DIY: Altered Altoid Tin

Altoid mints come in a cute little tin. The latest crafting rage is to recycle these tins into cute scenes or children’s travel play sets. There are many mediums to choose from to cover your tin: paper, fabric and/or clay. I wanted an altered tin that was both beautiful and practical. When I travel, I never have a place to carry an extra pair of earrings. So, I set out to make a jewelry carrier out of my Altoid tin.

For this project I used:

Altoid tin
Metallic gold oven baked clay
Raw sienna color oven baked clay
Modge podge
Clear glitter
12ss and 20ss Dorado rhinestones
Gem tac
Scrap material 8.5 x 5.5 inches

How to Make an Altered Altoid Tin
 
Mix the gold with raw sienna until you get a rustic bronze color. Cover the lid and sides with a thin layer of clay making sure you can still open and close the lid. Using the gold clay, roll out some vines and position these on the lid. Shape some small leaves and place these along the leaves.

Finger prints can be problematic and distract from the beauty of the case.  Therefore, simply brush the clay surface with a 50/50 mixture of alcohol and water with a paint brush. The alcohol “melts” the clay and smooths the surface. Bake in a 275-degree oven for 15 minutes then remove and let cool.
 
After the clay is cool, brush the vines and leaves with modge podge. Sprinkle the clear glitter on and let dry.
 
Fold the scrap material right sides together. Sew up the 2 longer edges of the 3 open edges. Turn inside out. Sew lengthwise evenly spaced so that you have 3 pockets. Stuff each pocket with pillow stuffing.

Once stuffed, turn the remaining edges to the inside and stitch the ends together.
 
Place inside the tin. Glue several 20ss Dorado rhinestones scattered along the top of the tin using Gem Tac. Squeeze a drop of glue slightly smaller than the rhinestone. Using a tweezer or wax tipped tool, pick up a rhinestone and gently press it into the glue drop. Glue alternating 12ss and 20ss Dorado rhinestones along the side edge of the lid, spacing about 1/4 inch apart. Lastly, let the finished case dry for 24 hours without any further handling.

Tins are fun to recycle and gluing on rhinestones adds to the fun. You can experiment with different styles and designs to come up with the perfect altered Altoid tin for you. Finally, these tins are the perfect way to store and safely carrying jewelry on a trip.

Rhinestones like the ones used in the picture are available from:

www.RhinestonesEtc.com