Magic Christmas Elves: We're BACK!!

O.K. It's the beginning of the Magic Elf season. Yes, yes, I know it seems early for most of you. But when gifted (I like that word gifted) with an A-Type personality coupled with OCD brain cells, Christmas preparations in October seem the norm.

Dimples TumbleFluff, Giggles TwinkleWink and Freckles MinceMeat are due to arrive on Saturday, December 8, 2012. This year they will land in personalized pillowcases. Inside each pillow case is a Christmas outfit for each grand child. None of my grand kids find clothes an exciting Christmas gift. Hoping they find it a bit more exciting if deliverd by their elves. We shall see!

I ordered personalized iron-on transfers from Etsy.com. These will be applied to white pillow cases which I purchased online from Amazon.com at a discount.  I know many of you follow my elf posts on Pinterest, so this is just a jump start.

I purchased hard red/white peppermint and butterscotch candies to make the Magic Seeds that will grow my "Giant Candy Cane". Place the hard candy inside a sandwich bag and whack it a few times with a blunt object. Don't get too carried away, otherwise you will end up with mere candy crumbs.

What are seed without dirt? If you are going to grow a candy cane, you need Magic North Pole dirt (aka as fake snow). My fake jar of snow crystals is still somewhere in transit on a UPS truck. However, I've used this many times and it works like a charm. Once it arrives, I will mix up a batch and fill clear quart size paint canisters (like those shown above).

Here are the essentials needed to bring this Magic Elf project to life:

1) A container for the fake snow (North Pole Magic Dirt). I used clear quart size paint cans because they happened to be on hand. The fake snow was purchased at Amazon.com. When water is added to the snow crystals they magically plump up like snowflakes.

2) Print a label for the North Pole Magic Dirt. I placed my printed label on the lid container.

3) Print labels on card stock for the Magic Seeds and Elf  Dust. Pair label sizes with the bags you will use for packaging the magic. I used 2 1/4 x 4" resealable bags for the candy seeds and 3" x 5.5" clear poly bags for the candy seed (available at GoPlanetEarth.com).

4) Decorate the edges of the printed labels with stamp punches. It's not necessary, but does add a special touch.

5) I used a combo of red and green cookie sprinkles for the Magic Elf Dust. You want the elf dust to be edible. Using glitter (in my mind) was not an option. I didn't want the glitter to stick to the candy cane.

6) I purchased extra large candy canes online from www.HammondsCandies.com. They are awesome and all arrived unbroken.

 7) The back label of the Magic Seeds gives directions on how to use. I decided not to state that the seeds would grow a candy cane. I want the grand kids to be surprised about what is going to grow.

I want everything to fit in the clear paint can, so I won't mix up the fake snow in advance. I'll put some in a package with directions and let the kids make the snow.

Have the kids plant their magic seeds at bedtime. In the morning, they will be amazed at the giant candy cane that grew overnight. Just be sure to take the plastic wrapper off the candy canes before planting in the snow container.