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Stylish Copper and Denim Craft Caddy

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Upcycled Copper and Denim Tin Can Craft Caddy

Not having my own studio and having to craft on the dining room table can be a real pain sometimes. Basically because I have to tidy it up and can’t just shut the door on it. Sometimes I find it a real faff having to get my stuff in and out of cupboards. Then I thought if I made a good looking craft caddy for my brushes, scissors, pencils & pens not only would it be handy but I wouldn’t have to hide them away. I’m really pleased how this craft caddy has turned out and will now be making a cutlery one for when my dining room is a dining room and not a craft room.
 
DIY stylish copper and denim craft caddy, using tin cans. Or you could use it as a picnic caddy.
 
Copper Denim Craft caddy
 

What You Need to Make Your Caddy

As I like to upcycle I made my craft caddy out of stuff I already had. My sister had asked me for a copper pineapple for her birthday !; so I decided to use the copper spray paint left over from that project. Also as I think copper and denim look great together so decided to use some denim as well.
 
Materials for Denim and Copper Craft caddy
 

  • Six tin cans
  • Strips of denim cut from and hems of old jeans
  • Old screwdriver for handle (or could use old wooden handled corkscrew)
  • Piece of old wood such as pallet wood aproximately 35cm x 6cm
  • Copper spray paint
  • Coloured Spray paints
  • Acrylic varnish spray
  • 8 eyelets and eyelet tool if you don’t have one of these then you can just use 8 small washers suitable for 3.5mm screws
  • 8 wood 3.5mm 1/2″ wood screws
  • Screw driver to use as a screwdriver

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    Optional

  • Dark wood stain, olive oil and vinegar

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    How to make a craft caddy

  • Firstly prepare your 6 tin cans. Even though I had decided that I was going to have a copper and denim craft caddy I couldn’t resist a splash of colour. I just love colourful tin cans. To achieve this I spray painted the inside of every tin can a different colour. I then spray painted the outside of all six cans copper. Once the spray paint was dry I then sprayed the cans inside and out with a protective acrylic varnish.

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    Tin Can Caddy - Pillarboxblue
     
    Craft caddy pillarboxblue
     

  • The next stage I prepared the wooden handle of my craft caddy. I rounded the edges of my pallet wood with a chisel and then sanded it. As I thought dark wood would contrast nicely with the shiny copper colour of the tins I stained the wood. I also stained the handle of the screw driver to match, and sprayed the metal shaft copper. Finally I used a 50/50 mixture of olive oil and vinegar to buff all the wood to a nice sheen. (Wax would also work well)

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  • Then marking the centre of you pallet wood, stick your screwdriver into the top. To do this I twisted the screwdriver while pushing down so that it slowly drilled into the wood. This worked really well, however if you are having problems with this you can always drill as small hole in the top and then glue your screwdriver in the hole.

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    Craft caddy handle
     

  • To secure the tin cans to the handle you will need your denim straps. Cut the hem off old jeans as close to the seam stitching as possible, you will want lengths approximate to the circumference of your tin cans. This will depend on the stretchiness of your denim, to get a tight fit you will need to shorten the length of the strips of denim to compensate for the stretch.

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  • As I have a eyelet tool I put eyelets each end of my denim strips. If you don’t have a eyelet tool, you can just make a small hole in the hem for the screws, and use a washer on top of the denim.

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    Denim straps for craft caddy
     

  • Screw one end of each of the six denim straps to the wood. Three on each side, where you want to place your tin cans. (I spray painted my screws copper before starting so they’d match the tins)

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    denim strap
     

  • Now wrap each denim strap in turn round a copper can and screw in place. You want to ensure a tight fit. Also for the middle can, I shared the same screw for the straps of the cans either side. This ensured that the copper cans sat closer together but is optional.

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    copper craft caddy

     
    Copper Denim Craft Caddy
     
    Copper Denim Craft Caddy
     
    Denim Copper Craft Caddy
     
    Copper and Denim Picnic Caddy
     
    Easy diy copper and denim caddy made from old tin cans and scraps of denim
     
    That’s it once all the cans are attached your caddy is ready to go. I love the stylish copper and denim look of this craft caddy but with the surprise splash of colour from the insides of the cans. You can also use it as a picnic caddy, or just as a handy portable storage for all those bits a pieces you don’t know where to put but want on hand.
     
    If you like my craft/cocktail cupboard in the background of some of the photos you can see it here: Easy craft cupboard transformation.
     
     


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    2. As a fellow ‘crafter at the dinning table’ I think this is both lovely and brilliant. It’ll be one of the features at Handmade Monday later on today 🙂

      Reply

    3. What a fun upcyle project. I’m crazy about all things copper and I think I’ve spray painted everything I can over the last year. Your caddy is a great idea and it looks great. Thanks for partying at Snickerdoodle. Pinning.

      Reply

    8. Dear Girls: I’ve just recently discovered this “Wonderful and Creative” site. I’m so inspired by all of your Imaginative and Creative ideas. I’ve been living in “slow-motion” since becoming a Widow but now feel I have found “kindred-spirits”. So happy to have found your site(s) – I am looking forward to having some DIY of my own. Thanks for sharing your super ideas, and I hope to have some to share with you. (I can’t wait to get started – smile). Feel free to correspond if you’d like. Cathey Jo

      Reply

      • Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m happy to hear that you have found stuff on my site that you enjoy. I do think that craft and upcycling can be healing and therapeutic, there is something special about creating things.

        Reply

    10. love the caddy so cool. I can relate live in a small apartment with two teens and a bossy siamese. No studio just the dining room table dreaming of a studio when I can get a house. Pinning love all upcycles getting ready to start on a wipes box and turn it into a little anything box have a great week

      Reply

    11. I love this project!! So handy for any area of the home! I’m asking people to share their tin can projects on my blog this month at a monthly Create With Me party and I would LOVE if you stopped by and shared 🙂 Lindi @ Love Create Celebrate

      Reply

    18. This is such a cool project! Love that you re-used the tins and the denim pieces! So clever! I would like to invite you to my DIY Crush Craft Party which starts at 7pm EST. and is new every Thursday. I’ll pin every post!! 😉

      Reply

    21. Really fabulous, need some too! and i have to confess, even though I do have an office/craft room, it doesn’t have a large table (and is currently too disorganized, sigh) so i usually work on the dining room table, which should be incentive enough to get my craft room in order! thanks so much for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

      Reply

      • Thanks ! I’d love a craft room, but I’m sure it just be an excuse for me to leave everything out and soon it would get really messy.

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    12. […] This cool caddy is perfect for any desk or craft room. Prepare six tin cans, strips of denim cut from and hems of old jeans, an old screwdriver for handle, a piece of old wood such as pallet wood aproximately 35cm x 6cm, copper spray paint, coloured spray paints, acrylic varnish spray, 8 eyelets and eyelet tool, 8 wood 3.5mm 1/2″ wood screws, a screwdriver. Firstly prepare your 6 tin cans. Spray paint the inside of every tin can a different colour. Then spray paint the outside of all six cans copper. Once the spray paint is dry, then spray the cans inside and out with a protective acrylic varnish. continue reading the tutorial in the source. […]

      Reply

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