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Some time ago I saw this great idea for plant markers made out of soda cans.  Last year I made several and they were adorable.  Unlike the ones in that link, I made them larger, punched a hole in the top, then attached them to think wire that I curled and made into stakes.  They truly were wonderful – I wish I had pictures of them!

So I’ve been collecting soda cans (I don’t drink soda often) and today I started prepping them.

So here’s Godfrey watching over my preparations. I have a boatload of aluminum cans, all washed. I’d already taken the tops off of several some time ago, but you can see the can opener there waiting for the rest.

Once the tops are off, then I cut off the curved edge on top and on the bottom, leaving me with a flat sheet of aluminum. Be sure you use kitchen shears to cut that metal – it will dull a regular pair of scissors before you know it!

Here’s as far as the prep work got today.  There are a few sample finished tags there, but that’s all that will be done until we get started with our spring garden and I know what we’ll be planting.

And look what I just found!  This person is using scrapbooking craft punches to fancy things up a bit.  I love this idea and will certainly be using it!

It’s the little things in life!

Well, one can never have enough shopping bags, so I set about copying them…

Unfortunately, I didn’t remember to take pictures of my patternmaking process, but it’s still fun to see what can be done.

I also completely forgot to take pictures of the first completed bag, which is a shame because it was just beautiful!  We used a mix of various fabric scraps that we’d had lying around for years, and the final product was a shining star.  It ended up as a gift for a good friend, and will be well loved.

I’ve got another one cut out and ready for sewing – I’ll be sure to post that one.

Love to you all!

We respond with: “Yes you can – just not all at once!”