R2D2 Trashcan Tutorial
I saw the cutest R2D2 trashcans on Pinterest and really wanted one for my son’s Star Wars party, but I totally stink at freehand painting stuff like that. So I decided to create a Silhouette file to do all the grunt work for me. It took forever to do the design, but now that I have done the hard part, my R2D2 Trashcan Tutorial makes it super easy for you!
R2D2 Trashcan Tutorial
Step 1: Buy the trashcan
I made this one with the the trashcan below, but you can also get a bigger size if you want to make a laundry hamper. You could even buy one of those plastic cup tumblers and use the decals to make your own R2D2 cup!
Step 2: Get the vinyl
Since this was going in a little boy’s room, I wanted the vinyl to be able to stand up to some abuse. So I bought permanent outdoor vinyl. I liked this pack from Amazon because it had all the colors I needed.
Step 3: Paint the head silver
The only painting you have to do is the head and it took me all of ten minutes to spray it silver. Just be sure to get a quality silver spray paint that works well on plastic. And I find that it helps to sand the head a little so that the paint adheres better.
Step 4: Cut the vinyl
Below is the zip file with the Silhouette files. I separated them into colors to make it easier to cut. You will want to review the files though to make sure they are the right dimensions for what you are working on. These files are free to use, but you are responsible for making sure they will work well with your project before cutting them.
Download Free Silhouette Files for R2D2 Trashcan
I also have included a pdf version if you want to use another program or if you want to cut them out by hand. If you want to convert it to SVG, there are some online converters you can use or you can download Inkscape. If the PDF is showing lines through the design, just save it to your computer and open it up with Acrobat Reader.
R2D2 Black Cut File (PDF)
R2D2 Blue Cut File (PDF)
R2D2 Blue Head Cut File (PDF)
R2D2 Red Cut File (PDF)
Step 5: Apply the vinyl
The vinyl stickers are pretty easy to stick on, but as with any round surface, it can get a little tricky. The hardest part was the top of the head. You may have to mess with the spacing a little. Also, you have to be careful not to pull up any of the silver paint if you have to remove and reapply any of the stickers. Be patient and take your time. The result is well worth the effort!
Let me know if you have any questions about this R2D2 Trashcan Tutorial or if you have made your own little R2D2. I would love to see him!
This is so cute! I want to make one for my husband for Valentine’s Day. I can’t use the silhouette files though. Can you convert them to SVG files?
Thanks!
Unfortunately I don’t have the designer edition of the Silhouette software, so I can’t save it directly to SVG without downloading extra software and a lot of extra steps. But I have added a PDF version of the design to the post that should make it easier. Thanks!
Just found this ! So excited to get started! Will update how it came out π
Simply amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!! Worked perfect!
This is awesome!! We are hosting a May the Fourth be with you party for the kids at church. We will use this for our water balloon game. Canβt wait. Your templates make this so simple to do. Thank you!
The picture and the designs you provided are slightly different. Can you please upload the exact design like in the pictures?
The design was actually the cut files I used for the vinyl. What are the differences you are spotting?
ok so in the first picture there’s a black vent that is overlayed on top of the blue rectangle part, but there is no such design in the pdf, they’re only silver vents.
In the back you used black vents again, one of which has a circle around it. I don’t see that pattern in the pfd as well.
There’s also no black hollow ring in the pattern that you see on the head.
Thanks!
Yikes! Thanks so much for catching that! I tried to split it up in a way that would make it easier for others to use and it looks like I missed some pieces. I have updated the Silhouette file and the pdf files to make the corrections. Let me know if I missed anything else and thank you again for your help! I squeeze this blog in when I can, so I really appreciate the extra set of eyes π