Lunchbox of Holding

I received this little beauty as a bit of a gag gift for my birthday.  My friends all know I'm a bit of a Disney nut, so this was the wrapping for their 'birthday survival kit'.  The plan was that I'd then pass the lunchbox along to me niece.  A grown woman can't possibly cart around a princess lunchbox was their supposition, I think. 

Since I'll see Emme in person in December, I figured I'd give it to her then.  In the meantime, I could use it as a bead storage box.  Seemed like a clever plan.




The lunchbox isn't as big as the one I had as a kid.  I had a Little House on the Prairie lunchbox, with a matching thermos.  I carried it back and forth through at least three grades of school.  Laura, Mary, Ma and Pa were my constant lunchtime companions.   How about you; do you remember who was on your lunchbox? 

It may be smaller than the old style lunch boxes, but it holds a ton.  This thing is like the Tardis or a bag of holding (yep, my geeky antecedents are leaking out)!  It's incredible how much it holds!  Just look:

 A peak inside, but wait, it gets better....

All of that was packed inside the lunchbox - including my normal travel bead box.  It's a full bead studio on the go!  I fear that Emme may not get her lunchbox after all.  Or maybe I'll have to go out and buy her her own.  I think this one's taken. 

Protection from Being Bored

I love to travel, but I hate the boredom that comes from long waits in uncomfortable airport seats or long plane flights.  In self-defense, I pack a bag of supplies as 'protection against being bored'.  Art supplies are always high on my list of 'must brings', but they can be both heavy and cumbersome.  And tubes paints are pretty much verbotten if you're doing carry-on these days.

My ongoing quest has been to find the lightest, smallest, most useful supplies and in the past couple of trips, I believe I may have finally perfected my selection. 

I packed my beading kit with supplies for two different projects:  finishing the beaded back of a cabochon setting, and experimenting with ideas for the Bead Soup challenge.  The beading cloth fits an airplane tray table almost perfectly. As long as I have day light, I can get a fair bit of beading done.

If I'd remembered my camera to take process photos, I could have easily finished the cabochon back, but I didn't.  Sigh. My camera will likely come with me in the future. I'd left it behind figuring I could use my iPhone to take vacation pictures.  It's is great for a lot of things, but not macro photographs.

 And of course, I needed a sketchbook and some drawing materials.  In the past I've been known to bring 2-3 sketchbooks of varying sizes.  This time, I ran with only a little moleskin (same as my Alaska trip).  The paper is thin and bleeds through, so I only use every other 2-page spread, but that still gives plenty of drawing space for a one-to-two week trip.  Add a drawing pen, an home-made watercolor box and a water brush, and you have a complete kit that fits in a largish pocket and can be used anywhere. I've painted on planes, standing in line, on the beach and any number of other odd places. 

Housed in an Altoid tin, I filled 24 empty half-pans with my favorite water colors attached to two layers of heavy cardstock with double-sided tape.  The top layer lifts out and can sit in the lid (which can also serve as a mixing tray) or any flat surface.  Add in a small napkin or tissue for cleaning the brush so you don't have to use your clothing and you're good to go. 

This particular trip was to Disney World resort, where I met my folks, brother and his two kids for a week of park hopping.

My drawing set came in very handy protecting both my 5 year old niece and my 9 year old nephew from incipient boredom while waiting for the buses to take us to and from the parks. 

I love Emme's six-legged unicorn and her snowman with its rainbow dress (I was informed it was a dress, not a cloak).  Sam focused on planes with rocket propulsion and massive guns.  Notice that both proudly signed their work.

So what are your favorite art supplies/kits for traveling?