You Asked For This (Altered Tin Tutorial)

So, rumor has it, you guys want an Altered Altoid Tin tutorial.....the Instagram crowd sure seem to and some of you have asked me....so, even though it is pretty simple, here we go----

First you need to get your hands on some hinged tins.....I pick most of mine up at Scrap SF....I like the older Altoid tins that don't have that embossing on the metal on the lid. You can still buy some like that if you look around. I just found some with flat lids at Walgreens...Trader Joes has mints in good tins too...

Sometimes I spray paint the tins first -- it isn't necessary for the larger tins but I find it very helpful with those tiny Altoid tins......
Michaels (and Amazon) sell that Krylon spray paint. 

You want to shake that can like crazy before spraying...in fact, setting it it hot water for 15 minutes is a good idea and then shake it....You want light spraying -- like misting -- and do several times.....if you spray too heavily the paint will run and make a mess..you don't need to cover up the writing on the larger tins because you are going to cover them with paper....and don't spray the inside....

A couple of sprayed tins...with the tiny tins, I just use washi tape to decorate. The seems too small to cover with paper..

Here is a little one with washi only....outside and.....

inside......I put tape inside on the lid and bottom..and done! (You need to seal the tape, so keep reading...)

For the larger tins, just use a pencil to trace around the tin and cut it out with a scissors. I cut INSIDE the pencil line, rather than on it because the tracing is often too large to fit exactly if you don't...you may have to do a little trimming....but that's ok.

You need to cut FOUR pieces-- for the outside top and bottom of the tin  and for the  inside top and bottom....Do all your cutting first.

This is what I use to both glue and seal --- Liquitex Matte Medium. Good stuff. Works for collages too.

Pour some into a paper cup and brush on to the surfaces you are gluing and place the paper on the tin....I use my fingers to really press the paper onto the tin and smooth out any wrinkles....press down the edges with your fingers..

You can glue all four pieces pretty easily. The matte medium dries pretty quickly and I just stand the tins up....
I always try to make two or three or four tins at a time. It just seems easier to have a little assembly line going. While one is drying you can work on the next one..

...like this....Then you can add some washi tape to the outside like this....pretty isn't it?
The narrow rolls of washi work best for this. You want to seal the washi and the paper with a few light coats of matte medium.

This tin came in a naturally pleasing blue and black so I didn't spray paint it . Just added washi and paper.
**This is important** see the two bumps where the tin closes? Be sure NOT to put paper or washi there or the extra thickness will make it impossible for the tins to close and open properly.

I used the regular, wider tape and rolled it over to the bottom of the tin and paper will cover this up....

Another tip is -- use WALLPAPER if you can find some.  I had some pretty vintage wall paper in my closet and just tried it out and it really works well since it was designed to be used with a liquid adhesive. Maybe you can find some pieces of wallpaper on eBay or Etsy or in a wallpaper swatch book.

So, that's about it -- it is pretty easy, so go ahead and have some fun. My favorite part is filling the little tins up when I'm finished making them. The tiny Altoid tin is perfect for postage stamps. And, those larger ones have endless possibilities....
I suggest try making one without spray painting it for the first one...keep it simple...
and you can ask me if you run into any problems.
They don't come out perfect but they are a lot of fun anyway.
And special thanks to my pal Dori who sent me my first Altered Altoid Tin and quite a few more after that and got me started making them myself.
This is just how I do it.....

I'd sure like to hear from you if you make some -- let me know how they come out! And if you are coming over from IG, please leave a comment on the blog and let me know, because you know....you guys egged me on to do this post...
Have fun and keep me posted!
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