Don't Toss Your Empty Cans: Turn Them Into Cute Boho Decor With An Easy DIY

If you opened your pantry right now, you'd likely find at least a couple of cans of food sitting on the shelves. With a lot of canned goods comes a lot of empty cans once the contents have been consumed. Recycling is a great way to give new life to empty cans. However, if you're tossing your empties into the trash instead of the recycling bin, stop. You can salvage and reuse them instead. Soda drinkers have plenty of unexpected ways to repurpose empty soda cans in their home and garden. Coffee drinkers can upcycle coffee cans and scrap wood into a darling home decor piece on a budget. Transform large food cans into a towering rustic floral arrangement by stacking them one atop another and decorating the exterior.

Adding to the growing list of empty can home decor items is this fun and easy DIY. With some hot glue, jute rope, masking tape, and a few empty large food cans (#10 cans that hold just over 100 ounces), you can transform your trash into cute boho decor or storage. The number of cans you'll need depends on how tall you want your display piece to be. The taller your creation, the more jute rope you'll require, too. Dollar Tree sells a 7.8 foot roll of Floral Garden Decorative Rope or a 9.5 foot roll of Floral Garden Decorative Nautical Rope for just $1.75 each.

Start by removing the labels from your empty cans. You need a clean surface for the rope to securely adhere to. Hot glue the cans one on top of the other, creating a tower. Reinforce the bond between the cans by wrapping a strip of masking tape around the joins. To add the jute rope to the stacked cans, apply a line of hot glue onto the bottom of the first can. Wrap the rope around it in a single layer. Continue wrapping the rope up the tower until all the cans are covered. Cut off any excess rope and glue the loose end to the top. Fill it with a bouquet of faux flowers of your choice.

To add more character to your new home decor item, you could alternate between different colors of jute rope. You could also DIY a simple fringe to adorn the top of your new upcycled can display. During the holidays, swap rope for tinsel or use themed bouquets to make fun and festive decorative towers. Turn it into a decorative planter by popping a plastic pot with a small houseplant into the top.

You could also cut the bottom from the cans using a can opener. Be careful of sharp edges — wear gloves for safety. Since you'll be stacking the cans to create this home decor item, set aside a can that will be the bottom of the piece. Make sure you leave it intact. Now you have a homespun tower that's hollow all the way down. Use it at your entryway to keep umbrellas or other tall household items. And remember, food cans aren't the only items you can use for this DIY. For example, don't throw out empty coffee cans when there's a great use for them at home.