Canned Veggies Have Never Been So Charming

Work on the house has slowed due to the flu last month, and this month, we've had car maintenance issues to deal with so our renovation budget has been slim...otherwise we'd be finishing out our kitchen ceiling trimwork right now. So in the meantime, I've had to find something creative and fun to work on. What would I do without a project? Go nuts, probably:) It's so much more interesting to wake up in the morning and say "What am I going to make today?!" instead of "What do I have to get done today? :)

On to the subject of charming canned veggies...I guess I should say that a very long time ago, pretty much all canned foods were charming and pretty. What happened between now and the 'time of use-to-be' that caused product manufacturers to stop using such artful and eyecatching labels and packaging? I don't know about everyone else, but I'm such a visual person and I would be more likely to buy a pretty can of corn over a plain, run-of-the-mill can of corn anyday. While I know I couldn't keep every can that I use, collecting the labels and using them for projects sure would be fun:)

A few weeks back, I wrote about a Classic Vintage Label Cd I bought on Ebay. I've had so much fun with it this weekend! Let me share with you what I've done... I enlarged a few of the veggie labels to about 4 inches tall by a few inches wide - just big enough to fit on a can. In a word editor, I inserted the images into a document and printed them out on "fine paper" (I bought a package of "Textures of Ivory" paper at Wal-mart...it contains Granite, Linen, Opaque, and Parchment papers. For this project, I used the "Opaque" paper.) The next time I do this project, I'm going to rotate the image sideways in the middle of paper and only put one image per sheet. This way I can cut a longer, can-sized label that will wrap all the way around the can. Anyway, I used a ruler and an exact blade to cut out the labels.

As far as the cans themselves go, I just used regular cans of tomatoes right out of my pantry. I did not empty them though you could. I didn't want to deal with the sharp edges, plus it just looks more authentic to use real, unopened cans. I decided to first spray paint the cans with "Expresso" brown paint. I'm sure cans of long ago were not brown, lol, but I think that brown makes the cans look more old-fashioned, plus the paint hides the ugly blue computerized codes that are stamped on the top of cans nowadays. It goes without saying that you won't be able to use these cans for food after you paint them - these are strictly for decorative use only. So what you'll need for this project: cans of food sans label (now is the time to use that can of pumpkin that has been sitting in your pantry for two years!), brown spray paint, vintage food labels printed out on good quality paper, an exacto knife, and a craft stick glue (I used Elmer's Craft Bond acid free, extra strenth, non-toxic, goes on blue but dries clear glue - Whew, what a mouthful!). You'll also probably want to spray prime the cans first before painting them brown and then spray a clear protective coat over the entire can after the labels have been added (or else the ink on the labels will run if they get wet). The bowl of beautiful giant pine cones sent from a dear friend in California and the sleeping kitty are purely optional, but not necessary to complete this particular project:)

After cutting out the labels and applying glue to the backs of them, just gently apply them to the cans, smoothing them from the center out to get rid of any bubbles. Then VOILA! You have some really pretty vintage cans to display in your kitchen! I discovered the perfect place for mine. The sides of my island have doors that open to narrow shelving with a beadboard back. I think my new "old" cans look great there! Now I need to create some cans of fruit to complete the collection:) I better wait another day to that, though, or else hubs won't have any tomatoes in his chili tonight!