Kid’s Crafts: Painted Jack-o-Lantern Soup Can Lids

Last weekend we had the grandchildren over for a “crafting with Nanny” play date. During our time together we decided to paint some upcycled soup can lids in a fun Halloween theme. When working with soup can lids you want to use a can opener that unseals the can so that the edges of your lid are smooth.  Hand wash and towel dry before beginning the project.

You can paint your soup can lids in all kinds of fun Halloween designs. Example: Jack-o-Lantern, Pumpkins, Rotten Apples, Frankenstein, Skeleton Heads, Eerie Graveyard Designs, etc. Let the kids get creative! Punch a hole at the top to make festive ornaments or glue a magnet on the back to make refrigerator magnets.

Painted Jack-o-Lantern Soup Can Lids

Clean Soup Can Lids
Hole Punch
Acrylic Craft Paints
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towels
Acrylic Paint Pens
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer
Clear Fishing Line or Ribbon
Scissors

Have an adult use a hole punch to make the hole at the top if you’re going to be using them as ornaments. For this design you want to paint the front and back of the lid with 2-3 coats of acrylic craft paint to get the coverage that you need. We used 3 coats of paint allowing 30 minutes of drying time between coats.

The kids aren’t decorative painters so we opted to use acrylic paint pens to add the design. Princess used a black paint pen to make the eyes, nose, mouth and eye brows. Let dry for 45-60 minutes or until paint is no longer tacky. She then used a white paint pen to make the inner eyes. Let dry until paint is no longer tacky.

Take your lids outside and lay them on a plastic drop cloth, old placemat or a sheet of aluminum foil. Lightly spray with one coat of clear acrylic spray sealer. We like the glossy finish which gives them a nice shine. Once dry, flip over and spray the other side. Let dry.

To finish up you need to cut an 8″ piece of ribbon or clear fishing line. Thread it through the hole, knot the two ends together. Trim ends if needed. That’s it, you’re done!

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