Wrap it Up

If you've been reading my blog the last few weeks, you know that I've been churning out dozens of dozens of cookies.  Every December I make cookie baskets and tins for pretty much everybody that we have contact with during the year.  With only one income and 2 kids, we don't have the expendable cash to be handing everyone a gratuity at Christmas.  Luckily, everyone appreciates homebaked goods.  I'm pretty sure my cookies are the reason why my garbage can has never been seen rolling down the street.

I thought I'd share how I package up my goodies for giving.  I start with a sturdy willow basket and fill it with packing peanuts.  If you do as much internet shopping as we do, you should have a supply of packing peanuts.  If not, crumpled paper works too.  I then cover up the fill material with some sparkly tulle.  I buy tons of tulle when it's 99 cents a yard and use it as wrap, basket fill and in lieu of tissue paper in gift bags.  I place 5 or 6 of each type of cookie in cellophane cookie bags and arrange them on top of the tulle.

I like to make cookie tags for the bags of cookies, because it's nice to know what each type of cookie is before taking a bite.

This is especially true for those with allergies.  Which is why I print out an ingredients list for the back of each tag.  People with allergies or food sensitivities, get used to not eating anything if they can't verify the ingredients list.

I made these tags on my computer first picking a nice wreath border and copying it several times.  You can right click on this and save it so that you can open it in either word or in your photoediting program.

I used a Calligraphic font on 24 to fill in the cookie names.  My ingredients lists were typed in just plain circles.

I made sure to add the direct link to my blog post for each cookie recipe in the event that the recipient wanted to make them at home.  I did not print these double sided because I wanted to make the ornament tags, but you could print them directly on cardstock and make them doublesided.  If you do that, you need to make sure that you flip sides of the paper for the ingredients.  i.e. if Almond Macaroons is your top left wreath, it should be the top right ingredients circle.

To make the ornament tags, I traced around a glass for the ball shape and put a little nub on top to create the ornament.

I traced that cardstock template onto green and red cardstock.

I glued the labels and ingredients to the front and back of each ornament shape making sure to match up the right cookie with the right ingredients list.  This was made easy by the inclusion of the direct blog link for each recipe.  I attached them to the cookie bags using the silver twist ties folded back on themselves to simulate the sparkle of an ornament cap.

A ribbon tied into a bow and wound around the handle finishes off the basket.

Thanks for popping in and checking out my holiday goodie baskets.  I'm linking this up to Just a Girl's Show and Share Day and My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday.