DIY Rustic Gingerbread Canister + Free Printables

One of my favorite things I love to do is to get creative with things I have on hand and recycle items like I’m sharing today to create cute and affordable seasonal home decor.

I hope this inspires you to get crafty with items you have already have on hand!

So today I’m sharing a cute idea to make a Christmas canister using a coffee can and gingerbread men using paper towel tubes. This turns out so cute! Wait until you see!

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This collection includes 4 labels with a plain transparent background so you can print on fabric like this, print on your own background paper, or kraft paper. It doesn’t have cut lines either so you don’t have to worry about those showing on your project.

The labels included are Gingerbread, Primitive Christmas, Cookies for Santa and Christmas Cookies. I drew the gingerbread tracing a cookie cut out I had to make mine. Feel free to draw your own, find a pattern online or if you like mine I included it in the printables too.

Watch Here

The collection includes 4 labels on a plain/transparent background with no cut lines. The size of the labels are 2×5 but since there are no cut lines you can size them a little larger depending on your project you are using the labels for.

Also included is a hand drawn gingerbread pattern. Feel free to use that, draw your own, or find a pattern you like online.

To print on fabric you just some lightweight fabric. I used a canvas  drop cloth that I get at Walmart. I first print the label on a piece of copy paper so I know where the wording will print.  I cut the drop cloth to the size I want to fit the wording,  spray the back of the drop cloth with some spray adhesive (I like this one you can get HERE) and attach it to a piece of paper covering the wording. 

I print as I normally would using an inkjet printer. The printer I use is affordable from Walmart. You can find it HERE.

I then attach the printed label that is printed on the drop cloth to my canister or whatever project I would like to use it on.

For the pattern – print on paper or cardstock, cut the pattern out and use to trace to make the gingerbread.

How To Make The Gingerbread

To make the gingerbread I used paper towel tubes. Alternatively you could use gift boxes. You could use a box but I preferred using a lighter weight box like the paper towel tubes or even a gift box since it’s easier to cut with scissors.

I drew a pattern using a gingerbread cutout I had. I included that in the free printable collection if you would like to use it too. I just traced it out so feel free to use that one, or draw your own or find one you like online.

I used paper towel tubes because I have a collected a ton of them. I just hold onto them when the roll runs out and now I have a bunch so I decided to use those. If I didn’t have them my next go to would be using gift boxes like I mentioned before.

I opened the paper towel tube open and since it’s rolled up I simply flattened it with an iron. I used my handy dandy Cricut mini press, placed a towel over the cut paper towel tube and ironed it flat.

Next, trace and cut out your gingerbread out then spray them with spray adhesive, and dip coat in cinnamon. I do this several times to the front and back of each until I get the desired look.

Once you get the desired look you can spray them with a clear sealer or the spray adhesive to set the cinnamon.

For the eyes and buttons I used whole cloves. I kept it very simple and rustic. I was going to add a little homespun too but just liked the simplicity.

I added the gingerbread to the canister, but how cute would these be as ornaments or even bowl filler too! And you could never tell these were made using paper towel tubes!

Primitive Gingerbread Canister

To make the simple, rustic canister I used a coffee can and a canvas drop cloth. I cut the drop cloth, folded it over to have a torn edge and wrapped it around the coffee can with spray adhesive along with a little hot glue. So easy! I then trimmed off the excess. I was going to grunge it up a little more but decided I liked it as is but you could totally add some more cinnamon, Mod Podge, instant coffee, or whatever you want to give it more of a rustic look if you want.

I printed the Gingerbread label on a piece of torn drop cloth that I cut to the size I wanted.

I used a canvas drop cloth that I get at Walmart. I first print the label on a piece of copy paper so I know where the wording will print.  I cut the drop cloth to the size I want to fit the wording,  spray the back of the drop cloth with some spray adhesive (I like this one you can get HERE) and attach it over the wording on the paper.  

I print as I normally would using an inkjet printer. The printer I use is affordable from Walmart. You can find it HERE.

You can watch my tutorial on how to print on fabric HERE.

I then attach the printed label that is printed on the drop cloth to my canister or whatever project I would like to use it on. I attached it to the canister with spray adhesive.

I filled the canister with some holiday greens and rusty bell picks I had on hand. I then added some of the cute gingerbread. I just set them in there but you could turn them into picks and stick them into some floral foam.

This makes such a cute and rustic arrangement for Christmas!

I hope this inspires you to get creative and make some cute Christmas crafts with items you have on hand!

And if you make this too I’d love to see! Snap a picture and tag me!

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