101 ways to reuse a formula tin...

Finally a guest blogger on my site! I could say well finally a blog, i know its been a long time, sorry about that :)

Anyway today my gorgeous friend, Ollie's Mum is going to prove she is a star when it comes to reuse - check out what she can do with the humble formula tin :)

Oh, and 101 may have been a slight over statement - but you get the picture ;) 

Hi! I'm Ollie's mum.

So, like many mums before me, breastfeeding didn’t work out for me and my darling boy, so while it was upsetting at the time, I was thankful to live in a day and age when formula is an excellent back up, but as a result of the change in diet, and a pair of parents that may* have an issue with throwing away anything that “might be useful one day” we now have what could only be described as an apocalyptic hoard of empty formula tins. 

When we recently had a discussion about maybe needing to move some to the shed I realized it was time to do something with them…but what?  I scoured the Internet for ideas and the recurring theme seemed to be “cover it in wrapping paper and hide stuff in them”

‘I can do that and more’ became my mantra and so operation ‘formula tin rebirth’ was born.  My hubby and I took three cans each and got straight to work 

I gave each of my three tins three coats of super pretty cherry red gloss paint.  I use the stuff that cleans up with water….so very much easier than the stuff you used to have to clean up with turps – ERK!...I didn’t bother sanding or priming I just slapped the paint on and it worked out tops! here’s a picture:-

Once a formula tin.. now a red tin. What will they become next...?

Meet tin number one – all finished, this one has taken the heady responsibility of stopping my front door slamming at the hint of a fairy whisper.  For weight, I filled it with cheap $2 a bag kitty litter and then I covered the lid in what can only be described as THE FUNKIEST duct tape on earth (to be fair I’ll let you in on where I got it.  It’s “Scotch” brand and it was hiding in the hardware paraphernalia section in Woolies!) Safety note – if you have a toddler, crawler or hubby with poor impulse control – GLUE THE LID DOWN.
 

Tin number one - a very funky, functional door stop :)

Step up tin number two – All finished, this one is on an open shelf in our kitchen and is doing a sterling job at hiding baby medications, syringes, nose suckers and all other odds ‘n’ sods that seem to accumulate when you have a mini person in your life.  You can purchase un-painted letters at Spotlight, Lincraft or Bunnings (don’t get me started on how much I love that place!)  The O is for Oliver  ♥ ♥

The odds 'n' sods tin - finished off with a very cute O

Tin number 3 come on down! – All finished, this one is wrangling my straightener, brushes and other tools I use to attempt to tame my unruly mummy locks.

Once again, a simple solution for a common problem.

These really weren’t a lot of work, the paint took maybe 20mins to dry between coats and adding embellishments took no time at all.

What did that hoarding hubby do with his 3 tins you ask?

Thyme, basil and cos lettuce planters - genius!

Though slightly less artistic, they’re no less wonderful.  He’s planted thyme, basil and cos lettuce and they’ve already started growing – he’s justifiably chuffed with himself.  Just a note though, don’t forget to poke holes in the bottom, and if you have them on a lovely wooden deck or something, the lids work very well as trays to stop the water dripping out and dirtying your space.

Now we’ve started, there’s no stopping us.  I can feel a funky money box idea forming as I type, one of my rellies is getting a “towel in a tin” for Christmas, another a “formula tin first aid kit” for her car and I am getting more paint colours and making some monster themed skittles and LEGO storage for when Ollie is a little older…gotta go, got LOTS to do!!

*by may, I mean DEFINITELY!

Thanks so much to Ollie's Mum for sharing her crafty ideas :) Anyone else going to let us in on what they do with the tins?