Top Tin List!*

Here's my tip sheet I was talking about, I posted it to the Gina K forum but forgot to put it here. You are welcome to cut and paste this info to print out your own tip sheet, or go to the forum to print it as a word document. If you'd like visual aids to help picture what I'm talking about with any of the tips, you can view every stamp image in these sets by clicking on the links to the right of this post. Many of the coloring, decorating and cutting tips have been demonstrated here on blog, browse through for examples(for quick reference try the "What's In Your Tin?" labels to the right)

What’s In Your Tin? 1 and 2 Tip Sheet
By Melanie Muenchinger


guilt-free goodies-use this for any sugar free, low or no-calorie treats OR non-edible trinkets(tea lights, card candy embellishments, etc)

Tiny Treasures -anything sentimental. Perfect for accordion books or mini photo albums, baby memorabilia like locks of hair and hospital bracelets, whatever is precious to you.
Survival Kit-any of the "kits". Also great for boys, compass/nature stuff, or for men-playing cards, gum, toothpicks etc
"The Essentials"- whatever you NEED! (ideas for women: in your purse or car, sewing kit, nail file, mirror, lipstick, mints, business cards, feminine, uh, products! etc. For men: Gift cards, small fishing supplies, contacts, nail clipper & tweezers, Change, cuff links, golf tees and little pencils, etc... For teens: Nintendo game cards, dice For kids: candy, trinkets, crayons etc) For music lovers: an ipod tin!
My tooth-for tooth fairy visits of course!
"Especially for you"- classic for any occasion. Great for inside, top or bottom, general gift, excellent for presenting a gift card. This font (which is the same for "to" and "from")matches the font in Carolyn's Framed Flowers and the new "free with three" set!) All three are great for gift tags!
Life is Sweets! and candy is dandy!-CANDY!!!
"This belongs to..."-a child's personal stuff OR a grown-up's secret stash(we all need our privacy!)! The top half can also be stamped on ANYTHING you need to personalize. (clothes, lunchboxes, etc!)
"Get Well Soon!" Fill with Band-Aids, lozenges, tissues, tea bags, etc
"I made this just for you" and to and from are great for bottom or inside of tins.
"for the modern girl on the go" use this alone or in combination with some of the other sayings("guilt free goodies for the modern girl...", "The Essentials for the... " etc!) or for any girly kit contents!
To: and From: stamp these on the bottoms, tops, or inside, and tags, of course!

Inking and decorating tips:
Ink up just the edge if you want a "plain" top to cut out.
Add your own favorite sentiments and images to decorate the labels.
Stamp on DP, no coloring necessary!
Layer your borders stamping different borders on top of each other on the same piece of paper using a stampamajig to create a new fancy border!
Stamp on the back of a piece of DP, cut and flip for a borderless label.
Kiss the bold label from "What's In Your Tin? 1" to your inked up patterned backgrounds for a variety of looks!
Create a “faux shaving cream” or tie dye look with the bold label by inking, and twisting another small stamp (inked with a different color or uninked) to add and remove color and create a swirled pattern before stamping.
Stamp the bold label with a light color(ex: pink) on a patterned piece of paper (ex: flowers on white a white background) and you'll have a pink patterned flower label!
Try stamping on the waterproof labels for toiletry kits,kids tins, bottled gifts whatever!
Use the borders as "frames” and stamp in a row to make an accordion album for your tin or stamp directly on your photos to frame them up!

Cutting tips:
Cut around the outside border for a perfect label for inside and outside and bottoms of your Altoid tins, sized to leave a little silver border showing all the way around for a custom look.
Cut around the inside border of your image for your focal point, then stamp again on coordinating cardstock and cut around the outside border for a perfect, layered mat.
Cut following the border with a scalloped or other decorative edge scissor to kick up your label a notch.

With the thickest border label in "What's In Your Tin? 2", you can take your decorative scissors and cut to the inside, outside or ON the border to vary the width and look of it! (as shown in the pic at the top of this post (I just used black and white so it would be easy to see the difference in the borders): these were all made with this ONE stamp(and seven different pairs of scissors! So how many borders you get out of this is only limited by how many pairs of scissors you have and how far in you choose to cut with each), and they can be found for as low as $2-$3 or value packs for less than that. )
Use the text stamps with your punches and Nestabilities for tags and dressing up tins and boxes of other shapes (ex: round or square lids etc.)

Use the cut labels for inside and the bottom of your tin, too!

When you're out shopping for goodies for you tins, throw a tin in your purse so you can check to see if they will fit. Forget your tin at home? A credit card or drivers license will fit in them, too, so whip that out and check the length.

Please email me your best ideas if you would like to add to this list! It will keep growing I know with your and my help! :) ipod holders were the furthest thign from my mind when designing these sets LOL!

I will be providing more links, tips, and tutorials for your tins in upcoming posts, as well as another post with pics showing tips for how I cut the borders like in the pic above(making the border look different using just one pair of scissors).

* you thought I mispelled ten, right? (that I was going to tell you 10 random funny thing ala Letterman?? or give you 10 recommmendations?? Nope. But I might come back and do that...)