Repurpose Beer Can Flower and Leaf Wreath

This post was featured in "10 Recycling Craft Blogs to Follow" 

I recently found a wonderful site called Terrain that's an offshoot of Anthropologie.  Briefly, Terrain is a celebration of nature and design that highlights a fabulous collection of unusual earthy items. There were so many  things on the site that caught my eye, but I was truly taken with their lovely metal flower and leaf wreath. 

OMG!  Anytime I get a chance to do a knock off of some sort, especially using a freebie like cans - I go for it, as seen here and here.   Oh yes!  So here is how I made my version of their wreath.

Materials:

Aluminum cans

Rustic vine wrapped wire

Utility knife/craft knife

Scissors/pencil

Flower/leaf template

E6000 glue/hot glue

Primer spray paint/acrylic craft paint

Floral stem wire

• Gather aluminum cans - beer or soda.

• Find leaf and flower templates (large to small) online, print, and cut out.
• Carefully cut off the ends of clean cans using  a utility knife. Make a vertical cut with scissors. Cut an even edge, removing any slivers or jagged edges.  Smooth out the curve of the can by rolling on the edge of a table or countertop. You may want to wear gloves for this!

• Trace the outline of the flower and leaf templates with a pencil .  .  .

and cut out.

• Leaf texture can be added by placing cut-outs on soft corrugated cardboard (cushion backing) and drawing on lines with a dull pencil point.

• Do the same for making flowers, cutting out gradually from large to small.
• Spray primer paint on cut-out and let dry.

• Then paint cut-outs with an array of acrylic craft paints.

• Add texture to flower petals by rolling and shaping with a skewer stick.

• Assemble flowers in layers gluing on with E6000.
• Glue on short floral stem wire to leaves.
• Shape rustic vine wrapped wire into a 15 inch circle wreath. 
• Arrange and glue on finished flowers and leaves onto the wire wreath.

After trying on more flowers (different color) and leaves, I went for a cleaner look with fewer leaves and flowers. 

What a great repurpose use of beer cans! I love how this looks .  .  . and if I hadn't told you, no one would think the flowers and leaves were made from beer cans!

Take a little time to enjoy

and

Happy Crafting!