My friend Stephanie urged me to try Soda can mosaics many years ago and I have made a lot of them.  My technique uses one inch pieces and a paper cutter makes easy work of it.

I got this plaque that had an attached easel at a garage sale, but you can find wooden plaques by the dozens at garage sales or Goodwill.  You can paint it any color and let dry.

The cans are easy to cut if you use wire clippers to start the cut on the rim and finish with scissors.  Don’t forget to rinse the can before you start!  My Coke can had the words “Better Half”.  I love serendipity and the “half” ended up perfectly as “ha” which was fun to insert at the bottom of the heart.  It reminded me of a “Merry Heart.”

Cut the can into one inch strips and cut the strips into one inch pieces.

Cut out a paper heart.  Cut out a one inch strip of paper in cardstock or cardboard.  Line up the one inch strip in the middle of the heart and start grid lines in a color you won’t mind if a little of it shows on your final project.

Use a dab of hot glue to attach each piece of soda can to the paper heart.  After all the white paper is covered with soda can pieces, turn the paper heart over and use scissors to trim all the extra away so the heart is the original size.

In the center of the heart use a little bit of hot glue to tack the heart to the plaque so it won’t move around.  Then use an awl to punch tine holes in the corner of each piece. That will be 74 punches!  This  step and the next one are easier to do if you a irritated about something!  LOL

Use the hammer to insert brass Escutcheon Pins in the holes you made and tap down.  If you use a pine wood plaque, that is the softest wood and goes pretty fast. I would not recommend oak!

Now the fun part, decorating the plaque edges with washi tape and paint pens. Have FUN!