Reuse paint tins: ten fun ideas
Your paint project is done and you have accumulated quite a number of paint tins. Before you throw them all away, why not take a look at some of these fun ideas to reuse paint tins. You’ll not only get a chance to exercise your creativity, but you will also be doing your small bit to help out the environment. You know what they say: reduce, reuse and recycle.
10 fun ideas to reuse paint tins
1. Ashtray
If you’re hosting a big event, and you know that there are a few smokers on the guest list, then make some ashtrays. Fill your empty paint tins with some sand for people to push their cigarettes butts into, cover the outside of your paint tin (you can get creative with this) and then position a smoking sign either on the outside of the tin or stuck into the sand.
2. Ice bucket
Paint tins make great ice buckets. To add some character to it, add your own ice bucket handles. Make two holes equally spaced apart on either side, pull through some twine or material and tie it in knots on the inside of the tin to hold it in place. Cover or paint the outside of your tin as you’d like, fill it with ice and add your drinks, ice lollies or whatever you need to keep cool on a hot summer’s day.
3. Throwing game
Have you ever been to a carnival and played that game where you throw a ball at a pyramid of weighted tins? Well, now you can recreate that game in your own backyard. Just fill your paint tins with something weighty like sand, water or stones and then arrange them in a pyramid on a table or wall. Now have a go at knocking them down.
4. Pot plant
A nice and simple way to reuse your paint tins is to convert them into pot plants. Decorate the outside as you like, fill the inside with potting soil and plant your favourite plant. Don’t forget to put some holes in the bottom so that the water can drain through and the soil can breathe.
5. Vase
You can also use your paint tins as vases. Wrapping it with some burlap and lace and filling it with baby’s breath is the perfect table accessory for a rustic-themed event. If rustic isn’t your thing then you can always spray paint your tin and fill it with the flowers you like.
6. Stationery tin
Have you got a whole lot of pens and pencils lying around your home or business? Create some organisation by putting them into your homemade stationery tin.
7. Candle lantern
If you paint your tin and knock a few neat holes into it (preferably following a pretty design) then you can make a spectacular homemade candle lantern. You can hang it using the paint tin handle (or make a new handle) or just place them around your home on counters, shelves, tables and even on the floor.
8. Kitchen utensil holder
If you like having all of your utensils together in an easily accessible place on your kitchen counter then think about converting a paint tin into a utensil holder. The advantage is that you can customise your utensil holder to match your kitchen colours and theme.
9. Biscuit tin
Put your homemade biscuits in a tin… a paint tin. With Christmas coming up, a great homemade gift idea is to make your own biscuits, put them in a paint tin (after a good clean, of course) and wrap it up in the Christmas paper of your choice.
10. Gifts
This is an all-round awesome way to reuse paint tins. If biscuits aren’t your specialty, you can reuse your paint tins for other personalised homemade gift ideas. You can make gift hampers for chocolate lovers, coffee addicts, beauty therapy buffs or DIY enthusiasts. Check out Pinterest for gift hamper ideas.