Painted Metal Coffee Cans Snowman Winter Decoration

This adorable snowman was made with mostly upcycled items. He was made in one afternoon and can be decorated for the Christmas holiday or just decorated in a classic winter theme like mine. I plan on letting mine out for most of the winter as part of my front porch winter decor.

A few tips before you get started. You don’t want to use hot glue. It doesn’t work great for the long term with metal. I recommend using Gorilla Glue. Be careful to not get it onto your skin. The small plate used for the brim of the hat should be made out of plastic or a lighter-weight ceramic. Don’t use glass which is too fragile. Say away from heavy pottery pieces which will throw the snowman tower off-balance. I purchased the ceramic plate at Dollar Tree.

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Painted Metal Coffee Cans Snowman Winter Decoration

3 Metal Coffee Cans
1 Metal Soup Can
1 Plastic or Ceramic Saucer or Small Dessert Plate
White and Black Spray Paint
Black and Orange Acrylic Craft Paint
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towels
Gorilla Glue (super glue)
All-Purpose, Quick Drying Craft Glue
Fat-Quarter of Cotton Homespun Fabric
Scissors
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer – Glossy or Matte Finish
12″ Long Piece of Jute Rope

Take the metal cans outside after they’ve been cleaned and dried. Spray all 3 of the metal coffee cans with 2-3 coats of white spray paint. Repeat with the soup can but using black spray paint. You need to cover the bottom and sides of each can with paint. Use the black spray paint to paint the smaller sized plate. You need to spray the top with 2 coats, let dry and then flip it over to spray the bottom with 2 coats of paint. Let dry until no longer tacky.

While those items are drying you want to cut the cotton homespun cloth to fit around the metal can. I cut mine 4″ wide by the length needed (I forget the length), folded it in half and used all-purpose craft glue to tack it together in half to form one strip. Having it doubled gave it more strength and form. Set aside. Cut another strip 1″ wide by about 10″ in size. This may vary a little bit. It will be glued around the soup can when making the hat. You’ll need about a 16″ long piece of Jute which will go around the hat and be tied into a bow.

Bring the painted metal cans inside. Time to assemble them. Use Gorilla Glue to glue all three of the coffee cans together. Use a paper towel to dab-up any of the excess glue so you don’t have drips running down the sides of the cans. Stack the 3 cans together using the glue. Use Gorilla Glue to adhere the soup can to the top of the black plate. Let sit for about 30 minutes or until it starts bonding and then add Gorilla Glue to the rim of the top white can so that you’re gluing the hat to the top of the snowman. Let the entire stack of cans sit for 2-3 hours so that the glue gets a good bond.

Use black acrylic paint to paint on the eyes, mouth and 3 black buttons. Use orange acrylic craft paint to make the carrot-shaped nose. You may need to use 2 coats of paint. While the paint is drying carefully tie the scarf around his neck and knot the two ends together. Use scissors to trim the scarf ends to a reasonable size. Glue the fabric strip around his hat…followed up the jute rope tied into a bow. Let everything dry for 2-3 hours.

You can leave him as-is or add pine sprigs, red berries, or other decor around the hat brim. I personally liked a very “clean” look with mine. Once you’re done I recommend taking it back outside and spraying it with 2-3 light coats of a clear acrylic spray sealer. This will help protect all of the paint from chipping, cracking, and crazing over time.

What I love about this project? It’s made with mostly upcycled items keeping those items out of our landfills. Next…the project is easy to do and you don’t need to be an artist to paint on simple facial features. Finally, they’re tall and slender so they don’t take up much storage room after the season is over. You can pull it out year after year to decorate during the winter season. I’m currently working on a female version and BOTH will be displayed on my front porch!

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