Distressed Halloween Tin Can Candles

This post was published last year over at See Vanessa Craft, but I thought you might like to see it here too!
Ready for some more Halloween decor? These tin can candle holders are easy to make and the materials are readily available. The best part about these candles are that they are cute during the day, then spooky at night! This craft combines two of my favorite supplies…chalky paint and stencils!

Let’s get started!

Supplies ~

• Empty Aluminum cans (watch out for sharp edges!)
• Distressed Harlequin Stencil
• Black Cat Stencil
• Americana Chalky Finish paint in Heritage (orange), Everlasting (white) and Carbon (black)
• Sponge brush
• Hammer
• Sharp Nail
• Tape (to hold your stencil in place)
• Sand paper
• Candles or LED candles

Fill the empty can with water and put in freezer until it’s completely frozen. (If the bottom of the can pops out don’t worry, you can just hammer it back in after the ice is out The ice makes it so much easier to punch holes into the can.

If you have a stencil or an outline that you need to trace, do it with a sharpie or other permanent pen. The ink ends up coming off when the ice melts anyhow.

Once you have your design traced, start punching holes with the hammer and nail. I like to do any points and joints first, like the angles of the cat’s ears, where his body and legs meet, and the feet to make a rough outline. That way if your ink smears, you have the major landmarks already punched. Then I start at the top and fill punch the in-between holes. I start at the top because that’s where the ice will melt first. If you’re like me, in Arizona, you better work quickly because that ice starts melting fast. But if you’re in Canada, you have the next six months to finish this project. 🙂

Once the holes are punched and you like your image, run the can under some warm water to get the ice inside melted. Now is the time to hammer the bottom of the can back into place. Dry off the can and prep it for painting.

Now go ahead and paint the can with the chalky paint and the sponge brush. If paint gets into the little holes you punched, use a pin to get the paint out. It’s better to do this before the paint dries. If you are doing an allover stencil (like my Distressed Harlequin one) then make sure the can is really dry and tape the stencil in place, then dab it with the sponge brush and the paint.

Once your paint is dry, rub ithe can in spots with the sand paper to distress it.

Now find your favorite Pumpkin Spice flavored candle and enjoy the fall!

Here are a couple other Halloween ideas~

Spooky Bat Tree

Paper Raffia Pumpkin

Linked to ~ Link Party Palooza