How to Make a Cute and Easy Pencil Vase for a Teacher
Are you looking for an affordable DIY teacher gift idea? I’ve got you covered with my tin can turned flower pot or pen and pencil storage.
The best part—this is a perfect and super easy kids craft.
- Tin can(s)
- Acrylic paints (yellow and pink)
- Masking, metallic, or washi tape
- Paint brushes
- Small potted plant and soil
- Scissors
- Drill and bit (if you want to make a flower pot)
Take your tin cans and peel the labels off. Our six-year-old Vivienne helped me with this step.
Once your labels are peeled, take any tape and mask off the “metal” area that will divide the “pencil” and “eraser” section. I used a pretty and affordable gold metallic tape since I want to add the tape back to one finished product to add a bit of sparkle.
Once the tape covers the tin can all the way across, you’ll want to cut with scissors. Firmly press the tape around the whole can to ensure you get a clean paint line between the two paint colors.
I found the sponge brush did the best and didn’t leave brush streaks as bad as the regular brush did. Feel free to paint over the tape—you’ll be peeling it all away anyway.
Once the bottom is painted, you’ll want to move onto the top “eraser” section with your pink paint.
You’ll most likely want to paint two coats for full coverage. Once the paint is dry, peel away your tape to reveal your clean line.
This is just a personal preference. The silver version looks a little more “pencil-like” to me.
Decide what you want to do with your DIY back to school teacher gift. Do you want to turn it into a flower pot or maybe a pen and pencil holder (or both)?
If you want to make it a flower pot take your drill and bit and drill a couple holes in the bottom of the can for drainage.
Add some soil and then a small potted plant. I got ours at Trader Joe’s for $1.99 each.
As I mentioned before, instead of a flower pot you can do a pen and pencil holder too. Or maybe even a flower vase—lot’s of options!
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Jacqueline Stewart on Feb 29, 2020
Thank you for all the wonderful ideas.
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Meera on Mar 03, 2020
It’s fun decorating the the empty tin cans. I use paints, burlap, lace decoupage napkins and all kinds of material. They look beautiful. Your cans look so pretty and a loving gift for anyone cos you made them yourself. 🙏🕉
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ZakPearce on Mar 21, 2020
I want to make the same. I am already starting to prepare for a return to study, but only at the university. I am very worried because this is my last year of study and I need to write a dissertation. I can better buy help for writing a dissertation via https://ukessay.com/buy-dissertation-help and so I can calm myself and not get nervous.
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Audrey Kuether on Mar 21, 2020
Such an easy project :)
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