Festive packaging for kitchen gifts

I'm sure it's pretty clear by now how much I enjoy making and giving gifts from the kitchen.  I love wrapping them festively, also.  For me, this has always been one of the most fun aspects of giving kitchen gifts, especially at Christmas.  It's fun to devise packaging out of what I have on hand, but it's also fun to watch those after-Christmas sales for specialty items that will make our kitchen gifts even more special.

To be honest, many of my favorite wrapping items come from the Dollar Tree, so they are inexpensive enough to start with. They have some great plastic jars, tubs, and canisters, along with tins, with fun and festive motifs.

Oh, and cookie bags to put plates of cookies in may also be found at the Dollar Tree.  For most of my cookie trays to neighbors or friends, I will put the cookies on a foam plate and tuck it into a gallon size plastic bag.  The assortment of cookies is so pretty that no embellishment (other than possibly a ribbon and/or a sprig of evergreen) is needed.  

The bags from Dollar Tree are usually printed with a small design like holly or snowflakes, and the packages of three also include a bit of ribbon and a gift tag, if you choose to use them.  I often do.

But I also give out two special cookie plates each year to folks who enjoy a particular cookie.  For them, I like to find a special plate to include with the cookies as part of the gift.  These cookies -- Eggnog Log Cookies for one person, and Sacher Torte Cookies for the other -- are still pretty, but not colorful, one being cream-colored and the other chocolate.  I usually look for plates at after-Christmas sales the year before.  The Gooseberry Patch plate was found at one of their great  online sales.  The clear tree-shaped plate looks like glass, but is plastic and I found it at our supermarket after Christmas a couple of years ago.

The Dollar Tree always has festive jars or canisters that are perfect for hot chocolate or other drink mixes, or for jar mixes for cookies, etc.

Pretty printed plastic snack bags are great for things like Chex Mix or flavored pretzels.

Mugs like the one above are perfect for mug cake mixes.  I got that one at our local supermarket after Christmas one year.  The gift bag below holds a mug cake mix and accompanying marshmallows.

The pretty tin below came from Jo-Ann Fabrics, I think.  Love it.  Smaller square tins like this are perfect for packaging fudge.

Speaking of tins -- I shared this tip last year on my Christmas blog, but it bears repeating: Any tin you buy to use for gifting or storing your kitchen gifts, whether you buy it at a thrift store, yard sale, or regular store, needs to be washed and thoroughly dried before packaging anything in it.  Wash it like any dish, but to dry it place both tin and cover in the oven and set the oven temp at 290º or so.  Less than 300º, anyway.  When the oven reaches temperature, turn it off.  Leave the tin, or tins, there until the oven cools down.  It is now ready to use.  (If the tin seems to have rust spots or other discolorations, line it with waxed paper before adding your baked goods.)

I love giving small loaves of quick breads or fruitcake for Christmas! These make nice gifts for family, friends, or neighbors, and are a nice little thing to have on hand when someone drops by at holiday time and you’d like to give them a small remembrance. They also work exceeding well in care packages to send to faraway family and friends, because they are sturdy and keep well.

I have a way of packaging these little loaves that is so much fun for me. First, of course, when they are cool I wrap them in plastic wrap and then in foil. I almost always bake these ahead and freeze them, so I want to be sure they are well wrapped.

Next, I wrap them in something else -- either plain brown kraft paper, or -- my favorite -- a cut-apart paper bag. A country shop in our area uses bags which are brown with black print and which look just like an old-time newspaper. I always make some purchases at this shop around Christmas time, and I always save the bags. Regular newspaper might look neat, too.

Then I tie something around the loaf, just as you would tie ribbon around a gift package. I might use red ribbon, or colored raffia, or jute. I stick on a label indicating the contents of the package -- “Chocolate Banana Bread” or “Eggnog Fruit Bread” or whatever. And then, under the bow, I’ll often tuck something decorative, like a sprig of fir, or some silk holly, or I’ll glue on a couple of tiny pine cones.

(And of course, if your tastes run more to the sparkly and elegant, you can wrap your loaves in gold or colored foil paper and use pretty ribbons and shiny trims like mini Christmas balls or charms.)

 

 The brown paper bags in the photo above hold mulled cider mixes.  I package the spices in coffee filters tied with kitchen string, then in small brown paper lunch bags.  I sew the labels on (and the bags shut) with my sewing machine, using red thread.

Hope these ideas will spark some inspiration for your own kitchen gifting this Christmas!

Getting ready for Christmas baking

 

Today I've been spending some important time getting ready for Christmas baking, cooking, and kitchen gift making.  I cleaned and sorted the kitchen drawer where I store measuring cups and things like extracts, colored sugars, and sprinkles.  And I did the same with the shelf in my pantry where I keep baking items like flours, sugars, cocoa, chocolate chips and other baking staples.  Later this week, I'll be posting a Making Space entry that will detail everything I decluttered from these areas.  I'm hoping to get lots more decluttering done this week, so that's why I'll wait to post my list.) Suffice it to say that a lot got thrown away, especially from the drawer.

While I was working on the pantry, my hubby suggested that this would be a great time to take inventory of what's there.  He was so right!  Years ago, I kept both a freezer and a pantry inventory, using forms from Organized Home.  But I hadn't updated them in a long, long time.  I went to my household notebook and found that I had blanks all printed out that I could use.  (You can click on the Pantry Inventory form at the Organized Home Free Printables page, and the pdf will open up, if you are interested in using these forms yourself.)  Below you see my form with the baking items filled in.  I'm pretty sure this will be added to as I declutter the other shelves in the pantry!  Since Mr. T took over the grocery shopping when he retired, he usually puts the groceries away.  Baking items have definitely been tucked into other shelves in this overly full pantry.

From here it was a logical step to checking my long-term holiday ingredients shopping list, pictured below.  You can read about that here: Long-term holiday grocery list.  

 

I'm so glad I did this, because there are several items we're getting low on that would be important to our holiday baking.  I've been stocking up on butter for weeks, but we also need brown sugar, confectioners sugar, almond extract and more.

How about you?  Are you ready to begin your Christmas baking?

No place like harvest home

 

 Just a little post today to link up with Sandi's No Place Like Home party.  It's been a busy week and weekend, but I wanted to share a little something anyway.  I thought I would share some of the pretty autumn and Thanksgiving decor from around our home, since I haven't really posted about that this fall.

I've noticed around the the net (Instagram in particular, but some blogs too) that people are decorating for Christmas already.  In fact, I visited a friend yesterday who has all of her Christmas decorations up.  She has a small place so has not overdone the decorating, and it does look lovely, but that is just not me.  I begin decorating for fall in September, then in November I add a few more Thanksgiving type things.  I tend to do more Thanksgiving decorating if we are having folks in for dinner on that day.  This year we are going to our daughter's, so I have not done as much Thanksgiving decor as I otherwise might.

Does it seem to you, as it does to me, that Thanksgiving as a holiday tends to get overlooked?  That's really a shame, because it is one of my favorite holidays and I feel that it's one of our most meaningful holidays as Americans.  (Although this year is different -- Thanksgiving is being somewhat overshadowed by election drama, yet it's also in the forefront of our thinking since our officials keep telling us all to stay home.) Really, though, we have much to praise and thank God for even in the midst of all the craziness, and those fundamental blessings do not change regardless of our circumstances.  

 One of the very biggest blessings that my hubby and I remind one another of every day is the sovereignty of God.  Nothing about our current situation is a surprise to Him, and He is in full control of every aspect of it.  I sincerely hope that we all are praising and thanking God each day for the liberties we have enjoyed in our country up to now, and that we are faithfully praying for our nation.

Thankful .. that says it all!

Some vintage autumn goodness. 

Clay wall pocket on our porch

Pumpkin candle and holder -- a sweet gift from my sister-in-law

Vintage toy truck and jadeite mug from my childhood home!

 Sweet Thanksgiving card from our faraway daughter.

And there is my simple No Place Like Home for this week. Let's cultivate the Gratitude Attitude!