Sunday, June 12, 2011

Soda Pop Can Hair Bows - Tutorial

Did you know that it was even possible to make hair bows out of soda cans?  I had no clue until a friend of mine mentioned on her blog that she was making and selling soda can hair bows.  The idea sounded preposterous at first.  Won't kids cut themselves on the bows?  I mean, we all know that the aluminum can cut you, right? 

Well, the idea still intrigued me enough to inquire about the makings of such a bow for my girls' hair and possibly to make a little extra $$ which we could all use, right?  After a few emails back and forth, I now had the information and instructions I needed to make the bows myself.  Now if only I could get my hands on some soda cans.  You see, my family doesn't drink soda very often at all so I enlisted the help of friends, family and neighbors to provide me with cans. 

At this point, I was a little nervous but I had a gazillion Mountain Dew cans from a neighbor so I decided to make those my practice cans.  I would make a couple of practice bows, besides, who would want green anyway?  Surprisingly, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be.  And for me to say that is huge.  I'm tellin' ya, if I can do this, ANYONE can.  Seriously!  I'm the poster child of making simple things seem difficult.  Just ask my mom. 

Ok, let's start with two cans per bow.  Actually it's more like one and a half cans (if you're using the 12 oz size).  Choose cans in your favorite colors or brands.  There are some funky cans out there to be had!  Just sayin'. 



The first step after gathering your cans is to poke a hole near the top and the bottom of the can.  I like to do mine in the barcode/text area.  I don't plan on using those parts anyway.



 Next you will take your knife (or blade) and cut from one hole to the other.



At this point you'll have to start cutting around the top and bottom of the can in order to remove them completely.  You can use either scissors or your knife to do so.  I have found it easiest to cut about 3/4 of the way around with my knife on both the top and bottom, then using scissors the rest of the way. 





At one point I was having Anthony cut the tops and bottoms off for me but he was a little aggressive with the cans and was bending them too much so I fired him!  :)

Now be careful!  This is the only part that I'm ever scared of cutting myself on the can.  The knife or blade makes the edges very jagged and rough.  To get rid of this, you can use your scissors to cut the rough edges off or just work with the can the way it is, being very careful not to cut yourself.  And here's another tip:  using pointed tip kid scissors seems to make the edges even less sharp than using really good, sharp ones.  Besides, you don't want to ruin your good scissors anyway.  Not only that but the kid scissors make it easier to work with on the detailed parts which we'll get to shortly.   (That's a tip my friend gave me and I've found it to be true.)

Now you should have the tops and bottoms cut off the cans and what's left should be the body of the cans.  At this point they are curled up and won't lay flat.  That's ok for now. 



The next thing you'll need are some cups or other circular whatevers to trace and a pen.  You'll need three different sizes of circles.  Below are the cups I used.  The top of the Backyardigans cup as my largest circle (it just barely fit on the body of the can from end to end), the top of the pink one for my mid-size circle and the bottom of the pink one for my smallest circle.  Trace them on the silver side of the can with a pen.  Certain pens will actually write on the back.  If not, just press hard enough that it leaves an indent that you can follow with your scissors.





Now you'll just need to cut the circles out with your scissors. 

Pretty simple so far, no?  And now you'll need (or at least I did because I'm kind of a nerd) some coins.  I chose a game token (ever so slightly larger than a quarter), a quarter, and a dime.  Why in the world would you need those, you ask?  Well, if you're more talented than I, you probably won't need them at all.  My friend just eyeballed the next step but when I tried to eyeball it, I ended up with a mess.  The coins act as a guide for me. 

All I do is hold them in the center of each circle (the token over the largest, the quarter over the mid-sized, and the dime over the smallest) so I can cut into the center for the petals without going too far or not far enough. 

You can create as many petals as you would like.  I personally like eight.  There's really no rhyme or reason as to why I like eight other than it's just the easiest number to for me to keep the petals the same size.  You are more than welcome to do more or less depending on your preference. 

This is how I do it, I cut the top and bottom until I reach the coin. 



Then I cut the opposite way.  I now have 4 petals. 



Now cut each of the 4 petals in half.  VOILA!  You've now got 8 petals!

Do the same thing for all 3 layers using the respective coins as guides if needed.



To form the petals, just round the edges of each petal and shape to your desire.

 

Arrange your flowers however you want with the centers stacked on top of each other. 



You'll now staple your flowers together but make sure you staple them upside down.  The staple is going to act as your anchor for your alligator clip.  I always staple twice for reinforcement. 



Add alligator clip by slipping it through both staples.



Now you will want to bend the flower petals up on the middle and top layers.



To curl the middle and top layers, just use a pencil or skewer to gently wrap the petals around and curl.  You can curl the bottom layer if you wish.  I like the bottom layer to remain straight. 

 

Hot glue a jewel (or other cool, random something) into the middle.  This will cover the staples showing through.



And here are the few of the bows I have created.





[caption id="attachment_167" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Cherry Coke Zero"][/caption]

Let me know if you try this and how it turns out.  I would love to see your creations.  It's great to draw inspiration from others!

 

I linked this tutorial to Under the Table and Dreaming &

 

 


Tip Junkie handmade projects

49 comments:

Lemonade Stand | Babblin Brooke said...

[...] Soda Pop Can Hair Bows – Tutorial ←    [...]

Korina said...

this is really awesome! Can not wait to try it!

Brooke said...

Korina- They really are fun to make. Hope you enjoy making them as much as I do.

Camille said...

This is seriously so cute! I have never seen anything like it and I love it! It is so creative! I am your newest follower and I would love to have you come over and link this up to our Link Party going on this weekend- and every link counts as an entry in our giveaway!
http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/2011/07/strut-your-stuff-saturday-week-1.html
Camille @
SixSistersStuff.blogspot.com

Brooke said...

Camille, thanks so much! I will defnitely be linking up.

Jenni said...

Wow! What a fun idea! Looks like something we could do for other things that could use a bow! Thanks for sharing!

Brooke said...

Jenni, you could definitely use it for other things. I think it would be way cute on a gift! I've even thought of making a bouquet of Diet Coke flowers for my Grandma's grave. She loved Diet Coke. I would attach them to skewers and stick them in the ground. ;)

Rikelle said...

Great tutorial. Very clear and great pictures. I wonder if I can use my die cutter to cut out the petals? Thanks for sharing!

Brooke said...

Rikelle, I've wondered the same thing. Unfortunately, I don't have a die cutter of any sort... hoping for a Cricut someday. Might as well try it. You never know. Let me know if it works!

Karina's Challenge said...

Whoa This is awesome! I cant wait to try it :) Thanks for sharing!!!

Camille said...

Brooke, thanks for linking up these darling bows at our link party last week! I have been saving my pop cans to make some for my little girl! We would love to have you come back again tomorrow for Strut Your Stuff Saturday and link up some more of your great creations and ideas!
Camille @
SixSistersStuff.blogspot.com

Maridith said...

That is so smart and so cute. Recycle, reuse!!

btanders said...

What a cool way to reuse some cans. LOVE it!!

pc said...

Soda can for hair clip? Cute!

Linda @ My Name is Momma said...

Thanks for stopping by today! What a cool idea. You should post this on the I like big bows blog linky too http://ilikebigbows.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-us-what-ya-got-bow-makers-show-off.html

Katie Cannon said...

Thanks for sharing I love this tutorial.

jen said...

Great job!! For some added affect you can emboss the can before you cut the flowers. The added texture really makes it even cuter.

Brooke said...

Great idea, Jen! Now if only I had some embossing skills.... ;)

Vanilla Bean Crafts said...

Thanks for linking up to Vanilla Bean!

hair accessory wholesale said...

WOw, That's great. I hats off to you. I have never think about it. Thanks for sharing wtih us.

Just Me said...

LOVE IT! I just made 5 bows of my own. I've got a bunch of friends that I'm going to teach how to make them, too. Thanks for the tutorial

Brooke said...

Awesome! I would love to see pictures.

Rachel said...

These are so cute! I'd love to try a few. Am I missing something? Aren't the edges still sharp? Are they safe for little ones?

Brooke said...

Rachel, you'll actually be very surprised. As I mentioned in the post, the only time I was ever worried about cutting myself is when you have to cut the tops and bottoms off of the cans. Once you cut the circles and petals, the chances are very low that you would get cut. My kids wear them with no problems.

trimbowribbon said...

good, easy to follow

Heather said...

This is really awsome. I have never ever seen anything like this. Im so glad I fud it though. And I am going to try and make these for my 2 year old!
Thanks again!

Brooke said...

Heather, these are lots of fun. I hope you enjoy making them!

norma said...

what about getting rid of the sharp edges...how do u do that or do u?

norma said...

And how do u attach these to ur hair?

Brooke said...

The alligator clip just clips right into the hair but we find it's best to clip it to a ponytail holder of some sort. It holds it a little better. As far as sharp edges, you'll be surprised. There actually aren't any once you cut the petals out and round them. I was surprised at how dull the edges ended up being. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Shir said...

Go green- Make bows! <---- That was my first thought when i saw this! So clever!

Out of curiosity- The bow that is in the little girls hair... what cans were used for that? i love the colors and its SO cute!

Im thinking of making this for myself in a smaller version - would it work as good?

And would this work if i used the back side of the cans
and maybe covered the pedals in thin sheets of fabric?

Thanks for this! honestly adorable!

Brooke said...

Shir - Thanks so much for your sweet comment. The bow in my daughters hair is from a Peace Tea can. They are taller than most soda cans and I honestly don't know where to get them. I assume you can get them just about anywhere but I asked neighbors for donations and one of my neighbors brought a bunch of those ones over. The really did make cute bows!

I think a smaller version would work just fine. And yes, I believe covering them in fabric would work just fine as well. I'm not sure how you would do that but it sounds like you've already got an idea in place. ;)

I would love to see your finished product once you finish.

teigha said...

these are adorable i cant wait to make some for my 4 yr old!!!!! i hope they are simple as they seem!

Brooke said...

They are simple but they definitely take some time. The first few I made took quite a while. After that I got pretty quick at it. Have fun making them for your daughter.

Claire said...

This is how I do my hair bows and they come out perfect http://howtofixstuff.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-make-hair-bows.html

Carolyn said...

so has anyone gotten cut on these hairbows? they look like they would slice you open. just concerned b4 i make any.

Brooke said...

No, the only time I am ever worried about getting cut is when I'm actually cutting the tops and bottoms off of the cans. Once the bow is made you'll be surprised at how dull it actually is. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

ahley simon said...

that is really cool. I really cant wait to try this its for a project for last 6 weeks of school.

ahley simon said...

hey i did this for a project it was fun and cool.

Bernice said...

I love making these. I have always just hole punched and put a brad through them, then hot-glued a barrette to them. Although the hot glue comes undone after a while. I will definitely try the staples! Thanks. You can also use a paper punch, they sometimes stick though.

Madison said...

This is such an amazing idea! After reading through the instructions, I immediately went and got my little brothers to drink some soda so I could use the cans to make one! :) It turned out pretty good, for my first time actually. I have one question though. I was wondering, how you got the petals to be so rounded? When I did it, they were round, but not too round...
I can't wait to show this to all of my friends! Thanks for sharing this with everyone! :)

Brooke said...

Madison, thanks so much for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed making them. To get the petals round I just started cutting about halfway up on each petal and carefully cutting up and around until I get to the same point on the other side. Hopefully that makes sense.

Madison said...

Alrighty! Thanks so much! :) I'll try doing that tomorrow. Thanks again! :) Have a great weekend!

Honesty said...

I followed your tutorial to a "T" and it was super fun to make. I have been asked how to make the edges not sharp and as i read your comment above i found that you are right. I havent cut myself making this and havent found the edges to be sharp at all.

ABBY said...

i went to this booth one day and it was selling soda pop cans! My Dr. Pepper one broke easily!
I LOVE YOUR CLIPS THEY WORK!

ABBY said...

THANK YOU, I DIDN'T GET CUT!

ABBY said...

i didnt work out

ABBY said...

is that a different web to make clips?

Brooke said...

Hmm, I'm not sure why it didn't work. This is the only way I have ever done the clips.