Those little metal tins hold mints quite well, but when you run out of breath-fresheners, don’t throw away the packaging! That tin that your mints came in can be reused for a multitude of creative purposes.
Start by cleaning your tin thoroughly, with a mild soap and warm water. Once you have removed all of the residue from your minty treats and your tin has dried, you are ready to assign it a new reason to live!
Decorating
Paint, paper, or polish your tin to give it a new, creative look. Below are several ways to personalize your mint tin and give it a special, exciting new appearance.
Paint – Acrylic paint is the best to use on these projects. Available from a wide range of distributors in every color you can possibly imagine, acrylic paint can be purchased from any craft store, paint store, some hardware stores have small bottles of crafty acrylic paint, even big box stores that have craft sections will carry it. Use a small bristle or foam brush and make sure to let the paint dry before proceeding or painting again.
Stickers – Remember when you were little and you collected all of those stickers in a sticker book? Well, stickers are for decoration, not just collecting, and will stick wonderfully to your mint tin! If the adhesive on your stickers isn’t very strong or you have to shape your stickers around your tin, try putting a dab of hot glue on the back, which should really keep them on there!
Paper – All you need is some pretty paper and a hot glue gun and you can transform your tin into a beautiful piece of art. Origami paper, craft paper, pages from an old book, sheet music, wallpaper, even contact paper will brighten up your tin and make it one-of-a-kind.
Beads, Jewels, and Gems – Little beads, jewels, or gems will add texture to your tin as well as sparkle. These can also be purchased from any craft store, or salvaged from items in your home (like that bejeweled top your mother-in-law got you for your birthday last year that you never intend on wearing, or old beaded jewelry). Hot glue those little shiny bits anywhere you’d like on your tin, as long as they aren’t a safety hazard (if you’re making a tin for a child, it might be best to leave out decorations that they can pick off and choke on).
Uses
Now that you’ve decorated your mint tin, there are countless ways that you can use it! Here are just a few:
Mini First-Aid Kit – We all know the importance of having our bug out bag and our emergency survival kit, but we don’t carry those things around with us every day. What if you’re at work and you get a paper cut that won’t stop bleeding? Or your child scrapes their knee at the playground and your first-aid kit is at home? Well, now you can carry a mini kit with you at all times. Simply fill your decorated tin with Band-Aids, travel-sized antibiotic ointment, cotton swabs, dental floss, a sewing needle, pain-relievers, tweezers, lip balm, and some sterile gauze or swab pads. You can even squeeze a twenty-dollar bill in there just in case you need to take a cab to the doctor’s office or emergency room, and a couple of quarters in case you need to use a pay phone.
Jewelry Box – Going on vacation and trying to figure out where to keep your rings, earrings, cufflinks, and necklaces? Use your decorated tin to safely carry your precious items without them getting lost in your carry-on. Secure a rubber band around your tin to make sure it doesn’t open while you’re traveling.
Buttons – Everyone has extra buttons in their home. Usually scattered about or mixed in with other little trinkets or objects. Now you can organize all of your spare buttons in a pretty mint tin so that next time a button falls off your favorite blouse or the cuff of your husbands shirt, you can save time by finding the exact button (or a close enough fix) in your tin of buttons! Keep some thread and a needle in there as well so you’ll be ready to mend anything at a moment’s notice!
Games and Art – Keep your children entertained for hours with magnetic tic-tac-toe boards, checker boards, or by keeping crayons or little colored pencils and small pieces of paper in your decorated box. You’ll enjoy a relaxing game of checkers when you’re sitting at the airport or waiting for a table at a restaurant, too!
Crafts – Use your box to keep your emergency knitting/crochet tools, including collapsible scissors, a little hook for picking up dropped stitches, folded copies of a pattern or stitch guide, stitch markers, and a measuring tape. If you knit or crochet while you’re out and about, this little rescue tin will be a pretty, cherished tool kit.
Repurposing old, used objects is thrilling and a great way to eliminate waste. Just make sure your materials are non-toxic (especially if you’re making something for a child), and always be careful when you use a hot glue gun! Metal mint tins are great for organizing small items and creating tiny to-go emergency kits in addition to just holding mints. Make them for yourself or give them as gifts. Tell us how you like to use your old mint tins!