Decorate A Watering Can: Boring To Fabulous In Just 10 Minutes!

Who else is gardening this spring?! The weather finally warmed up this weekend, but it’s not quite time to plant outside yet in case it cools down again. But that doesn’t mean I can’t garden indoors! And to celebrate, I decided to bring some spring indoors and decorate my watering can with vinyl!

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

It was such a simple project and only took me about ten minutes. If you want to bring a little spring to your watering can, check out this tutorial!

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Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl

Here’s what I used: (affiliate links below)

  • a watering can
  • outdoor vinyl (in case your watering can gets wet, the adhesive will hold up better)
  • Silhouette Cameo (if your design is simple, you can cut it by hand with scissors or an Xacto knife)
  • a shape or design to cut out (I used a dahlia flower I found here)
  • transfer paper
  • Xacto knife

Start by cutting out your design from your outdoor vinyl. I thought it would be fun to layer two flowers on top of each other, so I used my Cameo to cut out the same dahlia shape from two different colors of vinyl.

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

If your design is simple, you can skip the transfer paper step, but if, like me, you cut out a bunch of tiny little pieces, transfer paper will make the next part so much easier!

Cut out a square of transfer paper big enough to cover your entire design. Peel the paper backing off, and press the clear transfer paper down on top of your vinyl design. I rubbed the handle of a pair of scissors over the entire thing; you really want to make sure the transfer paper is firmly stuck to the vinyl!

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

Then slowly pull the transfer paper up; the vinyl design should come up with it. Now your vinyl is ready to transfer onto the watering can and all the tiny pieces are still in place!

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

Place your design on the watering can and firmly press the vinyl down onto the surface. I used the handle of my scissors again to make sure the edges of each piece were firmly attached. Then gently peel away the transfer paper, leaving the vinyl attached to the watering can.

If you don’t want your design fully centered on the can, just let part of it hang off!

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

Then trim those hanging pieces with an Xacto knife so they fit perfectly onto the main surface of the watering can.

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

I did the exact same thing to attach the yellow dahlia. I wanted them to look like they were layered on top of each other, so I overlapped the two designs and removed all of the yellow pieces that were completely overlapping the purple ones.

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

At the border between the purple and yellow flowers, I trimmed the yellow pieces with an Xacto knife so that they fit “around” the purple pieces exactly. And I was done!

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

Now the watering can lives in the greenhouse window in the kitchen, along with my seedlings.

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

Totally brightens the place up, don’t you think!

Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl!

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metal watering can decorated with yellow and purple flowers made with adhesive vinyl

Decorate A Watering Can With Adhesive Vinyl

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Use adhesive vinyl to personalize and decorate a watering can—this simple project will add color to any boring watering can, and it only takes a few minutes!
Active Time 15 minutes
Cutting Machine Wait Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Yield 1 colorful watering can
Cost $4

Materials

Instructions
 

  • Using your Cricut or Silhouette, cut out two dahlia flowers from adhesive vinyl, using two different colors of vinyl. Once they're cut, weed away the background vinyl and cut two squares of transfer paper to the same size as the flowers.
    adhesive vinyl flowers and squares of transfer paper with watering can in background
  • Apply a piece of transfer paper on top of one of the flowers, pressing down over the entire flower to ensure the transfer paper is firmly attached to the vinyl underneath.
    purple adhesive vinyl flower covered with clear transfer paper and watering can in background
  • Carefully peel the transfer paper and vinyl flower off of the backing paper.
    purple adhesive vinyl flower stuck to clear transfer paper with watering can in background
  • Position the vinyl flower on your watering can, hanging off the bottom slightly if you want. Press firmly across the entire flower to ensure each piece is securely attached.
    purple adhesive vinyl flower decoration on metal watering can
  • Using an x-acto knife, trim any overhanging vinyl so that it is flush with the bottom edge of the watering can.
    purple adhesive vinyl flower decoration on metal watering can with bottom trimmed flush to edge of can
  • Use the same transfer paper process to apply the second vinyl flower to the watering can, slightly overlapping the first. Remove any pieces of yellow vinyl that completely overlap the purple flower, but leave any that only partially overlap.
    yellow and purple adhesive flower decorations on metal watering can
  • Use an x-acto knife to trim any pieces of yellow vinyl that are overlapping the purple flower so that the two colors are just "touching" instead of "overlapping". And you're done!
    metal watering can decorated with yellow and purple flowers made with adhesive vinyl

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Jessi Wohlwend

I believe that anyone can do crafts and DIY projects, regardless of skill or experience. I love sharing simple craft ideas, step by step DIY project tutorials, cleaning hacks, and other tips and tricks all with one goal in mind: giving you the tools you need to “do it yourself”, complete fun projects, and make awesome things!

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Reader Interactions

  1. Kate Creasey says

    10 years ago

    I have two watering cans that were given to me as gifts and I love them. This is a really cute idea and I’m going to do this as a gift for a friend. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says

    10 years ago

    Wow! This really did transform that watering can dramatically…and I love how you created the overlap effect. So glad you joined us for this month’s Silhouette Challenge, Jessi! Happy spring!

  3. Kristy gd says

    10 years ago

    Love your watering can! The colors compliment each other really well, and I’m impressed by how nicely you placed them to look like they were layered. Bravo!

  4. Jamie says

    10 years ago

    Really cute, Jessi! I gotta try the vinyl. Pinning!
    Hugs,
    Jamie

  5. Kaitlin Downs says

    10 years ago

    This is soooo adorable and springy! (: I love it!
    Where did you get your watering can?
    I definitely plan to make something like this!

    • Jessi Wohlwend says

      10 years ago

      I don’t remember exactly where cuz it was ages ago, but I think I just found it at a small local hardware store near us!

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