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How to Create Crock Inspired Paint Cans

Today, I’m excited to share how to create crock inspired paint cans as part of the Vintage/Farmhouse Lifestyle Blog Hop hosted by the always funny and super creative Cindy of County Road 407.

These vintage and farmhouse blog hops are going to be so much fun. 

We love treasure hunting and picking up special pieces whenever we see them. But there are a few things that are super hard to find in this area, one of them being, crocks.  

But I think we’ve come up with a fun way to celebrate decorating with crocks in our homes. Even if it feels like cheating just a bit ?

This is one of those projects that is super easy to make and can be used throughout the year no matter what the season.

A New Purpose For Old Paint Cans… 

We love to work on simple projects to update our home. Thankfully, most of them can be completed in a long weekend.

As you can imagine though, we go through lots of paint. Paint is one of the most budget friendly things you can do to refresh the spaces in your home. 

Some of our favorite projects so far have been the… 

Most of the walls of our home have been painted in Valspar’s Bistro White which is a warm white that is really pretty. All the trim work and molding have been painted in Valspar’s Utra White. 

We still have several rooms to go. But for now we’re steadily trying to cross things off the to-work on list while empty paint cans pile up around the house.

We try our very best to recycle, reuse or donate as many things as we can.  And as I was painting the bedroom, I kept thinking about how we could reuse the old paint cans.

Call me crazy but there’s something about the shape of a paint can that reminds me of antique crocks. 

So, it didn’t seem like a big leap to try and create crock inspired paint cans.

Here’s a look at how you can create crock inspired paint cans of your own…

Crock Inspired Paint Cans Supplies:

  • Empty Paint Cans
  • Rust-oleum Texture Spray Paint
  • Proper Safety Protection Gear
  • Home Computer, Computer Ink, Printer Paper
  • Scissors
  • Graphite Pencil
  • Ball Point Pen
  • Craft Paint, Paint Brush, and/or Permanent Markers (in the color of your choice)
  • Clear or Dark Wax (optional)
  • Cloth or Brush for Wax Application (optional)
  • Rub n Buff (optional)

Crock Inspired Paint Cans Steps:

Step #1

Remove the paint can labels.

Step #2

You might have glue marks or even paint drips on your paint can so it’s up to you if you want to remove them or not.

I like having an extra “patina” building layer, but you definitely don’t have leave them on there.

Step #3 

Depending on how you want to use these crock inspired paint cans, you’ll need to decide if you want to remove any dried paint.

Keep in mind, the back of the paint can will direct you on how best to dispose of any leftover paint as there are specific guidelines you’ll need to follow.

In addition, you’ll also need to make sure your following the Environmental Protection Agency Guidelines regarding lead paint which can you find here.

Also, and I’m sure this goes without saying, but just in case, these containers are not food safe.

Step #4 

Using caution, care and proper safety protection, spray the crock inspired paint cans outside in a well-ventilated area.

I used two coats of Rust-Oleum Textured Spray Paint in Caribbean Sands allowing for plenty of dry time in between coats.

Step #5 & 6

While the paint cans are drying, use a program like Word on your home computer to create a series of letters, numbers and/or messages for your crock inspired paint cans.

The font I used is called Engravers MT in Word.

You’ll also want to make sure you include a clip art image. We used a crown.  But you could just as easily use seasonal images, botanicals, farm animals or whatever you like.

Print out the images you’ve created.

Step #7

Flip your paper over and shade the back of each image. Keep in mind the darker you shade the easier it will be to transfer the image onto the crock inspired paint can.

Step #8 

Using caution and care as scissors will be sharp, cut out each image.

Step #9

Flip your paper back over where you can see the image and secure the image to the paint can.

Then, using a ball point pen, trace over the outline of each image.

You’ll want to add the crown image first, then the numbers.

Also, see the bubbles?

Make sure you leave extra time for the textured spray paint to dry.

Step #10

After the outline of the image has been transferred to your crock inspired paint cans, fill in the image with craft paint or permanent markers in the color of your choice.

Allow the paint or ink to dry completely.

Step #11 

Add a tiny bit of dark or clear paste wax to add “patina” to each crock inspired paint can, if desired.

Step #12

Add a small amount of Rub n Buff to the paint can handle, if you want it to looked aged as well. 

Step #13

Fill and enjoy!

These crock inspired paint cans are so versatile you can pretty much use them anywhere in the house to decorate.

From festive tablescapes, 

to seasonal vignettes…

to adding a bit of vitage or farmhouse charm to your home…

We love that they’re completely customizable no matter what the time of year! And while it seems like a lot of steps, they were crazy easy to make.

Let us know if you decide to try them too!

Up next on the blog hop is my sweet friend, Debra from Common Ground. She constantly inspires me with her creativity and I know you’ll love her too.

After that be sure to check out how the rest of these fabulous ladies are using crocks in their vintage farmhouse decor.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

A Few More DIY Projects Featuring Spray Paint You Might Enjoy:

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo

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48 Comments

  1. I appreciate it, Laura, thank you so much! Hug for a happy weekend, CoCo

  2. So glad you like this idea, Brandy! They were really easy to make. Hugs, CoCo

  3. That’s so sweet of you to say, Jennifer, thank you so much! Hope you have the best day, CoCo

  4. You’re so sweet Amber, thank you! I can’t wait to see your Fall tour too. You are beyond talented and inspire us all the time. Hugs and thanks so much for the feature, CoCo

  5. Coco,

    Fantastic project and thanks for sharing. I think about how many quarts I have thrown out from painting furniture, not anymore.

    Rub N Buff is great isn’t it, a little bit goes a long way.

    Pinned. Enjoy your weekend!

    Cindy

    1. Thank you so much Cindy! I can’t believe how long it took me to start using Rub N Buff but I totally want to use it on everything now. It’s such a game-changer! I hope you’re having a great weekend too. Thank you for pinning. Hugs, CoCo

    1. You always have the sweetest words of encouragement, Linda, thank you so much! Hope your weekend has been a happy one. Hugs, CoCo

  6. These are so pretty!! I never would have thought of using an old paint can to make a crock. It looks so good!

    1. You’re so kind to say that Michelle, thank you! We go through a lot of paint cans so I’m always trying to find new ways to use them. I hope your weekend has been a fun one. Hugs, CoCo

  7. CoCo this is the funnest idea??‍♀️ I just luv it. This would be so cute on a spring porch too pinned.

    1. I really appreciate it Ann! They’ve been so much fun to use all over the house and I’m hoping to put them inside the potting shed soon 🙂 Hope you’re having the best weekend, CoCo

  8. Girl, you have just changed my thinking! I have so many paint cans around here it’s ridiculous. You’d think we’d finally painted the ugly dog puke gold walls around here but nope. They are from when we moved in 15 years ago! I can hardly wait to try this. They look amazing! I wish I had a tenth of your creativity running through my brain. Thanks so much for joining in. I can tell this is going to be fun. Pinned!

    1. You are too good to me, Cindy, thank you! I feel inspired by you all the time. I have two more rooms to paint and then I think I’m going to hang my roller up. It’s so much work 🙂 Thank you for putting all this blog hop together. It’s been so much to see all the creativity. Hugs, CoCo

  9. when I saw your hop image I never would have guessed this was a paint can!!! Goodness, they are so cool. I love the crown image and numbers you’ve used. so smart and creative!

    1. I really appreciate it, Debra, thanks so much. They were definitely fun and super easy to put together and I can’t wait to fill them with all sorts of vintage goodies 🙂 Hugs, CoCo

  10. I just love this idea! I tried out your tutorial last year and I did get one can spray painted but I haven’t put a stencil or transfer on it yet. This post makes me want to get it finished in time for some spring flowers! Thanks for inspiring!

    1. That’s so awesome Amber! They’re super easy to put together and I love how you can personalize the “crock stamp” with anything you like. It really makes them fun to decorate with in any season. Hugs, CoCo

  11. Oh my goodness!! I love this!!! You are so creative and soooo talented!! I am definitely going to try to make some of these cuties!! Seriously loving these soooo much!!
    ~Emily

    1. Such a sweet compliment, Emily, thank you! I try to keep my eyes peeled all the time for the real thing but it’s totally hit or miss down here. At least this solution will let us customize the look any way we want 🙂 Hugs, CoCo

  12. Coco, I absolutely love this idea. We have so many paint cans in our garage from our home remodel 7 years ago. They take up space and the paint can’t be good anymore. I never thought of using them. Thank you so much for sharing at Tuesday Turn About.

    1. So glad you like these crock inspired paint cans! They’re super easy to make and you can customize them with any design you like too which makes it nice. Hugs, CoCo

  13. I love crocks and I love what you’ve done with your paint cans! I recently bought gel stamps that mimic vintage marmalade and lemon curd advertisements and DIY’d my own faux vintage crocks! I also use the reverse transfer method all the time for my graphics. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm. Pinned ! xo Kathleen

    1. That is so exciting, Kathleen, I can’t wait to check them out. I love everything you do. The stamps sound like such a game-changer too. Hugs, CoCo

    1. I really appreciate it, Christy, thank you! I thought I had just about used up all the empty paint cans but with all this extra time at home, I might find a few extra laying around again 🙂 Hope you and your family are all well. Hugs, CoCo

  14. This is such a cool cool cool idea! I love it! At first I didn’t even realize it was paint cans. I have a ton about 5-6 in my house right now from painting a bunch of rooms. Thanks so much for the idea. 🙂

    1. So excited you like this idea, Cindy! They were super easy to create and you can honestly customize them in any way that works best with your home decor which is fun too. Hope you and your family are well, CoCo

    1. Such a sweet surprise, Beverly, thank you so much! These paint cans were super easy to make. Since we’re all going to be home for a little while longer we might come up with even more ideas for them 🙂 Hugs and thank you for the feature, CoCo

  15. CoCo, these paint can crocks are great!!! Thank you for sharing them at Share Your Style last week. I was able to share both your post and Amber’s together (Share Your Style #249 this week) for anyone wanting to decorate with crocks but may not have any on-hand. I had a beautiful 20″ vintage grey stone crock with flow blue on it (from the late 1980’s) but it got broken and Hubby said we should toss it when we moved out of our last house… :((( It was beautiful and I don’t know why I never thought of glueing it back together.

    Enjoy your sweet crock cans,
    Barb 🙂

    1. It’s been such a crazy few weeks, Barb, this is a really sweet surprise thank you! They were so much fun to make and it’s always exciting when a project can be pretty and purposeful too 🙂 I’m always on the fence about being able to put things back together again too but glue has definitely come a long way so it’s always worth a try. Have you heard about the Japanese art of Kintsugi? It teaches that broken objects are not something to hide but to display with pride. They mend the broken piece then highlight it with liquid gold, liquid silver or lacquer dusted with powdered gold. It seems like such a neat process! Hugs and thank yous, CoCo

  16. I love this idea, it’s great, thanks so much!
    Yours look sooo good, cant wait to do this

    1. I really appreciate it, Debbie, thank you so much. Happy crafting, CoCo

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