Monday, December 19, 2011

Santa's Key for LESSology's Challenge


I am not sure if this tradition is anywhere but here in the States. In fact, it was nothing I had ever heard of until my kids were young and I received one as a gift.

As I was unpacking ornaments the other day, I came across our Santa Key. It was so much fun when they were little to ceremoniously hang it off the frog door knocker we had at our old house and throw reindeer food off the porch on Christmas Eve while the chocolate chip cookies for Santa were baking.

WAIT! You mean you guys haven't heard of reindeer food either?

OH no. I'd better find you a recipe. Big day is coming and Santa's reindeer might be very hungry.

Magic Reindeer Food

Reindeer food (also sometimes called Magic Reindeer Food or Magic Reindeer Dust) is for Santa's reindeer. After all, they get hungry on Christmas Eve, too!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 2-6 Tbsp red colored sugar
  • 2-6 Tbsp. green colored sugar

Preparation:

Mix the ingredients together and place in a plastic bag, adding as much colored sugar as you like for a festive effect.
Tie with a ribbon and attach the following poem:
Sprinkle this reindeer food outside tonight.
The moonlight will make it sparkle bright.
As the reindeer fly and roam.
This will guide them to your home.
I hadn't the heart to pass it along to another family like last year's coat. It was special, very special at the time. I decided I needed to add it to my decorations and make a little frame/box for it plus, LESSology is having a challenge for an altered frame! 


I started with this curved basket handle they sell at our local craft store and a piece of card board they were going to throw out that they used under the scrapbook paper they were selling. Bob did try to ring it up, but then laughed at me when I told him that I REALLY needed it.

Cut one bigger than the handle and one smaller. Glued the one that was smaller on the back of the handle with hot glue and then went to town with the gesso, some glimmermist, and sparkles and bling later! 





The larger sized one got a stained glass window on both sides after modge podging on some scrapbook paper. I love the green wood grain one I found for the front. 

Of course this makes it all sound so easy. There was a lot of drying time and thinking time between all these steps, giggle!

I found putting a hinge on it hard. The last one of these I made the front door was smaller so acted like a real door. This one I wanted to be bigger than the wood frame so I had to use medical tape and lots of hot glue to get it to work.

And, here it is up on my china cabinet.

Next year I may add it to a frame or something but it was time to call this project done!

OH! I forgot to explain what a Santa's Key is! It's so kids without chimneys can rest easy that Santa can still bring them presents! He uses this magic key you leave out for him to enter your house! We had a wood stove at the old house so it would have been quite the squeeze down stove pipes.




18 comments:

  1. WOW- Great project, Mitra. I like the arched top and the green antique effect paint. Too bad the yummy inside embellishments get hidden, love them too.

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  3. What a great idea for his key!! We use one here... we have no fireplace... so he has to get in somehow!! And we all ready have our reindeer food for him too!! lol!! I just loveeeeeeeeeeee that altered frame for him!!! AWESOME!!! Thanks so much for playing along with LESSology! :):):):):):):):):):):)

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  4. What a creative project....i love all the techniques used.....and I am off to prepare some reindeer food!...and who said blogs were not informative!!!
    hugz
    irini

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  5. Our reindeers are on a health kick - every year they get carrots! The key is a cute idea! Why give it away, you could buy another one and pass them on once the kids, nevermind... I don't even want to think about it!

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  6. STUNNING!!!! and I learn something today!
    thanks for playing along with us at LESSology!

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  7. Gorgeous and fabulous! I love that key. Thank you for playing with us at LESSology. :)

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  8. oh wow, look at that. It is absolutely gorgeous, love all the details. And love the idea of a Santa key - although our Santa knocks on the door and personally hands out each gift, so he doesn't need to come down a chimney.

    TFS!!

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  9. My gosh, what a fun project! So unique and creative! Love your upcycling here and love the whole idea of this. Santa's key is fabulous! Thanks for playing along with us at LESSology!

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  10. That is THE coolest key...E-V-E-R!!!
    Love your projects. :D

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  11. I really love this, especially the 'aged' bg on the window side of the frame. Never heard of this tradition, but it's a cute one:):)

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  12. What a lovely frame for your Santa key!! A real keepsake for sure!! TFS the reindeer food recipe I will be making this with my 6yr old for sure :)

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  13. Wow! This is gorgeous! What a fabulous frame for your santa key! :)

    Reindeer food? Cool!

    Thanks for joining us at LESSology! :)

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  14. absolutely fabulous ... love the colour and the arched shape ... gorgeous work xoxoxo

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  15. What a great project, great how you framed Santa's Goodies, I'm sure he and his reindeer where happy.

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  16. This is a marvellous addition to the Christmas ornaments! Something I've never heard of either!!

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  17. Oh my goodness this is an amazing creations! I love the whole idea of a special box for the key. Thanks for joining us at LESSology with your wonderful creations.

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  18. Such a fun tradition! Love it! Thanks for joining us at LESSology!

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