In addition to each receiving a packet of letters (3 in envelopes, 2 post cards, a couple of junk mail ads, a booklet of faux coupons, and the odd item here or there), each child attending the recent Summer Wizarding Event received a postal package containing some unusual artifacts and a letter. Here is the description of the making of Package Number Two.
The post on Package 1, including the list of the criteria used to select and create the items is posted here. A total of 19 packages were made - I'll be posting on each one in the coming weeks.
The post on Package 1, including the list of the criteria used to select and create the items is posted here. A total of 19 packages were made - I'll be posting on each one in the coming weeks.
The wrapped packet was about 4x4 inches square. The postage stamps were from Australia.
There were two items in this package. One was a smallish case made from a sea shell. The edges of the shell had been gilded and a hinge and clasp attached. (The item had been donated by one of the event crew members.) The other item was a large glass gem that I found at Jo Ann Fabrics. The image below is from a different site, but it shows the diamond-cut shape of the gem better than my pic.
The gem I got was multi-colored in deep rich shades with a mirrored base. It was cool: it changed colors when you moved it around! I padded the inside of the shell case using some leftover quilt batting which I cut to fit the shape of the shell.
The box I found at Goodwill seemed an ideal match. It was covered with purple fabric and had a simple clasp that looked a little like whalebone (but was plastic). I didn't have to do anything to the exterior; it was unusual enough as it was. The interior, however, needed some extra padding to that the shell and gem wouldn't rattle around and possibly break.
So I carefully cut the seam of the lining, and stuffed in a few more pieces of the quilt batting.
The last thing to create was the letter. I had some small pieces of handmade paper in my paper stash; one was heavyweight and torn. I wrote the letter to the child using a deep red ink and an Art Deco era Esterbrook dip-less pen.
Text of the Letter:
Dear E--,
Now that I have graduated from N-----, I think it's time for my spell catcher to go to another student. It took me awhile to learn how to use it, but eventually I did. The spellgem works a little differently for each person, however. Good luck in figuring out how it will work for you!
Have fun! A----- L-----, from House D----.
The letter was then folded and placed on top of the shell.
The letter writer noted in the return address she'd wrote on the package wrapping that she was "now back in Australia."
