Neighbourly Gifts

Yesterday I received some very upsetting news and after a good cry (I often do that) and a vent on Facebook, (I so rarely do that) I am trying to be a little more philosophical and am hoping that as we live in times where the sand is quite literally shifting underneath us and changes occur daily from one

A gift of red roses just when I needed it, thank you 

announcement to another, I hope that the current situation I now find myself in, will be resolved and quickly.  

What is the issue?  

I can not visit mamma in Norway from January 1st for as long as the pandemic is upon us, as the UK will have left the EU and so Norway has no agreement with us and one is not yet on the horizon.  As I am sure you would know from reading this blog where my feelings are at, I voted very firmly to STAY IN THE EU.  I did not foresee this problem and none of us foresaw the pandemic, but still, I am smarting even more so now that we are leaving, it brings back all the emotions of four years ago when we woke up that fateful morning to the news we would be leaving the EU.  It was a tough day and I felt bruised and battered then but nothing to how I felt yesterday.   So many lovely comments were received on Facebook and chocolates and flowers were received (you know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my heart)  So I am keeping everything crossed that tomorrow or the next day or even the following week, we will hear the news that this issue is resolved and that I can visit mamma.  Never in my life did I think I would not be allowed to travel between our two countries.  How much I have taken for granted and how privileged I have been.

Home made envelope for gifts

This brings me to today's post which is all about giving and sharing with those that we cannot meet up with for a coffee and a chat as we would normally leading up to Christmas.  I have begun to deliver a few cookies here and there and many more to still be delivered, just as a little cheery hello from me to you to say I miss you, have a Norwegian Christmas cookie on me and think of me whilst you sit a while with a cup of something warming.

I have often used the see-through food bags that you can purchase and tie the cookies up in ribbon but now trying to be more aware and responsible about the use of plastic, I have more latterly sent cookies in tins which can be reused and indeed will send out some still that way this year.  However, encouraged by the class I work with and their current paper crafting challenge to make advent boxes, 3D Christmas trees and hanging paper decorations, I set myself the task of creating a paper vessel for gifting my cookies.  

The paper envelopes are not of my design and on google, there are so many different versions and many the same so I jumped right in and here is the version that I used and came up with.  It is so easy, quick and effective, give it a try, easy for young and old...

Home made envelopes for cookie gifting:

♥  All you need is a square of paper and ribbon if you have.

Take a square piece of paper

Fold it in half keeping the design on the outside

Take one corner and fold it across, so that the top of the
fold is horizontal.  DO NOT fold it so it touches
the other side, leave a gap of 3-4mm

Fold the other side over, this time,
this fold can just touch the opposite edge.

The envelope should look like this
when you have folded over both corners.

The apex at the top should have two sheets.  Take
the inner sheet and fold it so that it fits snuggly
into the front folded over corner as in the above photograph.

Insert your cookie...

or three!

Fold over the top and tie up with ribbon. 
All ready to gift as a cookie hug.

♥  Thinking of those today that I cannot see, know that you are in my thoughts and I send you all my love until we can be together again  ♥