Chocolate canisters - before

DIY reusable gift canisters

Here’s a last-minute idea for us last-minute gift wrappers. I felt guilty about discarding those round, sturdy cardboard canisters that hold nuts, cocoa, and other foods. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think they can be recycled (aluminum + cardboard?). But they definitely can be reused! Here, I covered them in gift wrap and tied on ribbon—and they can be reused year after year to hold anything from cookies to socks. Or you could wrap them in everyday decorative paper and use them as pencil holders or storage containers. I just thought they were too cute to toss. (The blue and green is for you, Carolyn!)

Reusable wrapped gift canisters

Supplies for wrapping canisters

Supplies and tools

  • wrapping paper
  • scissors
  • glue (I used rubber cement)
  • ruler & pencil
  • round cardboard food canisters
  • clear cellophane tape
  • ribbon
  • paper towel

Measure the height of the canister

1. Clean out the empty canisters with a dry paper towel. Measure the height of the cardboard portion of the canister. (You will not cover the metal part of the can.)

Cut wrapping paper

2. Cut a piece of wrapping paper that height, roll it around the can, and trim to fit—leaving a couple inches of overlap.

Glue on the paper

3. Apply glue to one end of the paper, then stick it to the canister. Pull the paper tight as you wrap it around, then apply glue to the other end of the paper and press down. If you wish, you can apply glue to more than just the ends.

Tape down the ribbon

4. Reattach the lid and tie a bow around the package. For an awesome video tutorial on how to tie ribbon to packages Hollywood style (without knots) click here. Just tape the ribbon to the bottom of round packages first—it makes the process so much easier. By the way, thinner ribbon looks better and is easier to tie around small round packages.

Tie bow and trim ends

5. Adjust the ribbon and cut ends as desired.

Tape the ribbon down

6. Tape the other side of the ribbon to the bottom as well.

Gift-wrapped food canisters

7. You’re all done!

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