A Pop-Top Bath Gift

I'm posting this before I give it away, and I'm hoping I don't "give away" the surprise. It's for one of my Sunday school teens that is turning 13 next week, and I did hand out business cards with my blog address on them ... So, you know who you are if you're reading this -- stop now! :)

Okay, for the rest of you, let me share my first pop-top can gift.



In its former life, it was a can of cream of mushroom soup. I just got a new can opener because my old one was junk (really!), and a safety can opener was only $2-3 more than the regular ones. So now I can make these really cute pop-top can gifts! :)

To make it, you just open a pop-top can with a safety can opener (the kind that cuts from the side, not the top) on the opposite end of the pop-top. For this one, I wasn't able to do that, so I simply used the can opener around the top, and it worked. Yeah!

Then you empty the contents (obviously) and wash it well (another obvious point). Check to make sure it doesn't have any lingering odors, especially if you're going to put candy in it. If there are odors, try sprinkling some baking soda in it and leaving it alone for a few days. Hopefully it will do the trick for you.

Anyway, the whole idea of this is to refill the can with whatever - candy, nuts, another favorite snack, small bath items, etc. Use your imagination, because if it will fit, it will work! After it's filled, you run a line of Paper Glaze (or Crystal Effects or Diamond Glaze) over the opening in the can and reattach the part you originally cut off. Let it dry for at least four hours, since that's what the bottle recommends.

While it's drying, you can design a wrap for it. When the recipient gets it, they open it with the pull-tab and think you're terribly clever for figuring this out. (I put the ribbon on the pull tab to make it a little more obvious that they're supposed to pull it open. I've seen this done before, but I don't have any idea who originally came up with it.) :) Kids especially seem to love this sort of thing, but we all know that adults are just (mostly) grown-up kids, and they enjoy it a lot, too!

So, let's take a peek at the specifics of my particular can.

The gifts for my Sunday school teens are mostly token gifts to show them that I remembered their special day. I can't spend a lot, but what I do spend can look like a lot more this way! In fact, I spend a lot of time on it, so I guess I've "spent" quite a bit on them. :)

Anyway, for this gift, I enclosed a full-sized scented cameo bath bar and two bath fizzies. I would have crammed a few more fizzies in, but that's all that would fit.

Here's a view of my can wrap before I attached it:



The sentiment stamp is from Cloud Nine Designs, and the bath image is a free image from Bird's Cards. (She's awesome - you really need to visit her blog!) The paper lace is from a Martha Stewart lace border punch, and I colored the bath image with my BIC markers.

Here are some really cute effects that really took it to the next level:



I added Paper Glaze (i.e. Crystal Effects or Diamond Glaze) to the bathtub and mirror. See how they shine? They're also a bit raised. I love it!



And then I added white flocking to the towel. Isn't it adorable?? I've never used flocking before, but I saw the Studio G small containers in the Michaels $1 tower racks, and I bought a pack to try out. (There are four different colors in the package, and each little container will do several projects, even though they don't look like it.)

I am in love! The effect reminds me of those expensive cat stickers I used to save my money for when I was a little girl. The really neat thing is that you can rub your finger over it once it's dry, and it won't come off. It's a really great touchy-feely effect for any project!

Before I forget, I added the "Happy Birthday" sentiment to the can so I wouldn't have to add a card, too. If I added a card, I'd almost have to add a gift bag, and it wouldn't look as good hidden in a gift bag. It has its own built-in gift packaging!

So I hope you enjoyed the little gift idea. I hope she does, too!