Halloween Crafts & Art Projects

I first heard of this technique through Martha Stewart, but am sure it pre-dates her. Tin punching has been around for centuries. Here is my first Jackolantern made with a can:

How to make your own:

• Fill a large clean can with water and freeze it. I used a jumbo sized soup can, but want to try out one of those huge #10 cans soon.
• When frozen through (wow, that’s cold) : Punch your design with regular Nail and Hammer. I prefer to wing it, but you can draw a design on the can beforehand if you desire. Stencils could also be used. Don’t worry about marking the can, we’re going to paint it anyway.
• Let the ice melt and dry your can.
• I used white spray paint on the inside of the can to increase the brightness of the design.
• I painted the outside with black spray paint because I just want the design to show up in the dark, but you could paint it orange or other colors.
• Put a candle or flickering electric tea light in the can.

Here’s what it looks like in the light:

The awesome thing about this is that you can use it with your outdoor decorations year after year, unlike a molding rotten real pumpkin jackolantern. Have fun!