Tuesday Tutorial- "Soda Can Star Lights"

As promised, here is yesterdays tutorial..."Soda Can Star Lights"!
Supplies needed:

1. Soda or beer cans. - empty and clean.
2. Gloves. - nothing fancy, I use cheap gardening gloves.
3. Scissors, permanent pen and a heavy duty hole punch like a crop-a-dile.
4. Cardboard to make template, or dies that can cut through thin tin.
5. Big Shot multipurpose platform, 1 cutting pad & 1 rubber pad.
6. Embossing folder- I used cuttle bug swiss dots.
7. Sanding block, and wet cloth.
8. String of lights.

Start by selecting your cans. It looks like we drink alot of soda, but we really don't. We always keep cherry Pepsi and diet Coke on hand for visiting family and friends. The squirt is used as a cutter for margarita's and as for everything else, I just bought it for the can. :)

Cans. So say you drink absolutely no soda. No sweat. Health food stores carry lots of fruit drinks in colorful cans. Sometimes you can find amazing colored cans in cultural mom and pop markets.

Using sharp sturdy scissors, cut the top and bottom off your can. Be sure to cut over a trash or recycle bin can to catch any sharp slivers of tin. Rinse your tin sheets in a colander in the sink. Use a wash cloth to help clean off any syrup residue.
Dry with a dish towel and set aside. I used a cereal box to make my templates. I first cut the cardboard to the same size of the coda can sheet, then drew and cut out my stars.
I chose making my own template as apposed to using a sizzix die with the sheets because a template allowed me to get the most out of my soda can sheet.
For best embossing results, you'll want to flip open your multipurpose platform to Tab 1.
Put your one cutting pad on top, then put your embossing folder on that with tin shapes inside. Next, put your rubber mat on top and run through your machine. If you are new to embossing soda cans on your sizzix, it will feel like it's not working, but trust me, it is. :)
See? Works great!Sanding blocks can be found in the nail polish section of any store or even in discount markets.
Sand as little or as much as you want. I recommend to do it on a raised surface like a over turned plastic bowl, a paper back or block of wood. This will give you more control of what you are sanding with out destroying your finger nails. Use the wet cloth to wipe away sanding grit as you work.
If perchance you don't want to use the soda can design in your shape, your can color the blank side with alcohol inks. Just be sure to use a sealer if displaying these out doors.
You can layer up to 3 shapes when you use your crop-a-dile to punch your hole. Only use the smaller of the punch (1/8 ") or your shape will fall off the lights.
Use your scissors to snip 5 cuts inside the punched hole.
Slide each shape right over each light bulb. The cuts inside each hole help stabilize it on the bulb.
- Sorry for the blurry image! There was a slight breeze.
So pretty!
So there you have it! Easy huh? The giveaway for this weeks tutorial will be about 20 assorted soda cans sheets, cut and cleaned and then pre embossed so all you have to do is cut your shape. I will also include a sanding block. To have a chance to win, please comment here.

I have a giveaway posted every week, every month. To learn more about these giveaways and how to increase your chances of winning, please go here.

Thanks and happy creating!