Pocket-sized survival: How to make a travel-size match holder with a Tic Tac container

For campers and hikers, it's essential to have functional matches whenever you need them. This handy project reuses a Tic Tac container and turns it into a wooden matchstick holder perfectly sized to stash anywhere. Slip it in a jacket pocket, first-aid kit, backpack, glove compartment or with tent supplies. For those at home, it's a handy way to corral loose matches after the cardboard box has fallen apart.

This craft uses an aluminum oxide sheet, available at home improvement and hardware stores, as a strike plate. Although the tutorial shows only one side of the container with the aluminum oxide sheet, you may double up and add a second piece of sheet to the opposite side.

Materials
- Clean rag (not shown)
- Nail-polish remover, rubbing alcohol or glue-remover solvent (not shown)
- Empty Tic Tac container
- Ruler
- 1 medium-grit aluminum oxide sheet
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Single-hole punch
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Stick matches
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1. (Not shown) Remove the label. Use glue-remover solvent or alcohol to loosen any label you can't peel off. Saturate the label and let it set a minute. Gently rub at the label with the clean cloth. Rinse and let dry both the inside and outside of the box.

2. Place the aluminum oxide sheet face-down. Measure and mark 2 inches down on the left side. Measure in 1 ½ inches to the right of that mark. Draw a line between the two marks. Draw a line straight up from the second mark to the top edge of the aluminum oxide sheet.

3. Cut out the measured rectangle. Flip over the cutout and position it so it's longer from top to bottom.

4. Punch five holes horizontally 1/8 inch from the bottom of the rectangle. Repeat for 1/8 inch from the top.

5. Run a line of glue around the inner perimeter of the back of the aluminum oxide rectangle. Adhere the rectangle to the front of the Tic Tac container.

6. Place stick matches in the container and replace the lid.