Squished Penny Holder for Vacation

Squished/ souvenir pennies are some of my favorite souvenirs to bring back from vacations because they are cheap, lightweight, and fun to make. Collecting different designs and searching for the machines is a great activity for anyone on vacation. However, sometimes it isn't convenient to dig through your wallet to find two quarters and a penny. With a trip to Universal coming up (Yay!), I wanted to have something that I could easily throw in my bag and take out quickly with everything organized if I spotted a machine while walking with my family.

You will need:

- An Icebreakers container

- Some cardboard

- Glue (I'm using E6000, but you could use hot glue or super glue instead)

- A pen

- Scissors

- Quarters and Pennies

- Something to decorate with (optional)

Carefully peel off the stickers and separate the top from the bottom. Clean out the container. Next, fit the top back onto the container and mark on the bottom half where the larger opening begins. Also mark which side has the larger opening.

Line up a piece of cardboard with the two marks, and mark on the cardboard the length between these marks. Cut the cardboard to size, and check that it fits between the two marks on the container. Cut this piece of cardboard down so it fits flush with the top of the container. Glue it in place, making sure the two edges of the cardboard line up with the marks on the container.

Find which side opens to the large opening in the top of the container. This side should be the larger side based on the first divider. Mark on a piece of cardboard the distance between the container's side and the first divider at the halfway point. Cut the cardboard down to size on the sides and top. Glue this piece into place.

Take the top half of the Icebreakers container and open up the larger opening. This will help you line it up. Make sure the first divider you added lines up with the hinge of the large opening, and the second (shorter) divider is in the center of the large opening. When you press down on the top, it may push some of the cardboard down or force the glue to separate from the container. This is fine as long as the dividers do not move.

I chose to decorate the top of mine with some metallic Sharpies, but you can use anything to decorate your holder or nothing at all.

Start by opening the large side. Place quarters in one side and pennies in the other. This holder fits enough coins to make 5 squished pennies, but you can easily refill the coins when you have some down time. Once you have made a squished penny, put it in through the small opening. You can take these out later by taking off the top or just fishing them out.

Have fun easily making squished pennies on your vacation!