Today marks the first of what I hope to be a great many inspirational Weekly Features here at PS, and I have to say we’re starting things off right! Brandy from Gluesticks is a blogger I met early on in my blogging experience, and she always has some marvelous ideas and tips!
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Hello Positively Splendid Readers!
I’m Brandy. The writer and creator behind the blog, Gluesticks! I am just delighted to be here and would like to thank Amy for opening up her blog platform to me today.
I just love Positively Splendid. I first found Amy when she linked up her Tiered Planter to a party last year. I immediately clicked on the photo, spent a good 30 minutes browsing her blog, and added it to my side bar. I’ve been a follower ever since. As you can see below, I took her inspiration and made one of my own last summer. It was beautiful and sparked many comments from friends who stopped by.
Father’s Day is just around the corner and I would love to share an idea that my children and I made for my husband. We actually made this as a Christmas gift, but it could be used for any occasion for the lover of tools in your home! And the Daddy over here has many boxes of tools, so this was perfect for him.
I found my inspiration for this project by googling “creative gifts for dad” in google images and found a photo of a mini tool box on Alpha Mom! So I checked out her site and was in love! Here is our version of this fun tool box!
For this project, you will need:
Empty Altoid Tins. At least one, but they are darling when stacked.
Sand paper or wire brush
Spray Primer
Spray Primer
Spray Paint
Vinyl + Cricut or Silhouette
Craft Wire
Hammer & Nail or metal punch
Mini Hardware Handle
(Don’t you just love Altoid tins? The project ideas for these cute little boxes are endless!)
First things first. Cover your work surface outside with newspaper and make sure it is well ventilated. Sand each tin to create a rougher surface for your paint to stick to. Don’t worry about doing anything to the inside of your tins, just the outside.
Apply your spray on primer and let dry. Then apply several thin coats of the spray paint color of your choice, allowing time for each coat to dry in between layers.
Once dry, mark 2 dots on the bottom of the first tin, and the tops of each consecutive tin. Using a hammer/nail or metal punch, carefully hammer two holes into each surface that you marked. Make sure that the holes line up with the tin underneath since you will be wiring the tins together. After the holes are punched, wire them together with your craft wire.
Once your tins are wired, apply vinyl (this is of course optional). And your handle. You could screw in you handle from the underside, but the one that I bought didn’t work like that. The screws were too long (they allowed for depth since they are supposed to be screwed into a cupboard) so I used some epoxy and allowed it to dry 24 hours. It is merely a decorative touch, not meant to hold up to being carried around a lot.
Then fill it with little goodies and you are set! We made these coupons for ours. I put them in their designated tins. On the back of each coupon is a picture that each child drew. They turned out darling and my husband loved it.
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Not the painting & sanding type? Here is a fun idea that I made for my husband for his birthday! It was a hit and as a bonus, I was able to sample some of the extra bottles of root beer. Yum!
Thank you so much Amy for this opportunity! This was fun to put together and I thank everyone for looking. Feel free to stop by Gluesticks anytime. I’d love to have you! And be sure to check out my 20+ Summer Activity Ideas for Kids along with a summer-long link party! The inspirational ideas are endless!
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What a darling idea! Thanks so much to Brandy for stopping by to share it with us!
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
Those are too cute! I saw one on pinterest the other day that was paint red:) I need to add Altoids to my shopping list so I can make one for my hubby! Thanks for sharing!