Decorated Metal Tins - How to Use Those Empty Altoid and Ice Chip Boxes

The top cover of my decorated tin

 By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

I joined a group of ladies to make these pretty prayer boxes last weekend.

I recently attended the Columbia Basin Baptist Association's Annual Women and Teenage Girls' Retreat at Camp Touchet, just outside of Dayton, Washington. What a beautiful, if somewhat remote and out of cell coverage zone, location!

Much fun was had Friday night when our craft lady and photographer shared her idea and supplies with us. We made these fun prayer boxes!

Of course, the boxes could be used for anything, but we were at a retreat that featured prayer, so our boxes were prayer themed.

So make use of those empty Altoid or Ice Chip metal tins and create to your hearts' content.

The top and bottom of my tin 

Decorated Metal Tins

Materials:

empty metal tins
spray paint
decorated scrap paper
scissors
pencils
thin-tipped permanent markers
craft glue
washi tape
buttons, ribbon, stickers, gems, glitter glue, and assorted embellishments

1. In advance, spray paint the outside of the tin, including top, bottom, and sides. Let dry.

2. Trace the tin bottom on decorated scrap paper. Cut it out and trim to fit. You can use this as a template for the bottom, top, and inside top of the tin. Glue in place with craft glue.

3. I loved the look of the washi tape, so I edged the top and bottom with washi. It doesn't stick very well around the corners by itself, so I need to glue down the corners.

4. Add buttons, butterflies, stickers, or any embellishments you want. Make a decorated label for the lid to tell what the tin is for. Glue to top.

5. I also decorated the inside of the lid. You can see the little poem that we included in our lids.

6. I left the bottom empty, but added small pieces of paper for notes and a short pencil (our craft person found them on Amazon - just search for mini mechanical pencils).

The inside poem, note paper, and pencil

Et voila! You are ready to take notes, write down thoughts, pen tiny masterpieces, or scribe prayers.

How are you going to use this craft idea? I think it would be great for a camp project!
 

YARD SALE 101: Ways to Avoid the "Y" Word

What's hiding in your shed?


It's true. I really don't like having yard sales.

I love going to them, especially if they are well organized, have things I collect or must have, and have cheap prices.

Unless I am on a binge of cleaning out the house. For me, this has been going on for years. I may never want to attend a yard sale again. Well, maybe one that has rubber stamps.

YARD SALE 101: Ways to Avoid the "Y" Word = Keep Clutter at Bay to Avoid Need for Yard Sale

The very best thing to do to get out of all of the hours and days and weeks of preparation for a yard sale? Make your house allergic to the gathering of junk that will require a yard sale.

Here are some ways I've found to keep my house safe from (required) yard sale efforts.

1. Buy. Only. What. You. Need. Nothing else. You will have more money in your wallet and less junk in your house. Practice saying, "NO. I do not need this." NOW.

2. Eschew other yard sales and clearance bins. Look the other way. Choose a different route. Ignore the sales ads and going out of business signs.

3. Avoid gathering clutter. Get rid of stuff. One thing in? One thing out. Get a gift? Give a gift.

4. Use your things until they fall apart, break completely, or wear out. Trash them and update with a new item. ONE new thing for each thing out. There is no need to store extras when your current model may last for years.

5. Recycle. Don't feel bad about getting rid of that (book, magazine, newspaper, glass, etc.) thing. Feel good about recycling and not dumping belongings in the landfill.

6. Donate. Donate a lot. Choose a charity or good cause as the recipient for your extras. Goodwill, women's shelter, YWCA, Salvation Army, homeless shelter, and many church clothing closets or homeless ministries need donations of clothes, baby items, toys, and household goods. A simple phone call or two will help you find the right place for you.

7. Adopt the character trait of generosity. Give away things of beauty or function. See a need? Give something you have. Does someone express a genuine love for an item you no longer have room for? GIVE it to them.

8. Re-gift. Seriously. Unless your name is sewn onto something or the gift is so specific to you that it's impossible to do, re-gift items that do not fit your home, body, style, or space. Do offer sincere thanks to the giver, even if the gift is one you cannot use.


These tips are helping me to ever so slowly de-clutter my house. Our dream is to condense and clear out enough stuff so that we can build a small home of about 800 square feet. That goal is helping me to detach from belongings in order to be free of storing, organizing, and cleaning extra stuff. We can't wait for a simple home and lifestyle and are working on it one thing at a time.

Join me for the next two days for YARD SALE 102: Yard Sale Tips IF You HAVE to Have One and YARD SALE 103: How We Made People Happy at Our Yard Sale.

Thanks for reading and for sharing!

Underwear Storage System - FREE

Yep. That's right.

Because I want resealable packaging on the new chonies I purchase.

How many people keep and use their plastic bag after taking out the new underpants?

Survey says: 0

If you enjoyed this post, you are invited to sign up to receive blog posts in your email inbox. Thanks!

And don't forget to reuse those underwear baggies.

Good to the Last Drop - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I'm one of those people.

I cut the bottom off of the lotion tube to scoop out the part that won't squeeze out.

I recycle every tiny piece of paper. Bigger good pieces are saved for art projects.

I feel guilty when I have to throw away actual trash.

I pay the city for recycling services.

I can't believe we don't recycle glass. It hurts me.

I have upside down bottles of stuff around the house, all to gather the dregs and put them to use.

I dumped the huge cream rinse container into a reused coffee cup and keep the ugly thing by the tub so I can get all the drips.

I have trained my honey to do the same thing.

I am upset that the fabric softener people do not make the cardboard refills anymore. I once had a plastic bottle that I kept for years, just by refilling. Until someone (who shall forever remain nameless and guilty) threw it out.

I make people use cloth napkins at my house. Some of them resist. But I keep trying.

We use real plates and silverware as often as possible.

Our recycling bin is larger than our trash bin.

Some of my clothes are decades old. Literally. If they look good, why get rid of them?

Some of the old, old clothes are ugly. They transform into work-in-the-yard and paint-the-house clothes just fine.

Hand-me-downs are fun. And already broken in.

I compost all I can. I wish the city would enable us to do more.

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. (Psalm 24:1)

The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. (Genesis 2:15)

There is so much I can do to make a positive impact to our natural world of finite resources. There is so much more I can do.

Choice by choice, I strive to not leave my mark.


What do you do? Maybe it is something I haven't thought of yet.


Angie Quantrell blogs from Yakima, Washington, where nature in the form of farms, orchards, vineyards, mountains, lakes, and rivers is abundant and beautiful. She would like to keep it that way.

Old Things, New Uses

Mabel has discovered a new use for the sink sprayer. It is now called a head rest.

We see normal everyday items being used in the traditional fashion. But what if we got creative? How many ways can we use that same old thing? Sort of like reuse and repurpose, but with a twist (the sink sprayer will still always be a sink sprayer).

Let's see what we can find.

Check out this wrapping paper plastic tub with wheels. Voila! It is now a water exploration tub.

Looks like a shopping bag and a basket, right? Wrong. Those are kitty beds.

What used to be old book pages, some ribbon, glue, tape, and pretty paper is transformed into pretty rosettes.

See how much fun it is to acknowledge our resourcefulness? Maybe a few more...

The old mini wine barrel has become a light and log filled beacon of welcome.

Nesting dolls become a game in graduating sizes.

An old picture frame, old paneling, and some paint transforms into a chalkboard.

This is fun! We are just being resourceful. I think I will keep looking.

What old things can your find new uses for?

Pockets

I often wear skirts or slacks that do not have pockets. As a teacher, I need to have some stuff at my beck and call. Like pencils, markers, pens, a whistle, lip balm. That sort of stuff. But my wardrobe did not cooperate.

So I made my own pocket. And, this cracks me up (probably only me, but I get the joke), I made my 'pocket' out of a pair of Taylor's (Army son) jeans. I just cut off a front pocket, sewed the holes, trimmed the edges, and added a strap.

Et voila! A pocket, worthy of a teacher. A pocket from a pocket. Ha-ha.

A bit of history. The pilgrims did not have pockets either. So they had a pouch they tied around their waist as a pocket. So triple ha!

And my students know exactly what I want when I say, "Where is my pocket?" or "It's in my pocket."

They caught on. And wanted their own pockets.

Whacked off some more old pants, trimmed the edges, added straps, and let them decorate with permanent markers to their hearts content. Ahhhh.

Recycle. Yes. Reuse. Yes. Repurpose. Yes.

The new 3 R's. All in kindergarten.