DIY Altoid Tin Prayer Boxes

Alright, my lovely little bloggers. I have been wanting to start a DIY section on this blog for awhile now, so I figure what better time than the present. Right? So here goes...

I was in a store called Francesca's a few weeks ago with some lovely ladies by the name of Laura and Maddie. Then are both heading off to England with me (in 10 days I might add!!!). Anyways, we were shopping for some stuff to bring to school and I came across these cute little boxes!

Now isn't that adorable?!

This was what it said on the inside

"When your head starts to worry,

and your mind just can't rest,

put your prayers down on paper,

and let God do the rest."

I mean aren't these just the sweetest little things?

So me, the avid do-it-yourself girl that I am, decided I could make these easy peasy! And it really was. Here's how:

1) I bought some Altoids. I bought a pack of four because it is cheaper than buying individual packs. I believe it cost me $4 dollars max for these.

2) I pulled out some sheets of scrapbooking paper that I had on hand and traced the top of the box once, and the bottom twice. I used three different patterns of paper for each tracing I did. (Note: trace the box on the back of the paper so you don't have lines on the side you want to show.) 

3) I cut out the paper. Now, cut the paper for the top of the box and the bottom of the box normally, but the second tracing you did of the bottom is for the inside of the lid. This piece I cut slightly inside the line so that it would fit without any extra.

4) I sanded all the places I was going to glue paper to (so the top, bottom, and inside lid of the Altoid tin.) and then wiped them with a dry cloth to remove any dusty residue. 

5) I used a glue stick (NOT a glue bottle. That will make your paper soggy and wrinkle when it dries) and glued down the paper in the three designated spots. (I put glue on both the tin and the paper to help it stick better.)

6) Next I hopped on my trusty computer and typed out Prayer Box and the poem from above, and printed it on colored paper. White works fine, too, but I personally enjoy any pop of color I can get. Make sure to print in a font that isn't too large so that it won't fit on your tin, but also not so small that it is hard to read. I used 11 for the poem, and 24 for "Prayer box."

7) I cut them out what I had printed and glued the "prayer box" on the top, and the poem on the inside cover.

8) Lastly, I used some clear gloss interior/exterior varnish to seal all my hard work and insure nothing would get dirty or ripped. I used the brand Dreamcoat from Ben Franklin's (a small bottle costs around $3), but it could also be purchased at any other craft store or possibly Walmart. When using the varnish, apply one coat and then let it dry for 10-15 minutes and apply a second coat, if desired. Once both coats are dry, remember to give the bottom and inside of the lid a coat as well.

Then I just got some little pads of paper and placed them inside the box and I was all set! This is how they turned out.

I added the bunting to this one. It made it 10 times cuter. Just 3 little triangles of paper glued down. Looks awesome!

I love the print of the lace on this paper. I think it is absolutely adorable.

And of course you have to have one that is all bunting. I mean, how can you not?

This is the inside.

And a close up. I didn't take pictures of the bottoms, but they are just a piece of scrapbook paper cut and glued down. Pretty simple. I just put paper there to cover up the Altoid nutritional info.

I hope this DIY was enjoyable and easy to follow. You can let me know if anything was unclear or didn't work by leaving a comment below. Thanks!