I couldn’t resist including this classic SNL clip — it just felt right. Soup, there it is.
I’ve started calling my Friday posts “Fast & Almost Free Projects” because they’re quick, low-cost, and fun. This week’s project is inspired by Andy Warhol, a longtime favorite of mine, and it uses limited-edition tomato soup cans to make cheerful pencil holders for my daughter Clara’s desk. They brighten up her art space and make me smile every time I walk by.
The supplies were minimal. Target had these collector-style tomato soup cans on sale for about 70 cents each, so four cans came to $2.80. I already had cork pieces on hand, so that completed the materials list. To start, I emptied the soup into a glass container to save it for lunch, then rinsed each can thoroughly, taking care not to soak the labels so the design would stay attractive.
After rinsing, I set the cans upside down on a towel to dry and wiped the interior with a paper towel to remove any remaining moisture. The important safety step was creating a cork liner for each can. These particular cans have a small inner edge about a quarter inch below the top rim. While the top lip is smooth, that inner ridge could potentially nick a small finger if a child reached in quickly. A thin cork sleeve covers that ridge and extends above it, eliminating the sharp contact point and making the cans safe for a little one to use.
To make the cork liners, I first made a paper towel template to match the inner height and circumference of the cans. Using that template, I cut rectangles from old cork squares I had from a previous project. The cork is flexible enough to gently curl into a cylinder and slip into each can; just be careful not to bend it too harshly or it can crack. Once inside, the cork presses firmly against the can and stays in place, which gives me peace of mind knowing Clara can’t easily remove it on her own.
The cork liners also add a nostalgic, vintage look, like those old cork-lined pen holders you might remember. They complement the bright, pop-art styling of the soup can labels and create a fun contrast with Clara’s drawings and colored pencils. Speaking of supplies, those tall, stick-like colored pencils in the photo are from a small local shop in Richmond called Mongrel, and they’re perfect for small hands. Clara’s favorite “toys” are rocks, sticks, and sand, so these natural-feeling pencils fit right in with her playstyle.
This project cost me less than three dollars and only took a few minutes to assemble once the cans were clean and dry. They make for an easy, budget-friendly way to bring color and personality to a child’s desk, and the cork liners make them safe for everyday use. I love how they look next to one of Clara’s current masterpieces — a crayon-driven truck drawing she made recently — and I hope she grows to appreciate artists like Warhol as she gets older. I spent years studying art history in school and only later began to fully appreciate how diverse and inspiring those artists can be.
So that’s my quick Friday craft: simple, inexpensive, and a little bit pop art. Do you have any fast, affordable projects you like to make for kids’ spaces? Any weekend plans or favorite artists you turn to for inspiration? I’m always on the lookout for easy ways to mix creativity with safety and a bit of vintage charm.