Altered Altoid Tin

This was made for a swap on swapbot. The swap name was Altered Altoid Tin. For years now, I have googled this project, but this is the first time I think I've actually ever made one. I am not sure how I decided to make it a bird theme, but I did. 

The first step in creating my little masterpiece, was of course to purchase an altoids tin. I believe it cost me three dollars at a gas station. I ended up putting the mints in a Baggie and giving them to my dad. Here's how the rest goes:

🔸 After buying the tin, my first step was to figure out what images I wanted to use. As I mentioned, I wanted it to have a bird theme. So I googled "vintage birds" and picked the image I used on the inside of the tin.

🔸 I just bought a cricket cutting machine and I envisioned cutting out the bird both on paper as well as chipboard. But apparently I didn't have the right blade to cut chipboard. So I ended up printing and cutting the image on cardstock, and then cutting just the shape onto two pieces of cereal box.

🔸 After I had three cut out shapes, I glued them all together with the printed image on top of course. This made my bird really sturdy, as if on chipboard. (I've since bought a deep cutting blade. Haven't tried it yet though) 

🔸 Next, I picked the outside image.

🔸 Using my two images, I went through my scrapbook paper, and found patterns I thought would match.

🔸 For whatever reason, I decorated the outside first by cutting my patterned paper to cover the top.

🔸 Before I glued it on, I painted the tin first with gesso, then pearlescent white.

🔸 After I glued on the blue paper, I cut my second bird image to fit the way I wanted it. I glued that on too.

🔸 Next I went around the bird image with a piece of white sparkly string. It's made by "May Arts". I got it on Amazon and it comes in a ton of colors.

🔸 After the string dried, I went around it with glitter glue.

🔸 When the glitter glue was mostly dry, I attached my white plastic flower. I got it in a grab bag package from tomorrowsunknown.com.

🔸 The last thing I did to my lid was surround the lip of it with white sequin string. It's hard to see in the picture, but it was a cool touch. 

On to the inside:

🔸 On the inside lid, I used the same paper as the top. I traced, cut, and glued it in place.

🔸 I had also found and printed a bird image for the inside lid.

🔸 For the frame, I used a plastic projector slide. I colored it using tan and orange alcohol inks. I did this by squirting the ink onto felt and then daubed it on the slide.

🔸 I glued the bird image and slide into place.

🔸 I used a musical background for the other side.

🔸 For the inside edges I used blue electrical tape. The color matched perfectly.

🔸 Before I stuck my bird in there, I placed my flowers where I wanted them and glued them in. 

🔸To make my bird "pop out" of the box, I glued foam squares to the back to lift it off the surface. It was perfect. 

🔸 I used some more electrical tape along the outside and underneath the bottom lid.

I really do love how the whole thing turned out. The pictures do not give it justice.