Fun Summer Project

Every summer I swear that I'm going to declutter my craft room; it hasn't happened yet. 

However, I did empty one bin by doing a fun and easy project that has been languishing for close to a decade.

I've been collecting Altoid Tins and all those little do-dads for years -- on clearance, of course!

The first step was sorting out all the do-dads. As you might guess, I sorted them by color. Also, you'll want to cut off the button shacks with a wire-cutter. Cover the button with your hand so the shank doesn't fly into your eye.

It's a bit messy, but very easy. In a small container, you mix gel medium (I use Golden, but I don't think brand matters) with cheapo acrylic paint. You don't need a lot of paint to tint the medium. I stirred it with a popsicle stick. Then you spread a thick layer on the lid of the tin.

Now the fun begins: Start sticking stuff down. Sometimes I started in the middle; other times I started in a corner. Either way, it went fine.

They need to dry for at least 24 hours. I gave mine more than three days -- just to be sure.

Most of my nieces and nephews are in their teens and 20s, so I'm going to give them cash in one of these cute little boxes. That takes care of a lot of my holiday "shopping"!

One bin down; 30 (at least) more to go!