Recycle Empty Coffee Cans for Father’s Day Gift Projects

Use Recyclable Plastic Bottles as Indoor and Outdoor Plant Containers

Use recyclable plastic bottles as indoor and outdoor plant containers. Decorate them or leave them as is and watch the roots grow.

Handmade, personalized Father’s Day gifts are a great way to create special memories between dads and their children. Instead of spending increasingly ridiculous amounts of money on T-shirts, coffee mugs, neck ties and office pens that dad will never use anyway, recycle those empty coffee cans or soup cans and make memorable gifts that dad will treasure for years to come.

Kids of all ages can make creative gifts for dad using recyclable and reusable items commonly found around the home. Younger children need adult supervision and may need some help, while older children have the creative freedom to make virtually anything they can imagine.

Use the following ideas as a starting point but remember to be creative, imaginative and personalized just for dad. Most importantly, have fun! All you need is a clean, dry coffee can with a plastic lid, glue (or Homemade Chemical-Free Glue for Kids and Crafts), scraps of wrapping paper, recycled paper, fabric scraps, colored pasta or other items to decorate the cans.

How to Make a Coffee Can Holder

Pencil holder, pen holder, paper clip holder, screwdriver holder. Whatever you call it, the coffee can holder is a perfect gift for all dads, whether they work in an office or fix cars.

To make the Coffee Can Holder, remove the plastic lid and reattach it to the bottom of the can. Using the lid on the bottom prevents the can from rusting or causing rings and scratches on other surfaces.

Cover the can in used wrapping paper or fabric scraps, decorate the can to suit dad’s personality. When it is finished, fill the can with dad’s favorite things.

Coffee Can Vase or Planter

Who says flowers are only for Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day? Dads like flowers and plants too!

Empty coffee cans make perfect vases for cut flowers and containers for live plants. You can use scrap paper to decorate coffee can but the decorations may not last if it gets wet.

Fabric scraps, ribbons (not the frilly kind, dads do not particularly like frilly), buttons and other materials are more tolerant of moisture and minor dampness. Hot glue or another waterproof glue will work best.

For the vase, attach the plastic lid to the bottom to prevent the can from scratching or staining surfaces. Remove the lid and, using a hammer and nail, add a two or three drain holes to the bottom of the can for the planter.

Fill the vase with dad’s favorite flowers or fill the container with potting soil and dad’s favorite plant. Try planting mini roses for decorating the office desk or live herbs if dad likes to cook.

Coffee Can Money Bank

Dads seem to have a habit of carrying pocketfuls of loose change around, leaving it to jingle in every pocket imaginable. When the pockets get too full, it ends up on a shelf, the dinner table, the kitchen counter or the top of the television.

Use the coffee can to make him a practical place to put all that spare change. Cut a small rectangular slit in the center of the lid, big enough for change to fit through. Decorate the can with all kinds of recycled materials.

More Ideas for Decorating with Recycled Materials

Think about dad’s favorite things and come up with a theme to match. Does he like the outdoors? Use fallen leaves, twigs, pine cones and other natural items to decorate the can.

Is dad a handyman and always building something? Decorate with screws, nails, nuts and bolts. Just make sure they aren’t the expensive ones that dad needs for his next project! Try using those broken screws and bent nails that cannot be used for anything else.

Does dad have a favorite T-shirt that is ratty and worn and looks as if it has been threw the shredder a few times? Do not throw it out, save it! Cut out the design or graphic and use it to decorate the can.

The possibilities are endless, the materials are simple and the memories are priceless. If dad is really into gadgets, why not give him a necktie hidden camera for only $99.95 during the hidden camera Sale at BrickHouseSecurity.com!

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