I've got an altoids tin that I'm using as a case for my iPod Shuffle. It works pretty well -- I cut the original packaging up to make a little plastic bit that holds the shuffle itself against the lid, and then the little quick-reference card and the headphones fit in the bottom part. So far so good.
The problem: it still looks like a scratched-up Altoids case.
So I want to decorate it somehow, either just the lid or the whole thing, but I dunno what to do to it. Painting is probably the easiest, but I don't know where to start. I could do a shiny and tough automotive finish but it'd mean buying cans of primer, paint and clearcoat for one Altoids tin. Craft-style paints probably wouldn't hold up to sharing a pocket with keys, but there's probably something clear I can spray on to protect it; I just don't know what. Paper stickers would get dirty and worn; vinyl ones would work but I'd need to find 'em. There's probably other options but I dunno from crafty stuff at all.
What should I do to it?
Or, you could decoupage it.
Haha.
A the risk of being repetitive
I friend turned a tin into a hum-hum box for me years ago. It handled pocketing easily. Then it was stolen.
Won't be as good as the real thing but for small areas (and I think an Altoid tin qualifies) it seems ok.
For extra points my body shop friend recommended me drying it with a heat gun rather than air drying.
The best part of this idea is that if you find you don't like, it's ready to be painted.
dammit
Re: dammit