No one wants a blister, tummy ache, headache, the sneezies, or any other medical mishap to ruin a fun day at the parks. But no one wants to bring a five pound emergency kit in their park bag either! Finding a balance between being prepared and bringing too much is key on a Disney vacation. Today I’ve got a little How-To for you that I hope will help get you through any little medical emergencies at the park so you can fix your family (or yourself) up and move on to more fun!
Made using Part of your World by Honeybee’s Creative Hive
This mini medicine kit is really mini, but it isn’t meant to hold supplies to last your entire vacation. I pack mine with one of everything I may need while I’m at the parks or on the road. Just enough to make you feel better so you can finish out your day or until you can make it to your room, your resort store, your car, or the drugstore. Back at the hotel I keep a large bag with more of all of these supplies. At the end of the day, if I have used something from my mini kit, I can refill from the larger bag and be ready for an in-park emergency the next day.
Here is what I keep in mine:
- 2 immodium tablets
- 6 bandaids of different sizes
- small packet of antibiotic ointment
- 2 Bayer aspirin
- 6 Tylenol
- 2 allergy/sinus tablets
- 2 Alka seltzer cold tablets
- several small pieces of moleskin
- 1 gas-ex tab
- 1 small individual vial of eye drops
- one cough drop
I know that seems like a lot to get into an altoid tin, but with careful layering it fits perfectly. I’ve even added a few other items in there with no problem.
Supplies you will need:
- empty altoid tin that has been washed out to remove any residue, and then dried thoroughly
- small scissors
- x-acto knife (can use sharp scissors too)
- papers or printed digital items
- red line tape
- 16 inches of ribbon
1.BOTTOM – Create a new document in your digital scrap program that is 4.5inches wide by 3inches tall. Or use paper cut to that size. Clip whatever paper you choose (I like a fun pattern) to the rectangle and print.
2.BOTTOM – Cut out the rectangle of pattern paper and lay it evenly under your altoid tin. Trace around the bottom of the tin as close as you can get to the edge of the tin.
3.BOTTOM – cut out the altoid tin shape using the pattern you made BUT SLIGHTLY SMALLER. I use the edge of my scissors as a guide and cut about an 1/8 of an inch inside the line I drew.
4.BOTTOM – cut small pieces of your redline tape and place them around the edges of your paper, making sure there is tape on the corners. Peel off redline tape and stick to bottom of tin.
5.TOP – in your 4.5×3 inch document, place a fun background and add some fun decorations. Shadow and add any details you want. DON’T PUT THE DECORATIONS AT THE EDGES! You may have noticed your pattern is actually larger than the size of your altoid tin. This is so you can wrap the edges of the paper around the edge of the tin. So when placing your decorative elements, don’t put them right on the edges of your scrapping area, move them more towards the center so they show on the lid.
6.TOP – Print your lid and cut it out, removing any white paper around it. You just want the 4.5×3 block. Lay your tin on top of the rectangle, getting it fairly centered inside. Trace the lid of your tin onto the rectangle. Round out the corners of your rectangle to match the corners of the lid you traced. AROUND THE CORNERS of the rectangle make small cuts about 1/4inch apart from the edge of the paper just to the traced line.
7. TOP – place redline tape around the INSIDE of the line you traced.
8.TOP – wrap redline tape around the sides of the top of the tin, paying attention to the corners. Then wrap redline tape around the sides of the bottom of the tin, spaced evenly between the bottom edge of the lid and the bottom of the tin.
9.TOP – peel off the tape strips on the paper and stick the decorative paper to the top of your tin. You will have edges hanging over. Peel off the tap strips on the sides of the lid. Starting at the corners, stick down the flaps you created when you cut the edges of the papers. Once all four corners are stuck down, stick down the sides of the tin.
10. TOP – Once the top and all edges have been stuck down, take an xacto or sharp small scissors and trim the edges, using the rolled edge of the tin top as a guide.
11. SIDE – peel off the redline tape from the bottom sides of your tin. Find the center of your ribbon and place it at the center back of the tin. Wrap the ribbon around the tin, placing it on the tape evenly between the top and bottom. When you meet in the center front, tie a double knot in the ribbon and trim any excess ribbon.
You are done! Here is a shot of the finished product again.
After our vacation, I use the decorated tin in my purse until it starts to fall apart. But usually it can be rattling around in there for months and still look pretty good. The Alice tin below is one I made for our September trip. It’s been in my purse since then and it’s starting to look a little worn. On this one I wrapped ribbon around the top and bottom edge, but I think I like wrapping the top edge with paper better.
This is a tin I did for our first trip in 2009, which was a mix of digital and hybrid.
I hope this post will help you be prepared for any emergency in the parks, or even an emergency out in the ‘real world’ and that seeing your cute tin decorated with something that reminds you of Disney will make you smile!