Boring tote to pretty cute

Today is my nephew's birthday! Miah has a teddy bear that has many costumes- from Astronaut to Pilgrim- unfortunately these costumes tend to disappear ( and the bear does not even have a magician's costume)  :O)


I found this one in San Diego but didn't know I needed it

 Aunt Bobbie got this great idea (from Miah's mommy) to get him something to put the costumes in.  I was envisioning a wee little suitcase or a mini trunk  but alas no such luck! I couldn't find one. the closest thing I could find was a 

     b-Or- ing tote with a handle on the top. It is green - which is Miah's favorite color but it is boring-

 I thought about painting it or jazzing it up somehow and then I find out we are actually celebrating Miah's birthday on ..... can you believe it..... Miah's birthday! Ew- that means I don't have the extra time I needed to really jazz it up. (being sickish for two days DID NOT help my "To Do" list shrink at all!) And on top of that I am at work today- until its time for the Celebration- no time in between.... but hey! this is Me we are talking about and Aunt Bobbie works really well under pressure, so I whipped out my handy dandy Sharpie Marker....oh no I didn't- it's not in my purse :O(

It's in my jacket pocket and that jacket pocket is at home.....ARrrrrgh. So I whipped out someone elses not so handy dandy ultra fine tip Sharpie- whipped it right out of their pen cup and into my hand.   Any way I started doodling and took some Subway Art ideas sent by the Christmas to the Max Girls and I "miahed" them. I looked up some imagination quotes, got out the trusty thesaurus (online version) and doodled away. Around the edges of the lid I wrote the words to "our" song. I left the bottom of the tote as a blank canvas for Miah to doodle on. The ultra fine tip was a little too ultra fine but it did the job pretty well. Next time I will draw guide lines so my writing isnt so slanted...

The tote is now filled with Miah's favorite thing- PAPER ! There is also  a new costume for Teddy and a book- "there was a Cold Lady who swallowed some snow"  and more PAPER! All I need now is a bow of some sort- I will prolly stop at the dollar store on the way through town and see what I can find.