How to Build Your Own Salt & Pepper Shakers

Salt and pepper shakers are functional collectibles. From vintage to modern designs, shakers take many shapes. According to the Salt and Pepper Novelty Shakers Club, novelty shakers take the form of characters or figures. Shakers can be made from any material. Create your own novelty salt and pepper shakers from any hollow, soft plastic toy or figure. Discount, import and dollar stores have wide selections of hollow, soft plastic items such as animals, boats and other shapes to utilize as shakers.

• 1

  Turn the plastic figure so the flat bottom is facing you.

• 2

  Center the narrowest end of the rubber shaker stopper over the flat bottom of the figure.

• 3

  Trace around the plug end of the stopper onto the bottom of the plastic figure with a pen. Repeat this for the other figure.

• 4

  Poke the end of the sharpest scissor blade into the traced circle to create a hole. Cut the traced circle from the bottom of the shaker. If the soft plastic is soft enough, use a craft blade rather than scissors. Discard the cut plastic disc. Repeat this for the other figure.

• 5

  Use the tip of a narrow metal skewer to poke small holes onto or near the top of the figure. Poke four holes into one figure for salt ,and three holes into the other figure for pepper.

• 6

  Hold your finger over the holes poked into the shaker and fill it through the bottom hole with pepper or salt. Insert the plug into the 1/2-inch diameter hole. Repeat this for the other shaker.