Could I resist including this SNL clip? Absolutely not. Soup, there it is.
Lately I’ve been thinking Friday posts should be called Fast & Almost Free Projects. Last week we had Sir Butterfly, and this week I made a little soup-can craft inspired by Andy Warhol (we’re besties in my imagination). These cans make adorable pencil cups for Clara’s art desk—the bright colors are impossible not to smile at.
I picked up four limited-edition tomato soup cans at Target for 70 cents each, so the cans themselves cost $2.80. I already had the other materials at home. First I emptied the soup into glass containers so nothing went to waste—lunch for the next few days—and then I rinsed the cans carefully, trying not to soak the labels. I let them dry upside down on a towel and used a paper towel to remove any remaining moisture inside.
Next came the cork liners. Each can has a small metal edge about a quarter-inch below the top rim. While the top lip is smooth, that hidden edge could potentially catch a little hand. To make the pencil cups safe, I cut cork sleeves that extended above that lip so nothing could rub against the edge.
I made a quick template from a paper towel to get the right height and width, then used it to trace and cut cork rectangles.
I used leftover cork squares from an earlier project, trimming them into long rectangles. Cork bends easily if you’re gentle—forceful handling can cause cracking—so I rolled each piece softly and slid it into a can. Once in place the cork forms a snug sleeve that covers the inner edge and stays put, making it difficult for a child to remove.
Voila: safe, charming cork-lined pencil cups that echo vintage pen holders. The cork adds a warm, handmade touch and gives me peace of mind that Clara won’t get scratched if she reaches in quickly.
That’s my $2.80 Friday project. Don’t they look sweet next to Clara’s crayon-truck masterpiece?
I hope Clara grows as fascinated with Andy Warhol as I am. After years of art history classes at FIT, I appreciate all the artists I studied—Klimt, Vermeer, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec—and now I enjoy incorporating that inspiration into simple projects.
Any other quick, low-cost projects happening this Friday? Any weekend plans or favorite artists you’re thinking about? For those asking, the stick-like colored pencils pictured are from a local Richmond shop called Mongrel—perfect for a kid whose favorite “toys” are rocks, sticks, and sand.