If you give any homemade goodies for Christmas you will love my next guest’s project. Using simple supplies Amanda from Serenity Now changes an ordinary tin into a gift that can be recycled over and and over again by just taking a piece of chalk and writing a new phrase on top of the chalkboard. Please welcome Amanda with her Chalkboard Cookie Tin.
Hello, Infarrantly Creative readers. My name is Amanda and I blog at Serenity Now. Today, I’ll show you how you can easily repurpose an ugly candy or cookie tin and make a gift that will look pretty for Christmas…and the rest of the year too!
Here’s what you need to get started:
Supplies:
An ugly cookie or candy tin (I spent $3.50 on one from Big Lots)
Spray paint in a fun color (I used Krylon’s Ocean Breeze)
Chalkboard Spray Paint
Painter’s Tape
Silhouette Vinyl (optional)
1. This wasn’t a particularly ugly tin, but a little busy for my taste. My first step was to tape off the cute top border on the larger half of the tin. I really pressed down on the edges to keep the paint from bleeding through. 2. I also taped around the inside of the top half of the tin to keep paint off of anything that might touch food.
3. Following the directions on the spray paint bottles, I painted my tin and allowed for drying time.
4. Following Krylon’s instructions, I cured the chalkboard surface by rubbing some chalk across the chalkboard-painted area. 5. (Optional) I used my Silhouette to cut a vinyl “frame” for the top of the tin–a handy spot to write all sorts of messages.
Because I had all of the supplies on hand, I only spent $3.50 on this gift. Vinyl can be pricey, so you could always stencil your own design on the top with some craft paint to save money. I added some tissue paper and wax paper and filled the tin with my homemade Nutella Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread after writing a quick Christmas greeting with a chalkboard pen.
And I love that the tin can easily be used for other things after the holidays have passed…I filled mine with ribbon to give you an idea. You could also use it for tea or cocoa packets, photos, kids’ mementos, stickers, jewelry, buttons, craft supplies–there are so many options!
This would be a fun gift for a teacher, neighbor, or friend. I love this Pennywise Presents series! When times are tough, many of us are on the lookout for affordable gift ideas, and I am so thankful that Beckie invited me to be a part of her series. I hope you’ll visit me at Serenity Now! I blog about crafts, thrifty decorating, recipes, and home life. I also host a weekly Weekend Bloggy Reading party for bloggers to showcase their best post of the week. I’ll be posting about it soon, but I have an exciting new Christmas series coming up at the end of this month–creative tips and tricks geared towards lowering your stress levels this holiday season and bringing you some Serenity (Now) at Home. Beckie might just be stopping by to share a special project. Hope you’ll join me!
Amanda this is such a cute idea! I have a ton of those tins that I’ve bought on clearance after Christmas! I don’t know why I never thought to spray paint them! I think I know what my boys’ teachers will be getting for Christmas this year:)
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Great idea! I always throw those out. Not anymore 🙂
This is a super cute idea. Loveit.
Thank you so much, Beckie, for including me in your series! 🙂
I will NEVER part with another tin…why did I evah?
Can you paint over chalkboard paint? No Silhouette…
What a great way to repurpose a container. The recipient of this gift could use it all year long for all sorts of things. I know I have a tin in my basement that I could use for this project. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’ve painted tins before, but I’ve NEVER thought to use chalkboard paint! What a wonderful idea! And I don’t have a Silhouette machine, but I could certainly paint on a cute “frame” with craft paint. This will be even more pennywise using tins I have sitting on the shelf in the garage, just begging to be used!
Thanks for the good idea, Amanda. And thank you, Beckie, for a great series!
I love this idea, I’ve been searching for a gift idea for my friends. We usually exchange homemade items. I can alway fill it with some thing sweet.
Oh, I love this one. The idea is amazing and the chalkboard top is perfect for teachers. I really think I am going to give this a try this year. thank you for sharing.
Isn’t chalkboard paint the best? I had not thought of using it on a cookie tin…cleaver and cute! I recently did some chalkboard art and I think I feel another one coming on 🙂
I love it! What a nice, personal way to present homemade goodies (or to just organize your own stuff!). Plus I get to use my Silhouette machine. 🙂
Amanda – this is such a cute idea! There are always plenty of ugly tins at Goodwill.
This is one of the best ideas I’ve seen ever – just a quick though – did you lightly sand the original tin before spraying? My spray suggest I do that, but am not sure it’s necessary…
I don’t know if Amanda did but I ALWAYS sand before I prime and then I would also use metal spray primer as well.