Unless I suddenly kill all my seedlings, I will have a nice selection of flowers and herbs to cut come summer.  We have negative counter and table space (I have to move stuff to make room to do anything), so where to put vases is always a challenge.

I came across A Can Can and started hoarding cans.  I even asked our neighbors for their cans since we don’t go through that many.

I got an idea to solve my lack of vase space issue.  I would mount cans on the wall to hold bottles as vases.  We rent and the walls are drywall, so the less holes the better.

The solution: The Bottle + Can Bank

Mounting the cans shoulder to shoulder along a plank would enable me to use only two screws to attach the whole thing to the wall instead of a screw for each can.

I made this about six weeks ago and love it.

It took multiple sessions since I can’t really do anything for more than an hour at a time with the toddler at my heels.  Once you get your cans and bottles ready to go, it’s a perfect weekend project.

A Few Notes:

- Soak the labels off your bottles. Goo Gone is great for those weird plastic labels that don’t soak off (heating them in hot water will soften the adhesive and allow you to peel off the label but the adhesive left behind won’t scrub off without solvent).

- Most can labels come off without much (if any) soaking.

- I washed my cans out and let them air dry as a little test. I didn’t use the ones that rusted. Though, a nice rustic patina might be just what want.

- To fix the burr left from the can opener, crimp it flat with pliers then apply a fat drop of clear nail polish to smooth it over. Pesky burrs can get multiple layers of nail polish, letting each dry between applications. If your pliers might rough up your cans, place a rag between the pliers mouth and the outside of the can where you’re crimping the burr. Practice on a can you don’t plan to use.

- You’ll need to punch a hole in each can where the screw will hold it to the wood.  Make the hole about a half-inch below the can lip to make the screw less noticeable.

- Don’t punch the screw hole too far below the can lip or it will be very difficult to screw the screw into the wood (your screwdriver or drill will be at too much of an angle to engage the screw head if your screw is too deep inside the can).

- Use a primer paint designed for metal, it will provide a lasting base. I overkilled it with primer and a coat of neutral spray paint I found in my paint stash. I finished with a final coat of interior matte white latex I painted on with 2″ brush. It was free from a neighbor and I liked the texture from the cheap IKEA paint brush.

- Whether using a screwdriver or drill, use care attaching the cans to the wood with the screws or you’ll mar the paint on the cans.

- I got my wood as scrap.  A little sanding can give old wood a new life.  I left mine bare but painting is easy enough.

- Leave two cans unattached so you can hide the screws that mount the wood to the wall behind them. Offset those wall screws from the centerline of the hiding cans so your cans will lay flush when you attach them (after mounting the wood to the wall).

- On Pinterest I found a mirror hanging trick.  It’s similar to how I mark anchor placement when fixing wood to drywall and don’t have a helper.  You can sink the wall attachment screws through the wood so they poke out the backside just enough to mark the wall where you want to sink your drywall anchors, about 1/8 -1/4 of an inch.  Position the wood, tap the screws with your hammer to mark the wall, set the wood aside and sink your drywall anchors (or masonry anchors if installing into brick or concrete) at the marks.  Match the wood and screws back up with the drywall anchors and screw them in.

- Two screws through the wood into drywall anchors about 6 inches in from both ends provided sufficient support for the size of my plank.

The late day sun comes in through our back windows and just adores our kitchen. I built the vase bank (the vasery sounds better but I made that word up) to live alongside our kitchen table and the long rays of light writes love letters to it.

I could devote an entire tumblr to this.

I am obsessed with the Trader Joe’s 10 Stem Alstroemeria bouquet.  It lasts 10 – 14 days, and for $3.99, it can’t be beat.  It’s also like an archaic clock telling me when I need to make a trip to TJ’s.  The petals fall off and – Hey what do you know! – it’s time to go to Trader Joe’s!

Soon, like a bank of elevators bearing summer delights, this will present fresh herbs and awesome flowers from our own garden.