We love recycling things and turning them into unusual planters. Forks, shoes, coconuts, broken wine glasses, pallet scraps, it doesn’t matter. They’re all fair game 😉 One of my favorite items to use is the humble old empty tin can. We always have a whole bunch in some cupboard gathering dust while they wait for the opportunity to be recycled into something different. We’ve used them to make a cute little washboard shelf, gypsy fairy wagons, and a toilet roll outhouse. They’re also perfect to make this little tin can handbag planter.
Cute right? You can style the bags any way you want and if your green thumb is still a little brown around the edges you can add faux plants instead of the real thing. We put pansies in ours. They’re one of my favorite flowers. As soon as I see their happy little faces, I know Spring is around the corner.
And they’re super easy to make too. But, before we get to the tutorial, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need
To make the tin can handbag planters you’ll need:
- Medium or Large tin can
- Can opener
- Old thin belt
- Fabric scraps
- Rubber mallet
- Piece of wood
- Drill and metal drill bits
- Paint
How to recycle a tin can to make a handbag planter
First things first. We need to take the bottom off of that tin can using a can opener.
Place the tin can on its side and smack the bottom edge with a rubber mallet and a piece of wood to flatten it out.
Drill two holes on either side at the top of the tin can. Use some masking tape to prevent the drill bit from slipping. I found it easier to drill a small pilot hole first before using a larger drill bit to make the hole bigger.
Check that the hole is big enough for the belt to fit through comfortably.
And then paint the can in the color of your choice. I chose a glossy white for ours but you can get creative and mod podge a pretty napkin on instead or even some fabric. Wrapping rope around the can would look lovely too.
While you wait for the paint to dry you can make some decorative bits to adorn the handbag. I used a scrap piece of leather to make a trim for the bottom.
And added a few studs to make it look more authentic.
You can glue the decorative bits on using an outdoor, waterproof glue like E6000.
To finish off insert the belt and your tin can handbag planter is ready.
We initially hung the handbag with our wire picture frames, but since the weather is so beautiful right now, I took it down and added the poppies to celebrate the changing of the seasons. We put her outside with one of our wine glass coconut planters.
Don’t they make a pretty pair 😉 And there’s a little metal meerkat keeping watch over both of them.
Isn’t he just the cutest?
They’re super-naughty and oh sooooooo curious.
If you like the idea of making tin can handbag planters, don’t forget to pin it for later.
What would you plant inside and how would you decorate yours?
Oh, and if you want to add another bag planter to the mix, then go check out our barrel bag planter tutorial. You’ll love how easy that one is to make too 😉 And if you have a whole bunch of tin cans to upcycle here’s a few more ideas to get you started.
Pssst, if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more amazing craft ideas to share with you 😉
And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY
And as always, wishing you a beautiful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Last update on 2026-04-23 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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