Projects here run from earrings that need a few tabs and two hooks to a purse that used 727 tabs, so the deciding factor is how many tabs you can collect.
Lamps and chandeliers need the most. Check your stash first, then pick; a small piece or a decorated old purse cuts the count.
1. DIY Pop Tab Lamp Shade
Pop tabs already have a hole in them, and that hole is the whole reason this shade works.
Link the tabs into a flat panel, wrap it around a shade frame, and the lamp bulb shows through every opening as a small point of light.
Wire rings give the panel its shape.
I’d use them as the top and bottom hoops, then attach the linked tabs so the panel hangs evenly between them. A bare frame needs nothing else, though you can also cover an existing shade you already own.
Expect a textured, slightly industrial glow rather than a soft diffused one.
Keep the tabs in a consistent grid so the light pattern reads as intentional. Thin ribbon woven through the grid is a good softener if the metal feels too stark.
2. Babe in Shining Armor
Babe In Shining Armor is a kid’s costume built from nothing but pop tabs and jump rings.
The tabs are linked into a chainmail-style dress, which makes it a good last-minute Halloween idea if you already have a stash of tabs saved up.
Jump rings do the linking. Each ring threads through the holes in neighboring tabs, so the fabric builds up one connection at a time.
There is no sewing, glue or special hardware, and that short supply list is the reason I’d pick this over fancier costumes.
Pop tabs and jump rings are the only supplies, so you can start the day you have enough tabs.
Plan ahead, though.
A dress takes a lot of tabs, and collecting them is the slow part. Treat it as a costume piece, not battle gear.
3. Small Pendant Light
A small pendant works because the tabs sit on a flat base instead of hanging free. Hot glue the flaps onto a plastic or screening sheet, then curl the sheet into a compact shade.
That backing is what separates this project from the wire-ring lampshade, which needs no structure at all, and from the chandelier, which spreads the tabs across a much larger frame.
The other shortcut is that you can dress an old pendant you already own instead of building a new fixture. Cover its shade with tabs and the room gets a different look without the cost of a store-bought centerpiece.
I would pick the screening sheet over plastic if you can find it, since the glue needs something to grip, and open mesh gives each tab more than one edge to hold.
Mixing soda brands gives you several colors, and you can paint any that clash.
4. Cyber Butterfly
Wings are where a cyber butterfly lives or dies.
I build each one from rows of pop tabs that start with a single tab at the top and widen as they go down, so the shape swells like a real wing.
Link the tabs by threading one through the open loop of the next, or tie them with thin wire. A smaller second pair below the first gives the classic upper and lower wing outline.
The bare aluminum is the reason this design works. Silver and any leftover color from the can catch light and flicker as the wings move, which reads as futuristic, almost circuit-board.
Keep the body dark, such as a strip of black cardboard or a row of black beads, so the metal stands out against it.
5. Upcycled Bracelet
Soda pop tabs link into a band the same way chain links do: each tab’s ring hole threads through the slot of its neighbor, and the row grows until it wraps your wrist.
Fit comes down to the count. Hold the chain around your wrist as you build and stop when the ends meet with a little give, since a snug band won’t slide over your hand.
Tabs come in whatever colors the cans did, so you can mix colors for a rock-style look or stay with one for a cleaner band.
Beads threaded between tabs soften the metal and make the piece look finished. For a closure, I’d pick a ribbon tie over hardware, because it adjusts to any wrist and the same pattern works for kids and adults.
6. Flower Card
Pop tab flower cards take less than 20 minutes, which makes this the quickest project on the list.
Nothing here calls for a trip to the craft store, since the main material is a tab from a soda can and the stem is a green pipe cleaner.
The finished card shows a red flower on a green stem, and the tabs form the bloom.
I’d glue the pipe cleaner down first so the tabs have something to sit against. A pipe cleaner bends, so you can curve the stem for a looser, more natural look.
This one works best as a Mother’s Day card.
Pick a color for the flower that suits her, and write the message inside. It also suits a kid with a free afternoon, because there’s very little to cut or assemble.
7. Tab Chains
Linking tab to tab is the base move behind most of the projects in this list, so it pays to get a chain right before you start on anything bigger.
Each tab joins its neighbor through the holes, and the chain grows in whatever direction you keep adding.
Mixed colors make the best chain.
A run of one color looks like hardware, while alternating shades reads as décor. Chains hang from a belt loop or a pair of jeans as an accessory, and a longer run can become a belt.
Build the whole length before you decide what it becomes, since the same chain works for a belt, a garland or a purse strap. I’d gather far more tabs than seems necessary, because a chain eats them quickly.
8. Ring Pull Tab Bracelets
The ring pull is a teardrop with a hole at one end, and that hole decides everything about the bracelet.
Where the upcycled version leans on fabric or backing, this one is built from the tabs alone, so each tab has to grab the next through its opening.
I like the pattern where every tab is flipped to face the opposite way from its neighbor. The round ends then alternate with the narrow ends, and the strip curves slightly instead of sitting flat.
Weave a ribbon through the holes and the bracelet reads as a row of silver scales. Slide each tab through the hole of the one before it and you get a chain-mail look with no glue and no thread.
Wash the tabs first, and sand or file any sharp edge, since a bracelet sits against skin all day. Skip it on kids’ wrists unless the edges are smooth.
9. Gemstone Necklace
An old beaded string works as the chain here, and that choice saves you a trip to the craft store.
Slide the tabs onto the strand so they sit between the beads, then add colorful gemstone-style beads or flat gems to the tabs themselves.
The tabs carry the shape and the gems carry the color, so pick one gem shade and repeat it rather than mixing five.
I’d keep the beads close in size to the tabs. A big bead next to a small flap looks lopsided and drags the necklace forward on your neck.
If the beaded string is too short or too busy, a plain chain with clasp rings or hooks attaches the tabs just as well.
Painting the tabs to match the chain color gives a more finished look, though it adds drying time to an afternoon project.
10. Pop Tab Armor
Pop tab armor is built from two things: tabs and jump rings.
Each tab gets linked to its neighbors with small rings, or with soft pliable wire, until the pieces form a flexible mail-like fabric that drapes like cloth instead of sitting stiff.
I’d start with a small swatch of about 4 tabs across before committing to a full piece.
It shows you how the weave hangs and how many rings you’ll burn through. Jump rings win over wire for kids’ costumes because they open and close fast, and a Halloween outfit can be finished in a few sittings.
Keep the expectations honest: this is a craft-skills project, not protection, and it’s heavy once it gets big. Work in panels, then join them.
11. Russian Nesting Dolls
Pop tabs and molding clay are the whole supply list for these dolls, and both are cheap and recyclable.
The clay does the shaping: roll a rounded body for each doll, then press tabs into the surface so the metal reads as a pattern, like a scarf or an apron.
Nesting is a matter of sizing. Make the dolls in a graduated set, from one big shell down to a tiny solid doll, and keep the proportions the same so they look like a family.
I’d paint the faces and clothing, because painted dolls look more realistic than plain ones, though leaving the clay bare gives a modern look that works fine too.
This is a good afternoon project to share with kids, and it’s quiet enough to be relaxing for adults.
12. Recycled Soda Tabs Purse
One finished pop tab purse used 727 tabs, so count on collecting for a long while before you start.
That number comes from a maker who built one, and it is the real hurdle here, not the technique. Tabs add up slowly, and one bag of this size eats several months of a household’s soda cans.
A shortcut I like: skip building from scratch and embellish an old fabric purse with tab flaps instead.
That cuts the tab count and gives you a sturdy base. Mixing colors or keeping them all the same both work, and a macrame-style pattern suits a market bag you’d carry shopping or traveling.
A step-by-step tutorial for the full tab-only version is posted online. Search for it by name, since pasted links to it tend to break.
13. Soda Tab Chandelier
A store-bought chandelier costs real money, and a pop tab version is the cheap way to get a big light fixture over a room. This is the large-scale lighting build in the group.
The pendant and lamp projects wrap tabs around a small form, while the chandelier lets them hang loose around a wire ring, so the whole piece reads as a dangling curtain of metal.
The ring is the part to get right.
Build the dangling tabs on a wire ring and hang the finished piece around the existing center light in the room, so the fixture does the lighting and the tabs do the decorating.
I would choose this over a lamp if the ceiling is where the room looks bare. A full ring takes far more tabs than any small project here, so start saving early.
14. Aspen Leaf Art
An old canvas frame does most of the work here, so check the closet before you buy anything.
Pop tabs get tied or wired to a few strands of yard cord stretched across the canvas, and the cord is cheap enough that the whole piece costs very little.
Draw the aspen leaf on a sheet of paper first. Sketch the full leaf outline and vein pattern on paper before you attach a single tab, because tabs are small and stubborn, and moving them later means undoing knots.
Lay the tabs right on the drawing to see how many the shape needs.
I’d keep the whole thing one metallic tone for a cleaner look, though mixed can colors make a livelier leaf. Mixed colors can look busy in a small frame.
15. Soda Pop Tabs Lamp
The Soda Pop Tabs Lamp is a finished tabletop lamp, and the tabs are the whole surface.
Linked tabs wrap the body from base to top, so the lamp reads as a metallic mesh rather than a shade with a trim.
That sets it apart from the lamp shade project, where tabs only cover the part that goes over the bulb, and from the recycled lamp, which reworks an existing fixture.
I’d pick this one for the look of a lit, chain-mail column.
Light slips through the gaps between linked tabs and scatters across the table and wall. Use an LED bulb, since a hot incandescent sits close to bare metal and thin joins.
The tabs are the cheap part; the real cost is patience, because every link is a small repeated step. Start with a plain, sturdy form and build outward in rows.
16. Black and White Clutch
Black and white is the right palette for a pop tab clutch because the aluminum shows up in two finishes.
Tabs with the printed or painted side up read dark, and tabs flipped to the bare metal side read silver-white, so you can get a checkerboard or stripe without dyeing or painting anything.
The shape is a plain rectangle, which suits tab work. Straight edges let you join rows of tabs evenly, and you never have to shape a curve out of rigid metal.
I would alternate the colors in each row and offset every second row by one tab, so the pattern reads as a diamond weave rather than loose stripes.
Line the inside with fabric. Bare tab edges snag tights and scratch phone screens, and a lining also gives the clutch a closing flap that holds its shape.
17. Fish Out of Pop Tabs
Overlapping pop tabs do the work of fish scales without any carving or shaping. Each tab sits partly over the one below it, so the rows read as scales, and the metal catches light the way a real fish does.
Rows laid from tail to head look best to me, since the overlap then points the same direction a living fish’s scales would.
Wings and a tail make the piece stand out. Flaps cut from can aluminum or built from more tabs give the fish fins, and they turn a flat mosaic into something with a silhouette.
The body needs support, though: a rod or wire cage inside the fish keeps it standing upright instead of slumping once the tabs add weight.
I would build the frame first and attach tabs to it, rather than hoping a finished tab shape holds on its own.
18. Soda Pop Tabs Necklace
Pull tabs already hook together without any hardware, so a chain-style necklace is the simplest wearable you can make from them.
Slide the ring of one tab through the opening of the next and fold it flat, then repeat until the chain reaches the length you want. Rinse and dry the tabs first, since sticky soda residue stays tacky against skin.
A chain about the length of a choker needs far fewer tabs than one that hangs to the collarbone, so count out a generous pile before you start.
Weave a length of ribbon through the tab holes and tie it at the back for a softer, adjustable fit.
I prefer ribbon to a clasp because it sits flatter and takes no extra supplies. Bend any sharp edges inward with pliers, and skip this for small kids unless you check every tab.
19. DIY Pop Tab Necklace
The second necklace swaps a plain chain for an old beaded string, and that one change sets the whole look.
Pop tabs slide onto the strand like oversized beads, so the necklace is mostly threading, with almost no tools involved. Reusing a worn-out beaded strand also keeps the cost near zero.
What sets this version apart is the gemstone decoration. Glue a colorful gemstone onto each tab and the aluminum stops reading as trash and starts reading as a statement piece, the kind you wear to a party.
I’d keep the gem colors to a tight palette, since the tabs are already busy shapes and a rainbow of stones can get loud fast.
The beaded string carries the weight, so a flimsy one will sag with a full row of tabs. Start with fewer tabs than you think you need, check how the strand hangs, then add more.
20. Soda Can Tabs Pillow
A soda can tab pillow is a decor piece, not something to lean on or sleep on.
The cover is built from tabs joined in layers until the whole thing holds a cushion shape, and the result reads as metallic scales against a bed or sofa.
Weight is the trade-off. A cover made of metal tabs is heavy and stiff compared with a cotton pillow, and it feels like chainmail under your hand.
Some makers lean into that, swapping the soft cotton form for a copper sheet so the pillow holds a firm shape.
I would pick that route only if the pillow will sit on a shelf or bed, where nobody will lean on it.
For a version that sits on a couch, keep the fabric base and attach the tabs to it, and expect a pillow that looks textured but never feels soft.
21. Soda Pop Tabs Handbag
A handbag is the right pick when you want a carry-all instead of a pocket-sized piece.
The clutch is a flat rectangle you tuck under an arm for a party, built from two panels you can work separately. The handbag is bigger and made to hold things: groceries, travel gear, or your crafting supplies.
Handles are the other big difference. A clutch has none, but a handbag needs them, so plan on cord that carries the weight rather than decorative trim.
The same pop tabs and leftover cord that go into the smaller pieces work here, which keeps the cost close to nothing.
I’d skip it as a first project. Join the body before you attach the handles, and test them while the bag is empty.
22. Soda Tabs Earrings
Soda tab earrings are the fastest project in this whole list, since each pair needs only a few tabs and a set of earring hooks.
A clasp or jump ring links the tab to the hook, and that connection is the only real construction step. Use two jump rings if the tab hangs sideways.
The tab on its own looks plain, so dress it up. Macrame cord is my pick: knot a small section around the tab, then let a strand hang loose as a tassel.
Wrap the cord around the tab and finish it with a dangling tassel for a boho look that gives no hint of its soda can origin.
Keep the pair matched. Wrap both tabs with the same number of knots, and trim both tassels to the same length before you attach the hooks.
23. Wearable Art Model
A pop tab dress is a costume piece first and a daily garment never.
The tabs go on as an embellished panel, and the waist is the natural spot to start, since a belt-width band of mixed colors reads clearly from across a room.
Cover the rest of the fabric with tabs only where you want the eye to travel.
A fully tabbed bodice gets heavy and stiff, so I’d keep the metal to the waist and one accent area, and let the cloth carry the remainder.
Use tabs in several colors at the waist so the band looks designed rather than stacked.
Sew them to a separate strip of fabric first, then attach the strip to the garment. That way a bad row never means unpicking the dress itself.
24. Chainmail Vambrace
A vambrace is a forearm guard, and the pop tab version is simply tabs linked into a sleeve-shaped pattern, then tied on with cord.
Black cord looks sharpest against bright aluminum, though any color works. The cord also runs across your hand and fingers, so it holds the piece in place without a buckle.
It shares its technique with the full armor suit, which joins tabs with soft pliable wire.
I’d treat the vambrace as the practice round: one forearm guard teaches you the linking pattern before you commit to an entire suit. If the pattern bores you by the tenth row, you’ve lost an afternoon, not a month.
Neither piece is for battle. They are craft-skill projects and costume pieces, and that is plenty.
25. Recycled Pop Tab Lamp
The pop tab lamp is the one entry where the tabs are the whole shade, not a decoration on top of one.
You link the tabs into a flexible fabric, then wrap it around wire rings that hold the cylinder shape. Nothing else is needed to cover the bulb.
That is also why I’d pick it over the grid-pattern version with ribbon, which dresses up a shade you already own.
This one replaces a store-bought cover entirely, so it suits anyone who doesn’t want to pay for a modern-style shade.
The light is what makes the lamp worth the work. Each tab has a hole, and the glow comes through every one, so the lit shade throws a dotted, metallic pattern across the room.
Expect it to look busier and sharper than a fabric shade, so it works best on a side table where people see it from a few feet away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you make with soda can tabs?
You can make jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings, bags such as purses, clutches and handbags, and home decor such as lamps, a chandelier, a pillow and wall art.
Tabs also work for costume pieces like chainmail armor and a vambrace. Most projects start by linking tab to tab through the holes.
How do you make a purse out of soda tabs?
Link the tabs together into panels, then join the panels into a bag body and add handles made of cord.
One finished tab-only purse used 727 tabs, so collecting enough is the slow part. A shortcut is to decorate an old fabric purse with tab flaps, which cuts the tab count and gives you a sturdy base.
How many soda tabs do I need to make a bracelet?
There is no fixed count, because it depends on your wrist. Hold the chain around your wrist as you build and stop when the ends meet with a little give, since a snug band won’t slide over your hand.
Gather more tabs than you think you need, because chains use them up quickly.
How do you prepare soda can tabs for crafts?
Wash and dry the tabs first so no sticky soda residue is left on them.
Then sand or file any sharp edge, or bend it inward with pliers, since jewelry sits against skin all day. Check every tab before giving a piece to a small child.
