A bright idea for tin cans

From humble aluminium cans, you can create attractive garden lanterns

Recycling empty food tins can make for a pretty collection of garden lanterns. Create patterns in the cylindrical walls of the tins, so that when a candle is placed inside, light will shine through in decorative beams.

You will need soil (or sand), water, a nail, a hammer and rope. First, take the empty tins and fill them with soil; add water to wet the soil, while compacting the mix with your hands. When the wet soil is levelled, place the tins in a bag in the freezer for a few hours until the soil freezes.

Once frozen, take your tins out and place on their sides on a sturdy, flat surface. Take the nail and hold it perpendicularly with its tip piercing the tin surface and hammer it in to make a hole.

Make holes all around the tins’ sides in any pattern. For a funky lantern “bunting”, hammer alphabetical letters (one per tin) to create words once the lanterns are hung side by side on a horizontal rope. Hammer two large holes opposite each other at the top of each tin to attach a rope for a handle. When complete, allow the frozen soil to thaw and empty the tins, cleaning thoroughly. Finally, place small candles inside and enjoy a lantern-lit evening.

* By Hana’a Bou Nasr Ltayf. Visit Ltayf’s store Crafty Dust on ideyna.com