So Fresh So Minty

One of my FAVORITE Christmas traditions is making “Christmas” mints.  What are Christmas mints you say?  Glad you asked!  While most ladies are slaving away in the kitchen making Christmas cookies, I’m dipping homemade mints in chocolate.  And the Christmas mints have a great story…it’s a doozy so here’s the Reader’s Digest version.  It’s a family recipe that’s been passed down generation to generation along with an antique doughnut hole cutter to cut out the mint dough (aka…the innards).  Six years ago, the tradition was passed down to me from my mom.  The mints are to die for.  Trust me.  They’re so good that I’m certain with the right marketing and supply chain management system that I could single-handedly take down York Peppermint Patties.  They’re THAT good!  Anyway…I make thousands of these things every Christmas season and package them up.  And this year…I got a little creative with the packaging.

Recognize the treat boxes?  They’re leftover boxes for our wedding favors.  We thrifted it up this year and reused what we already had instead of spending $50-$75 on Christmas treat tins and boxes.  And here is the outside of the box complete with baker’s twine and cedar clippings from the bush out front.

Crafting up the boxes was super simple.  It all started with a few basic craft supplies and leftover wedding favor boxes.  Note the message on the inside…”Whoopie, we got hitched”.  Can you tell we gave out whoopie pies as favors?!  And in the craft supplies pic below…ignore the jute and the glitter paint.  These were replaced with baker’s twine and gold metallic paint.  This is what happens when you start making treat boxes four weeks ago and frantically finish them last night in order to give them out today.  #procrastinationmaximation

First step…I had to cover up the “Whoopie” message which is not Christmas appropriate.  Well, maybe it’s late night, post Christmas party appropriate but definitely not the message I want to share with my friends and family this Christmas season.  So I used some Martha Stewart chalkboard stickers that was leftover from labeling some office supply jars, to cover up the stamped on message.

Then I took some of the Martha Stewart gold metallic paint that I picked up at Michael’s.

Tested out how the paint looked on the chalkboard label.

And painted the message onto the labels, channeling my inner calligrapher.  I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon in hopes of making it big in the calligraphy world.

After letting the paint dry for a little while it was time to assemble the boxes.  I was pseudo worried about the paint getting on the mints and contaminating them.  But I always line my treat boxes with parchment paper so I powered through.

Then out came the Martha Stewart, Christmas themed baker’s twine, also from Michaels.  I swear I wasn’t paid or perked by Martha to use her products.  I just have this strange infatuation with all things Martha.  Martha’s my girl!

To polish off the treat boxes, I wrapped them in a double strand of red baker’s twine and then tied a few cedar clippings into the twine bow.

The cedar clippings came from an overgrown bush out in our front yard and is the product of shear laziness.  I wanted to green up the treat boxes but it was pouring outside and I didn’t want to put a coat and shoes on.  I told you shear laziness was involved.  So off to the front porch I went where I simply opened up the door, reached over to the bush which is spilling out into the front stairway these days, and snipped off a branch.  No outside in the rain time necessary.

And scene.  Signed, sealed, delivered.  Completed Christmas mint favor boxes ready for passing out.  Okay, now send me your addresses so I can send you a box of mints.  Kidding!

Pssst…What last minute Christmas projects are you whacking off your to-do list?  Any family traditions that you’re carrying out?  Or crafts still to be made?