DIY Decorative Chalkboard Tin

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Today brings another post in my series, A Season of Serenity (Now) at Home. We all love homemade gifts, but it can be time-consuming (and expensive!) to make gifts for everyone. Today, I'll show you how you can easily repurpose an ugly candy or cookie tin and make a gift that will look pretty for Christmas...and the rest of the year too! This Decorative Chalkboard Tin was so easy to make, and inexpensive.

Here's what you need to get started:

-An ugly cookie or candy tin (I spent $3.50 on one from Big Lots)
-Spray paint in a fun color (I used Krylon's Ocean Breeze)
-Chalkboard Spray Paint
-Painter's Tape
-Silhouette Vinyl (optional)

1. This wasn't a particularly ugly tin, but a little busy for my taste. My first step was to tape off the cute top border on the larger half of the tin. I really pressed down on the edges to keep the paint from bleeding through.

2. I also taped around the inside of the top half of the tin to keep paint off of anything that might touch food.

3. Following the directions on the spray paint bottles, I painted my tin and allowed for drying time.

4. Following Krylon's instructions, I cured the chalkboard surface by rubbing some chalk across the chalkboard-painted area.

5. (Optional) I used my Silhouette to cut a vinyl "frame" for the top of the tin--a handy spot to write all sorts of messages.

Because I had all of the supplies on hand, I only spent $3.50 on this gift. Vinyl can be pricey, so you could always stencil your own design on the top with some craft paint to save money. I added some tissue paper and wax paper and filled the tin with my homemade Nutella Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread after writing a quick Christmas greeting with a chalkboard pen.

And I love that the tin can easily be used for other things after the holidays have passed...I filled mine with ribbon to give you an idea. You could also use it for tea or cocoa packets, photos, kids' mementos, stickers, jewelry, buttons, craft supplies--there are so many options!

This would be a fun gift for a teacher, neighbor, or friend. If you want to find other creative tips and tricks to bring some Serenity to your Christmas season, please stop by and check out the Season of Serenity (Now) at Home series!

Linking to Centsational Girl, Positively Splendid, Thrifty Decor Chick, The CSI Project, PS Homemade Gift Exchange

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