• Soak the tin cans in warm, soapy water. Take off the label, wash well, and let them dry.
• Decide what you want the pencil and pen holder to be or look like when you finish. Infinite ideas for pencil holders are possible, use your imagination. You can make it an animal (i.e.- a penguin, lion, cat), an alien, a flower, a fruit or vegetable, a landscape. 

  With an idea in mind you can choose how you want to cover your tin can and what color(s) to use.

Choose one of these 3 ways to cover your tin cans. 

• 1. Cover the can with paper.

  Use any type or color of paper to cover the tin can. You can use scrapbook paper, construction paper, colored copy paper, or cardstock.

  Measure the height of the can. Turn the paper landscape direction and mark a line across the paper to that height. Cut on the line. Wrap the can in the paper and glue it on with the glue of your choice.
• 2. Cover the can with raffia or twine.

  Put hot glue around the bottom of the can and lay the raffia in the glue. Continue to glue and wrap the raffia until you cover the can. Cut off the raffia at the top and glue down the end.
• 3. Cover the can with popsicle sticks.

  Plain or colored popsicle sticks fit a 4.5-inch-high tin can (standard vegetable can size). Apply hot glue or Tacky glue vertically around the can until you cover it. Set the can down on a flat surface occasionally so the sticks and bottom of the tin can are even.
• Decorate the can with the supplies you have. You can use stickers, markers, felt, buttons, pom-poms, trim, googly eyes…whatever you have. Be creative as you match the materials to what you want to make.