“By the 1920s, the original cardboard box had been replaced by the more durable distinctive metal tins of today.” reports the Altoids website. That’s over 100 years of creatives and innovators finding clever and practical ways to repurpose the curiously useful metal tins from “the original celebrated curiously strong mints”.
Numerous suggestions for their reuse have been shared online―the Altoids Instagram account offers some clever ideas.
Here in the FanningSparks studio, I’ve been repurposing my own little stash of empty Altoids Mints tins. According to the Altoids website, the tins were designed “to help protect the mints and to stay neatly closed in pockets and handbags”.
The containers are made from tin plate meaning they are strong and durable. An ingenious cover design incorporates a hinged lid which swings open smoothly and locks securely in place when closed. The standard-sized Mints tin box is 3.62” x 2.25” x .75”.
Simply reusing the tins to store small items is the most obvious option. A myriad of possibilities presents itself―sewing clips, lucky wishing stones, vintage brooches, coins, paper clips, buttons and so on.
Given all the stuff that can be stashed in the empty tins, it quickly becomes necessary to label them. Unsurprisingly, I couldn’t resist dressing up my little tin boxes to indicate their contents.
A few pieces of black, yellow and white felt plus a small piece of special ribbon quickly turned one into a pretty storage container for my camera accessories. It easily holds a lens cleaning cloth, spare batteries and a spare memory card.
I used a similar approach to make a pretty storage container worthy of my miniature glass flamework ornaments from Glaszentrum Lauscha (see Lauscha: Making Glass for Over 425 Years).
Most recently, in the blog post Language of Flowers Mini Cards – DIY Tutorial, I shared a project to make a boxed set of mini reference cards showcasing the Language of Flowers. It includes a complimentary download of perfectly-sized photos along with step-by-step instructions to create the mini reference cards and matching decorative floral container shown below.
The blog post, My Japan Travel Memories Mini Tin, introduces the idea of creating tiny, three-dimensional works of art to capture travel memories. By reflecting upon my travel experiences, I’ve been able to identify the few, most significant, tangible and intangible qualities of the places I’ve visited and then condense them into a pocket-sized box.
My first Travel Memories Mini Tin captures precious memories from a 3-week visit to Japan in the spring of 2023.
My second Travel Memories Mini Tin captures memories from a recent visit to Prague (see Postcards from Czechia and Austria). Although it was a short stay, this was my fifth visit to the marvelous “City of a Hundred Spires”.
One of my strongest impressions of Prague is the outstanding architecture―a key reason why Prague is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. In fact, UNESCO designated the Historic Center of Prague as a World Heritage Site and provides this introductory description: “Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcany Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.”
I chose a photo of the iconic Charles Bridge, crossing the Vltava River between Prague’s Old Town and Lessor Town, with the imposing Hradcany/ Prague Castle in the background to create a small, 3-dimensional diorama inside my Prague Travel Tin. You may notice a partial curtain of beads meant to represent the rain that fell during our visit. I purchased these beads in Prague and I’ve included them here as a nod to the historical significance and craftsmanship of Czech glass beads. The cute blue and gold heart is a pressed glass button also made in Czechia and purchased in Prague.
For the inside cover of my Prague Travel Tin, I chose a photo of the gorgeous Art Nouveau style hall in Prague’s Main Train Station. Evidence of the Art Nouveau movement, or Secession as it was known in Czechia, is visible throughout the city.
En route to the Prague Castle, my sister Marian and I happened across the charming Jánská street in Malá Strana (Lesser Town). One house, in particular, caught our attention with its striking black and white painted exterior.
One of the design elements, with its floral motif and flowing lines, inspired the embroidered cover of my Prague Travel Tin. I added Czech glass beads and sequins for emphasis and interest.
My third Travel Memories Mini Tin captures memories of a 2½ week visit to Portugal in 2019. The highlight of my trip was walking 110+ kilometers on the Camino de Santiago via the Camino Portugués (see my previous blog post Following the Yellow Arrows for the full story). I have many vivid, cherished memories from Portugal, chief among them being the outstanding traditional crafts―from bobbin lace making (see Tied In Knots In Portugal) to filigree (see Making Curls and Swirls with a Filigree Master) to tiles (see Talk About Tiles!).
The azulejos (Portuguese for tiles) shown below, provided the inspiration for the embellishment on the cover of my Portugal Travel Tin.
In my Portugal Travel Tin, I’ve included a few, small scallop-shaped shells for the Camino de Santiago, a silver filigree heart I made with a master filigree artist in Gondomar, a piece of exquisite bobbin lace from Vila do Conde and a cute, little handcrafted nativity scene I purchased at an artist market in Porto.
For the inside cover of my Portugal Travel Tin, I chose a photo of a stunning wrought iron balcony at the Art Nouveau Museum in Aveiro. Wrought iron is surprisingly prevalent in Portugal―it’s used for balconies, railings, doors, grilles, light fixtures, fences, gates and so much more (see Lines and Patterns in Wrought Iron).
The stone arches shown in the 3-dimensional diorama inside my Portugal Travel Tin are part of the impressive, granite Aqueduct of Santa Clara in Vila do Conde.
To date, I’ve created Travel Memories Mini Tins for three of the many wonderful places I’ve visited―Portugal, Japan and Prague.
In summary, there are a variety of ways to repurpose Altoids Mints’ curiously useful metal tins. I’ve successfully used them to 1) store miniature glass ornaments 2) hold camera accessories 3) keep a deck of mini reference cards and 4) capture travel memories.
More Info
Previous blog posts mentioned in today’s blog post include:
. Lauscha: Making Glass for Over 425 Years
. Language of Flowers Mini Cards – DIY Tutorial which includes a complimentary download of 36 perfectly-sized photos to create the cards and a decorative floral container.
. My Japan Travel Memories Mini Tin
. Postcards from Czechia and Austria
. Following the Yellow Arrows about walking the Camino Portugués
. Tied In Knots In Portugal
. Making Curls and Swirls with a Filigree Master
. Talk About Tiles!
. Lines and Patterns in Wrought Iron
Today’s Takeaways
1. Used mint tins, such as Altoids, can be repurposed in a variety of clever and practical ways.
2. Embellishing a repurposed mint tin can turn a simple container into a miniature work of art.
3. A Travel Memories Mini Tin can be used to capture the few, most significant, tangible and intangible qualities from the places you’ve visited.
