My family absolutely LOVES mints and breath fresheners. That means we are always looking for uses for Altoid tins rather than just recycling them. I decided to upcycle one into a DIY business card holder and thought I’d share the easy directions. So, grab your mint tin and get crafty! Then, check out a few other uses for Altoid tins and stop throwing them away!.
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Creative uses for Altoids tins
Looking for ways to use Altoid tins around the house? These cute little mint tins come in handy in all sorts of creative ways! Here are just a few amazing things to do with an Altoid tin:
- Flash/jump drive holder. Altoid tins are great to hold flash drives so they don’t get lost. I have two teens that need to bring them back and forth to school regularly so this is a must for us.
- First aid kit. Toss in some band-aids, a wet wipe or two, and some antibiotic ointment. Store your DIY first aid kit on your bicycle or in your school locker.
- Glasses, electronics, and other small items repair kit. Do you know how many times I have broken my glasses? A LOT. And not usually when I am at home. A DIY repair kit from an upcycled Altoid kit is very helpful!
- Change purse. Keep pocket change handy or store quarters in one for the pool bag or diaper bag.
- Office Organizer. Store paperclips, rubber bands and other small desk items.
- Charger or earbud holder. Great way for teens to keep them neat in a messy backpack.
- Gift card holder. Decorate it and give it away with the gift card you are giving.
- Garage organizer. Store nails, screws and other items in it in the garage.
- Travel game organizer. Check out my Altoid tin tic tac toe game or use it to keep dice and scrap paper organized.
- Keep jewelry neat when traveling. You can line it with felt if you’d like or just put earrings, rings, and bracelets inside before putting it in your purse.
- Survival kit. More on that one below because you may want to know what you should put in a tiny survival kit!
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What Should You Put in an Altoids Tin Survival Kit?
Of course, what you put in your homemade survival kit depends on what you want to survive. If you only need to survive car pool, then some Advil and a few Laffy Taffy might be all you need! But, upcycling Altoid tins into survival kits is fun and can even be a great activity for your scout group! In addition, it may just keep you safe in the next Zombie apocalypse!
So, if you decide to use Altoid tins as survival kits, give some thought as to what you want them to achieve. Here are a few ideas I found online:
- Tiny survival fishing kit with line, hook, and sinkers.
- one or two individually packed hand wipes
- Brass snare wire for hunting
- Small Button compass
- Fire steel or fire starter kit
- Small bandages in an array of sizes
- A handful of iodine tablets for water purification
How to Make a DIY Business Card Holder Out of an Altoid Tin
Okay, so, you want to make a business card holder, right? How do you turn your old Altoid tin into something useful to help you keep organized? All you need is glue, fabric, ribbon, and a button or other type of ‘bling’ for decorating. Get started upcycling Altoid tins to reduce waste and go green! Here’s how to make a DIY business card holder of of old mint tins:
Directions for this easy business card holder:
So, how do you get started? To start, rinse out your mint tin unless you want your business cards to be minty! Then,cut the fabric to fit the top of the mint tin. You can trace the shape of the tin onto the fabric to make this easier. If you fabric is thin and the colors of the mint tin show through, you can paint the top white before proceeding. Spread a thin amount of glue onto the mint tin and gently press the fabric onto the tin. However, don’t use too much glue or it will be very wet!
More easy DIY crafts
- Upcycled DIY Ribbon Organizer You Can Make for Only Pennies!
- Cranberry Wreath DIY Place Cards!
- DIY Gift Box Ideas that Save Money and Reduce Waste
Glue on the embellishments as desired or leave off if you want it simpler. Then, glue matching ribbon, washi tape or fabric strips along the bottom edge as shown. In addition, bush a small amount of glue around the edges of the material to keep them from fraying. Open up the tin and glue material or scrapbook paper on the inside cover. Voila! All done. Let it dry and use your DIY business card holder to store business cards in!
DIY Business Card Holder Supplies
- Mint tin-(you can recycle an Altoid tin for this!)
- Fabric Scraps
- Embellishments like ribbons and buttons
- Fabric Glue and paint brush
- Felt, material or scrapbook paper (for the inside)
How to Make a DIY Business Card Holder From Old Altoids Tins
Have old Altoid tins and want to upcycle them into something useful? Make this DIY business card holder!
Materials
- 1 Altoid tin
- Fabric
- Ribbon
- Button
- Craft glue
Tools
- scissors
Instructions
- Cut the fabric to fit the top of the mint tin. You can trace the shape of the tin onto the fabric to make this easier. If you fabric is thin and the colors of the mint tin show through, you can paint the top white before proceeding.
- Spread a thin amount of glue onto the mint tin and gently press the fabric onto the tin
- Glue on embellishments as desired
- Glue matching ribbon, washi tape or fabric strips along the bottom edge as shown
- Brush a small amount of glue around the edges of the material to keep them from fraying.
- Glue material or scrapbook paper on the inside cover
- Let dry and use your DIY business card holder to store business cards in!
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Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
That is a great app to help give more peace of mind for a real estate agents. I guess it makes sense, not everyone is trustworthy now, and it could be a good ruse to get someone alone.
That is a cute Business card holder. Great tutorial.
That really is handy. I like the video option!
I never thought about it before but there are real dangers with the job! taking those steps to ensure safety is key! Also, I need to make one of these, I tend to throw my business cards in a side pocket and they get so wrecked!
I have been known to throw them in my pocket too!
I have a close friend who is a realtor and I forwarded her this link. It does scare me when she meets people at houses for appointment. You just never know people’s intentions! This app seems like something that help put her mind at ease too. I love your business card holder idea too!
It is a bit sad we have to worry about these things but always helps to be cautious!
I have been saving Altoids tins and now I know what to make with at least one of them. I want this for me. But also this would be great for my husband to keep his business cards in too.
I have a closet full of useful things I can upcycle!
This is a brilliant idea! so cute andd keeps the cards safe.