Can I just tell you I am on an altering kick? Everytime I touch something I am wondering how I can alter it. So today I altered an altoid tin for a gift card for my nephew for Christmas. I know it is not Christmas colors but I wasn’t in the mood. I mean it is still November. 😉 My dad gave me some chocolate covered Altoids (I actually threw them away- I just wanted the tin). Here is a basic tutorial:
1. Spray the entire outside of the tin with a metal spray paint primer. It will be a nice white color. You can then paint or spray paint over that but I just left mine primered. I just wanted to get rid of the red color on the top.
2. Trace around the top of the tin and cut that shape out 4 times out of cardstock. I inked the edges of mine as well. I used white glue and decoupaged the paper on the top and bottom of tin and in the inside lid and bottom lid. I cut off any excess on the top and bottom of the tin.
3. I then used coordinating paper and cut it a little smaller than the last piece and glued that on top of the cardstock on the bottom and top of the tin. I also decoupraged over the top of the paper to really secure it.
4. Then I cut 1 cm of coordinating striped paper and glued that around the side of the tin. I also embellished the top by ripping a brown piece of paper and hole punching a circle. I inked the circle and stamped a “Z” on it for Zackary. I glued both of those on and decoupaged the top of those as well.
5. I then made an accordian out of brown paper. It measures 3 1/2 x 12. I scored and folded every 2 inches. I also rounded the corners. I was planning on scrapbooking those with pictures but then I rememebered who I was making this for… my 15 year old nephew who would not care about that. 
Hold that thought…Isaac just woke up. 
Ok I am back…
6. So I thought I would use the accordian to tape his Target gift card to and use it to kind of pop the gift certificate out when he opened the tin. So that is what I did. I glued the accordian to the bottom of the tin and put a small piece of double sided tape on the gift card and taped it to the top of accordian.
7. Then I just wrote a sentiment on a piece of paper and put a small piece of doublesided tape and taped it to the inside top of the tin. I used a small piece so it can be removed and then tin can be reused. I also punched out an extra circle so my sister can remove the Z on the front and reuse if she wishes. I put those in the very bottom of the tin. 
You crack me up and amaze me all at the same time! What should I do with my empty Hershey’s cocoa plastic “cans”? I keep saving them thinking they should be good for something.
Oh my don’t let me get a hold of them wait until you see what I did today.
I have a question for you. I just finally got around to trying this idea. I had an issue after I spray painted my mint tin. When I went to close the tin and then reopen it, the seal was very tight and some of the paint on the corners ended up getting scraped off. Did you have this problem? If you did, how did you deal with it and if you didn’t, what do you think I may have done wrong? The spray paint is not very thick and I’m sure I only used one coat on the sides since I expected them to be mostly covered up anyway.
You can see some photos on my blog.
Thanks for the tutorial……. I totally copied you for my first try! You rock!