One of the things I love about my new office/studio are the galvanized metal bins with repurposed soda can stamped metal labels I made. These bins hold and organize lots of stuff while keeping the supplies I use often an arms reach away.
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I found these metal bins at Walmart. Mine arrived a lot shinier than the online photo. The new look wasn’t doing it for me so I gave them a quick DIY aging.
Basically, I squirted them down with toilet bowl cleaner, sprinkled them with salt and let them sit overnight in a heavy duty trash bag outside. Voila! Instant aging. An easier way to age metal is using Amy Howard At Home Zinc Antiquing Solution. I used it on my Faux Zinc Magnetic Metal Board.
Making soda can stamped metal labels is easy. Make sure you have a good set of rubber gloves and a pair of tin snips to use when you’re cutting the metal labels out. I just eyeballed the sizes when I made mine. One soda can…or do you call it pop, made all of these labels for my storage bins.
I used this set of metal stamps to stamp the words. I laid my metal label on a piece of wood, added tape to hold the metal and as a guide for the words. Next, I used a regular hammer to tap the letters onto the labels. Nothing fancy. To me, the imperfections are part of the charm. I rubbed black craft paint into the stamp depression to make the letters stand out.
Adding the stamped metal labels to my galvanized metal storage bins was easy too. I drilled a hole in the top of each bin and attached them. Next, I used a round metal hole punch on the labels and jute twine for ties.
I’m not a metal stamping expert by any stretch of the imagination. But I’ve wanted to try metal stamping crafts for the longest time and this was a fun first project. If you need storage bins like mine, this is what I bought online at Walmart.
I also found these pretty metal storage bin already aged at Wayfair.
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Anyhoo, today’s project, metal soda can stamped labels is a quick and easy DIY.
So, now I’d like to know. Is it soda pop, soft drinks, or just soda? What’s your terminology and is it a regional thing? Share in comments below!
Torri says
Hi once these soda cans are cut, aren’t the edges very sharp still? Did you fold over or sand them down
Wendi says
Hi Torri,
Thats a very good question about whether the can edges are sharp on the can labels. They are a bit sharp but not so much that it’s been an issue. It’s only me using the bins, and I can read what they say without handling them. If that’s an issue for you, you could probably either bend the outside edges down or file them a bit if you chose to. Thanks for sharing your question!
Elizabeth says
“Soda” here in western Massachusetts.
Love your technique for aging the bins!
Wendi says
Hi Elizabeth and thank you so much! It was easy to do and I think they look so much better with imperfections and “wear and tear”. Plus it’s so much easier to buy inexpensive shiny ones and give them personality. Have fun trying this too! Oh, and yes, I grew up using the word soda too!
Susan says
Great idea Wendi! They look beautiful on your bins 🙂
Wendi says
Hi Susan! Thanks so much 🙂 I wanted to do this silly craft idea for so long and finally found a project to test out my new letter stamps on. These bins are perfect for it too, they hold so much stuff and hide lots of clutter. Thanks so much for your note and visit!!
Deborah says
Seriously amazong
Wendi says
Hi Deborah and thank you! These were so easy! You are much better at repurposing awesome items so I was pretty proud that these little bin labels turned out so cute. Thanks so much for your visit & note, it’s appreciated!
Shirley Wood says
Nice trick for aging the metal. Your stamped metal labels are really nice and different! The black paint added the pop you needed. We call it Soda here in Georgia! #merrymonday
Wendi says
Hi Shirley and thank you! It’s been fun hearing what everyone calls soda from different parts of the US. Have a great week and thanks so much for your visit!
Debrashoppeno5 says
This is a great project. I am adding this to my must-try list.
Wendi says
Hi Debra and thanks for the compliment! It was on my must do list for a long time too. I have a few other projects in mind to use my stamps on. You’ll love working with them, it’s a lot of fun!
Thelma Day says
Thanks for sharing. Great for identification of plants and trees.
Wendi says
Hi Thelma. You are right, these labels would be perfect for outdoor! I though that too when I made them. In fact, I’m planning on making a set for the garden this spring 🙂 Thanks for your visit & comment!
Janine says
So the colored part of the cans is on one side of the label?
Wendi says
Hi Janine! You got it, the printed soda label with the writing and color is on the back of the label. Good questions. Thanks for your visit:)
Carolyn says
These are so unique! Love them
Wendi says
Hi Carolyn and thank you so much!
Ivory says
Pop!
Wendi says
Hi Ivory….Funny. I started wondering what people called it as soon as I was writing this article. As we’ve moved around the US, I’ve heard so many terms for soda that I couldn’t help but ask! Thanks for your visit and comment 🙂
Chelle says
We usually call ’em sodas. I LOVE this idea!! Thank you for just one more reason I NEED a set of metal stamps in my life/crafting lair!!! You ROCK!!!
Wendi says
Hi Chelle! Yes!! You do need a set of metal stamps. My biggest challenge was choosing the font when I started looking at the choices. Of all the work I get to create, I knew I’d love tinkering around with metal stamping. All I need now is more time to “play” LOL. I’m glad you like my project. It’s a great way to give the galvanized bins some personality! Thanks for your visit and sweet comment!