Holiday Altered Tins by Shelly Hein-Simmons

Looking for a cute and creative way to give someone a gift card, cash or small gift? Look no further than your recycling bin!


I have created these gift boxes from candy and cigar tins. The mint tins are the perfect size for holding gift cards or even a small piece of jewelry.

To create these fun gift boxes, you will need the following supplies:

Art Institute Pee Wee Glitter Kit – Noel (this kit is the perfect mix of glitter colors for your holiday projects!) The colors included in this kit are: 230 Halo, 
47 Vine
, 291 Fire Engine
, 163 Egyptian Gold,

95 Summer Sea, 
298 Polar Bear
, 84 Shiny Silver

Cardstock and Patterned Paper scraps
Sand Paper
Foam Paint Brushes
Clear Drying Adhesive
Spray Adhesive
Misc embellishments
Optional: Fabric, Fabric Stiffener, Paints


For both tins, I used Cosmo Cricket “Jolly by Golly” patterned paper and American Crafts cardstock. The Snowman Box included Cosmo Cricket “Jolly by Golly” rub-ons, and American Craft velvet scalloped trim (these supplies were all scraps left over from the December mini kit at Citrus Tree Studio) In addition, I used Robin’s Nest Dew Drops for the eyes and a couple of rhinestone stars.


Instructions/tips/techniques:

• Sand the top of your tin to “rough it up” for better adhesion.
• You may paint the top edges of your tin to better coordinate with your color scheme, if desired.
• I free hand cut my snowman “parts”, but a good source for making paper piecings is to look up free coloring pages on the internet to print and use as a pattern.
• I used a spray adhesive on my snowman parts and then liberally sprinkled the glitter on top, tapping off excess. Using the spray adhesive gives a nice “sugared” effect to the paper.
• For the poinsettia, I cut some petal shapes from scrap fabric and then machine stitched around the edges (this helps to give the pieces “shape”). I then brushed fabric stiffener on both sides with a foam paint brush and arranged them on a glass plate, scrunching and shaping, to dry.
• Once the petals were dry, I again brushed glue onto the inner edge of each petal using a foam brush and sprinkled on a combination of Fire Engine and Egyptian Gold glitter.
• The flower center is a shank style button, covered in glue, then dipped in glitter.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2