The Grinch - Reused Soda Cans - Stylish Christmas Hanging Ornament Decorations

Hello my friends of Instructables, today I'm going to show you how to make some decorative ornaments based on the amazing Grinch character (movie version) made from pure recyclable aluminum, with extraordinary detail and finish.

Besides the ornament, I'll also explain how to make some complementary snowflake ornaments to create a decorative hanging element that can be displayed anywhere in your home.

The idea is to make a hanging decoration consisting of three pieces, forming a strip that falls from the ceiling or can be placed at the top of the Christmas tree.

In the photos you can see the level of detail you can achieve with practical materials such as empty soda cans.

So let's begin.

Reference images.

Scissors

Cutter

Embossing ball tool

Soda cans

Soft base for embossing (I used Foam) You can use some fluffy fabric.

Tape

Christmas Wire

The Grinch is a green, grumpy character created by Dr. Seuss in 1957, famous for hating Christmas and living in isolation, and for Christmas I decided to make an ornament based on his striking design.

To complement it, I also decided to make some snowflakes, so join me in creating them.

Get a pack of beer or soda, to use up the aluminum from the cans.

Make sure to cut them off immediately after consuming them to avoid unwanted residue.

You can also get empty ones at your local recycling center, but I recommend buying new ones with a drink inside, as they won't be as damaged with wrinkles.

For this project I used 4 cans

To disassemble the beer cans, draw a line with a marker where we will cut later, this line will serve as a guide for the first cut we will make.

Remove excess aluminum parts (top and bottom) and recycle them.

Then make a cut in the cylindrical part perpendicular to the horizontal cut.

Use a sharp knife to cut the aluminum; any cutter will usually cut through aluminum because it's so thin.

Be careful when making the cuts so as not to hurt your fingers.

After that cut and remove the top

The cans will usually retain their cylindrical shape, so you will need to flatten them to work more easily on their surface.

To flatten them, use a soft cloth, and place the cans one by one with the silver side facing outwards. Then cover them with the cloth so that the can is completely protected. Then, using the edge of your table, roll it vertically along the edge until you achieve the desired flatness.

Be careful not to apply too much pressure, as this can end up creating an inverted cylindrical shape.

you can select the Grinch images you prefer to use on your ornaments.

In my case, I selected images based on the film version of the Grinch played by the great Jim Carrey.

This version of the Grinch caught my attention because, being furry, it's noticeably more interesting to sculpt onto aluminum cans.

If you wish to use the same images, I have included them in this step for download.

Cut the guide templates in the shape you prefer; I divided the hat and the face (mouth and eyes) so I could distribute them over different cans and create layers of volume in the sculpting of the aluminum cans.

After cutting the cans, I ran into the problem that the width of the cans didn't work for the size of the guide molds, so I had to get taller cans.

You can notice the difference between a 330ml container and a 310ml container, which is usually thinner but taller.

After making a selection and a layout with the approximate measurements of a can's width, print the images on adhesive paper and stick them on the aluminum of the cans.

Let's start with the Grinch's head. Of course, with his most characteristic feature: his mouth and his very peculiar smile.

But be careful! Don't make the same mistake I did. When sticking the guide image on the can, keep in mind that the printed image on the adhesive goes on the side printed with the can's brand. Pay attention or you'll have to reprint.

In my case, I couldn't get large cans, so I decided to segment the sun design. This is also useful for generating levels in the ornament detail.

It is key to cut out the design properly to fit it onto the aluminum better

Remember, the side with the soda brand faces up, and that's where we'll stick our design, so the positive of the sculpting will be on the shiny silver side of the foil.

Take the hat and place it on the foam or soft material of your choice,

This material will be useful for applying pressure with the tool without breaking the foil.

Now use the ball-tipped embossing tool to emboss the design. Keep in mind that the black lines or borders are the positive and will later be embossed on the other side of the aluminum. With this in mind, emboss only the white areas.

Begin by embossing only the edges of the shapes

review the reference images to get an idea of ​​the embossing process.

When you finish embossing the entire white areas, turn it over.

Now emboss what represents the black lines, which correspond to the edges and black parts of the design

Add as much detail as you like, until you get the results you want.

Remember that you can emboss the back again to create more volume

Repeat the same process for the other pieces, the eyes, mouth and Snowflakes

For the eyes, emboss the spherical part to give it volume

For the mouth and eyebrows, keep in mind the character's fur to make fine strokes with the embossing tool and give the texture of hairs.

Take into account the volume of each part and don't forget the freckles

When embossing, remember to apply gentle pressure; be careful not to break the aluminium.

For the forehead, follow the same process as before: outline the edges of the white areas, flip it and go over the black line on the silver side, remember to define the fur and give volume to the eyebrows

Cut out the eye area where you will then place the previously made pupils

Cut the pieces along the edges

creating a raised linear stroke to give it a better finish

Continue with the snowflake and make straight lines around the white edges, and when flip, emboss the black lines to achieve a well-defined finish.

Demarcate the stroke edge of the snowflake and cut off the excess side

After that join al the face

glue and complete the piece.

First glue the cheeks to the mouth, then the eyes, then the eyebrows....

You can glue the aluminum with special aluminum glue, but if you don't have any, you should use hot glue. To do this, cover the aluminum parts with adhesive paper; this will create better adhesion between the pieces.

Add adhesive paper to the areas where the joints will be made.

and add hot glue, gluing piece by piece and letting it dry for the necessary time.

Finish assembling your hanging decorative ornament by tying the pieces together with your preferred Christmas wire; I used metallic wire to maintain the aluminum tone.

Make a small hole at each end of the ornaments or wherever it is convenient to join each ornament

In the end you will obtain a 3-piece hanging ornament which you can arrange according to your taste. You can make as many pieces as you like, and you can arrange them vertically like this or horizontally.

After completing this entire process, you'll have a beautiful 3-piece hanging Grinch ornaments for decorate any place in your home or office, like the christmas tree, a blank wall, or wherever you'd like to place them.

I hope you enjoyed this project.

Goodbye, and have a nice day.