Frugal Fridays: Tin-Can Luminaries

I got this idea from Martha Stewart and her "Tin-Can Jack-o'-Lanterns". But since i''m really not that into Halloween, I thought i'd save the cans and apply them to my Christmas Crafting. I thought this was a GREAT idea to recycle all the can's we use. I've been saving tin-cans for about a month and a half now... I think I saved about 20 of various sizes. I've been working on these for three days now... And I've still got another 6 or so to do.

Materials:
Tin cans
Nails
Hammer
Spray paint
Towel
Tea lights

Instructions:
1. Rinse your tin cans out and remove the label.
2. Stencil on template with permanent marker.
3. Fill the cans with water, about 1 inch from the top, and freeze them for at least 24 hours. This enables you to punch holes in the cans without denting them. While freezing, the bottoms of the cans may bulge.
4. Set the tin cans on their sides on a towel to protect your work surface from melting ice.
5. Carefully punch a design onto the can using a nail and hammer. The larger the nail you use, the more light will shine through your design. Simple star, snowflake, and geometric designs are easiest.
6. After you've completed your design, let the cans melt in the sink or run warm water over them until you can remove the ice. After they've drained, simply tap the bottoms back into place with your hammer if they bulged during freezing. 7. Let the cans dry completely.
8. Spray paint your luminaries in a well-ventilated area using spray paint.
9. Insert a tea light candle and set them on the ground or hang them from tree branches or porch umbrellas.
10. [optional] To make a hanging luminary, simply punch two holes on either side of the top of the can and insert a small wire, winding it around each opening.
Tip: Put small amount of sand in the bottom of the can helps prevent it from being knocked over or blown around in a tree.

Here's a template I made up, that you can print out and use. All you have to do is hold or tape the paper on the frozen can and punch where the black dots are. You can save it to your own computer and resize it to fit any size can.