In keeping with my family's non-commercial gift-giving which we started at Christmas this year, and inspired by this amazing tin can star mural, I made a soda can garland for my mother's birthday.
I followed Anna's tutorial for making the stars. I made a slightly smaller star template and managed to get 3 stars from each can. I used a metal knitting needle to make the scores and punched small holes on opposite points with an awl. Knowing the garland would spin, I decided to put two stars together so there was no right or wrong side. I matched up the colors/patterns on each pair of stars and made some of the stars with the silver side showing.
I had the idea to use fishing spinners as connectors (they looked at me funny in the sporting goods store when I bought 6 packets of them), but realized quickly that, while one end of the spinner opens like a safety pin, the other end is a closed loop. I thought about adding jump rings between each, but ended up snipping the loop close to the join, attaching a second spinner and closing the loop back up with round nosed pliers. Since the garland doesn't have to hold up to any tension or weight (the stars are almost featherweight), this works fine.
I like the muted colors that come from the organic soda and seltzers that I tend to drink. If you look close you can see one star made from a Pork Slap Pale Ale can (left over from my Lost Season Premier party. Because there are boars on the island. Get it?).
Someone asked if it is very 'owie' and someone else predicted I was going to be covered in blood while making it, but I finished without even a scratch. It's a little prickly and stuck to the cloth bag I wrapped it in and I would keep it out of reach of babies, but otherwise it's fine.
