lot of the can (especially the back) will be covered by fabric so no need to do a perfect job. You may want to do a clear coat when it is dry. I did not, but a clear coat would make them shinier. 

4. Paint the top of the can in the skin tone you have chosen. You may need to mix it up to get the shade you want. When it is dry, add pink cheeks and a pink nose (nose is on the "button"). 

5. Glue on google eyes. 

6. Using your fabric scraps, cut out a rectangle that will go around the can like a cape. Hot glue it on. Make sure to put the hot glue on the fabric first, and don't move it once you have glued it down or the acrylic paint will peel off (trust me, I did it). Then, cut another much skinnier rectangle for the scarf and glue that on. 

 

7. If you are using a regular sock, cut it in 2. Take the half (or ankle sock) sock and stick part of the sock inside the sock. This will help it stand up. Then, glue the sock on the top part of the can so it is a hat. Using your ribbon or string, tie the top so it looks more like a hat. Now, add your embellishments however you would like! Voila!