Home Improvements: Turn old tin cans into useful accessories

Never throw out an empty bean can. There are plenty of ways you can make use of them around the home.

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Never throw out an empty bean tin. There is something so pleasing about the simplicity of the design, and there are so many ways you can make use of one.

So here's how to make groovy pen pots. An array of bean tins, some decorated, others plain, stuffed with colouring pencils and paint brushes is so stylishly utilitarian.

First, clean the tins and look for something to cover them with. Wallpaper works brilliantly because it is thick and durable. You need a small piece so cut out a rectangle measuring 102x233mm. That will fit exactly between the lip at the top and bottom of the can. Wrap double-sided tape around the top and bottom of the tin and fix the paper onto it. You could also stick a strip of fabric around the tin, or spray it with paint.

A bean tin can even grace a posh desk, if you schuzz it up with string. Simply run two sides of double-sided tape down the opposite sides, top to bottom. Wind natural string around the tin, pressing it onto the sticky tape as you go, to hold it in place.

* Tip taken from Simply Wonderwoman: A Survival Guide For Women With Too Much To Do (Kyle Books) by Joanna Gosling, Dh103, www.amazon.com