Ten Two Studios

Last week, I gave instructions for turning tuna cans into little standing shrines with feet. This week, I tried a few hanging shrines, and filled them with fairies.

To make your own hanging shrines, you’ll need:

• Clean, empty tin cans. I used 5-6 oz. tuna cans. It helps if you have a few extra tins besides those you’ll be turning into shrines.

• Tin Can Sheets from Ten Two Studios. I used the Blue Sky Fairy sheet for these samples.
• Paper to back the fairies and wings.
• Glitter glue, if you wish.
• Square beads with large holes. Mine were silver, but any square beads will be fine.
• Liquid Nails. This is from the hardware store. It’s a paste-like glue designed to glue metal to metal.
• A glue stick.
• Double sided foam tape.
• E6000
• Flowers to decorate the top of the tin, if desired.
• Ribbon. Mine was 1/8″ satin.

Glue a square bead to the top center of one can. I found it easiest to lay one can on its back, and prop one up inside it on its side to do this. Glue the beads with Liquid Nails, which is thick enough to keep them from sliding down the side of the can. Let the tins dry overnight.

While the glue is drying, you can cut start working on the insides. Trace around the bottom outer edge of a tin to get the exact size of the background circle, and cut it out. Do a test fit to make sure it’s the right size for the can you’ve chosen.

Glue the background into the tin using E6000.

Cut out a figure and a pair of wings for each tin, and glue them to a sheet of text or printed paper with glue stick. Let them dry.

Cut out the figures and wings using a pair of sharp detail scissors. Bend the wings in the center.

Apply a dab of E6000 to the center of a set of wings, lay them on your work surface, and position a figure on them. You can angle the wings a bit, and shift them from side to side to suit the position of the figure. Let the fairies dry face down. The E6000 is thick enough to prevent the wings from shifting.

While the fairies are drying, decorate the exterior of the tins. I draped a sprig of roses over mine, gluing it in place with E6000. Set the tins aside to dry, and don’t mess with them.

When the fairies are dry, apply a little glitter glue to their wings if you wish. Let it dry.

Cut a small strip from the cardstock leftover from the Tin Can sheet, and fold it into a triangle shaped stand, with one side straight up and down, and a very short bottom. Glue the straight side to the back of the fairy with E6000, lining up the short bottom with the bottom of the fairy.

Apply some E6000 to the bottom of the stand, and insert the fairy into the can. Make sure the bead is at the center top of the can while you’re gluing, so your fairy stands up straight.

Cut out a word, and apply it to the background with a small piece of double sided foam tape. I edged my word with a little chalk ink to help it blend with the background.

Slide a piece of ribbon through the hole in the bead, and tie a knot. Trim the tails of the ribbon as desired. Your fairy is ready to hang!

And just for fun, here’s a fairy tin on feet…