Vintage luggage covered in travel stickers is about iconic as it gets for me in the world of vintage decor. In the spirit of Christmas-ornament-making during this time of year, I decided to create my own vintage suitcases that could be hung on my tree. And to do this, I decided to upcycle some Altoids tins or mint tins to make it happen!
To give you an idea of my inspiration, this is a vintage suitcase I spotted while on a junkin’ journey to Richmond, Virginia.
I loved it so much that I even made my own version with a piece of old luggage that I found at Goodwill!
So, really, when you think about it, it’s not shocking at all that I made a miniature version for my Christmas tree, too!
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Upcycling the Mint Tins into Vintage Luggage or Mini Suitcase
First, I hit up my local fabric store and raided the remnants section (they were 75% off!) and the clearance bolts (50% off!). I specifically looked for upholstery fabrics that looked luggage-y, if that makes sense.
Covering the mint tins in fabric is easy once you know the corner the trick. And my hot glue gun was my BFF for this project.
To start, I cut out a a rectangle of fabric that was larger than the tin and hot glued the tin to the fabric.
Then, I trimmed all four edges so that the ends covered at least half of the Altoids tin.
I ended up with rectangles that were roughly 4¾” X 3½” in size.
Next, I made snips (8 in total) at each corner of the fabric, perpendicular to the tin.
Then, I hot glued the flaps along each straight edge of the mint tin.
After the sides were glued on, I folded the corner tabs over and trimmed the tips. That way, the corner tabs had a straight edge that lined up with the end pieces. Once I glued the corner tabs in place, this is what the Altoids tin looked like.
I flipped the mint tin over and did the exact same thing to the other side.
And if you trim too much fabric off so that the middle portion of the tin is exposed, don’t worry. We’ll be covering that in just a moment!
Suitcase Straps and Travel Stickers for a Vintage Suitcase Christmas Ornament
Now I could add the embellishments to my Altoids tin to really make it look like vintage luggage.
First, I used narrow grosgrain ribbon as suitcase straps. I started by wrapping to strips of ribbon across the tin, hot gluing the ends on the bottom of then.
Then, I wrapped a longer piece around the perimeter where the fabric pieces met.
I also added some slack at the “top” of the mini suitcase as a handle. And again, I hot glued the ends of the ribbon on the bottom of the ornament.
But the best part?? Travel stickers that were teeny tiny enough to use on my mini suitcase!
And I know what you’re thinking- where on Earth did I find those? I found them on Etsy as a digital download. If you are a subscriber to my blog and have difficulty finding some mini travel stickers, please let me know and I can help you out!
Once I had cut out a bunch of the travel stickers, I hot glued them all over the Altoids tin. NOW it was really starting to look like vintage luggage…
Vintage Luggage Christmas Ornaments from an Altoids Tin
And the finished product? Simply adorable – I love how this Altoid tin craft turned out! And it’ll be completely charming as a Christmas ornament on my tree.
Wouldn’t these be perfect as unique travel gifts for travel lovers? And they’re so easy to make – perfect for a holiday craft party with your friends, too!
Interested in more upcycling ideas for Christmas ornaments? Then, I hope you’ll check out this collection of projects before you go!
Craft on!
S
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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
OMG these are so stinkin’ cute! Thanks for the corner trick.
Even cuter in person, Heather!! 🙂
These are so cute and very creative!! Happy Thanksgiving!! xo Holly
Thank you, Holly!
This is so totally adorable!! I now want about a million of them!
Awww, these are the cutest!! They could easily drive me into an obsession with all things mini. 🙂 Thanks SO much for coming & sharing at Found & Foraged! xo, Laura
I love this and tried to pin it but Pinterest says there are no images that can be pinned. I wonder if you are aware of this. Love the project.
Hi! Thanks for letting me know. I just tried to pin it again and it worked just fine. Did you try repinning it from my Sadie Seasongoods board on Pinterest? Maybe that’ll work better… http://www.pinterest.com/sarahwpb/sadie-seasongoods/
Thanks for sharing this adorable ornament. I’ve been buying altoids just for the tins
They need to be repurposed, right?? Too cute/nice to toss away. 🙂
that is adorable! i love these types of suitcases and the travel dreams they inspire, too. i got one of those delicate type ones from target last year, and i love it. hopefully it’ll stay in one piece.
b
These are the cutest things! How clever are you!! thanks for sharing the fun idea. I’m pinning.
Absolutely adorable! Pinning this cute idea – thanks for linking it up at Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do!
Loving and pinning this adorable ornaments. Thank you for sharing at Make It Monday.
Absolutely adorable and CLEVER!!
OMG, how insanely cute! They are so adorable. You’re so clever. Thank you for sharing and linking up to Scraptastic Saturdays. This post has been shared via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Have a wonderful week.
This is such a cute idea!
Thanks for coming and linking up at our Happy Holidays Link Party. We’d love to see you back next week starting Saturdays @7pm ET on The Midnight Baker from now until Christmas!
Judy@ http://www.bakeatmidnite.com
I adore these! The Altoids tins were just so amazingly clever. I’m featuring them tonight on Merry Monday which goes live at 9pm EST. Hope to see you there and congrats!
Adorable! Oh my goodness, I love this! What a fun way to have happy travel memories on the tree, as well. So cute. Thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in this week’s issue.
Do you have instructions for making a luggage/altoid tin that will still open & close -as a -cash-money gift holder?
No, but you could certainly alter this one so that the fabric doesn’t impede opening and closing!
Thank you for sharing! This is going to be fun and new ornaments this year!
You are so very welcome, Angie!