the mrs. claus kit. . .

this time of year mrs. claus can be found quite often tucked away in her studio working a little christmas magic. you can't leave it all up to the elves, you know.
and this is where my little red lunchbox comes in.

it certainly had a wonderful life even before i found it. i can tell by the way the smooth red handle still dances a bit in my hand when i carry it, just begging for a bit of skipping. luckily the clasp is one of those no nonsense things that wont let my pretty things spill out all over the snow. (well, there isn't snow yet, but i am counting on a bit of the sparkling white before long.)

i have been busy all week gathering things to go in my lunchbox, everything mrs claus might need to tie on a package or tuck in a stocking.



here is what you need to do to get your own little box ready. find a festive paper box, a small vintage suitcase, or an old cookie tin and start gathering your favorite christmas things. pick a color scheme to help you pick things out and start adding them to your collection. i chose the colors i use on my little feather tree; red, silver, white, and aqua blue. anything that inspires you goes in the box. glitter, garland, buttons and trim. add little ornaments, and paper tags. don't forget some tiny pinecones and pretty rosehips. i also added some tinsel and glittered leaves. the most important part is put in what you love and having it all handy in one place will make it easy for you to add a bit here and there as you are making your gifts and sending out packages. copy a few pages from your journals to use to make tags and labels like this one here. i backed the image with ledger paper before sewing it and stapling the trim to the top.






a few of my vintage treasures i tucked into these funky old kodak film canisters. a holiday kit with lovely sparkling garland and shiny red glass balls. there is even the tiniest bottle brush tree complete with fake snow and a tinsel star tied on top for you to hang on your tree. i just listed them here in my shop



i still have a week before my art group gets together to exchange holiday gifts. imagine how much fun that will be! i am off to get working on my little art treats.
meanwhile, have fun gathering your mrs. claus kit and leave me a link so we can see what you packed up.
warmest holiday wishes, julie