Make Your Own Travel Palette

Got a tiny tin?  Make a tiny paint palette.  After looking over the palette I bought last week from Expeditionary Art, my brain started to explode with fun ideas.  Digging through my tool box in the studio I came up with two hinged tins that would make terrific little palettes.  Then I went online to see what other kinds of small boxes I could find and folks- the possibilities are endless.  Business card cases, cigar/cigarette cases, old Sucrets tins, vintage pill boxes or any other fun thing you can dream up. Fun, fun, fun, this is better than ice cream!  

For years I’ve looked at homemade Altoid-box palettes and the problem was always how to get the paint pans to stay in, or how to divide the box for each color.  I’ve seen them done with caulk, hot glue and even metal strips.  This, however, is genius.  

As I looked over the little empty pans in my new travel palette I kept trying to remember where I’d seen some like them before.  Finally it dawned on me that every morning, when I put makeup on, I see those little pans full of eye shadow.  You can buy empty, metal makeup pans bulk online!  Are you starting to get the picture? 

Stick-on magnet sheets are easy to cut to size and adhere to the bottom of your tin.  Once you’ve got that in place your little paint pans will stay put in your palette; easy to get in, easy to take out and re-fill.  A coat of clear lacquer finish to preserve your tin from rust and you are in business. 

Of course, now the problem is- I don’t really need this many watercolor palettes.  This is easy to get carried away with, let me tell you.  Just look at my watch list on Ebay; it’s full of gorgeous tiny tins.  I’m going to go back to working on drawing out my next painting and see if my fertile little mind will stop this madness.

I'll be back on Monday, in the meantime, thanks for stopping by! Alice