Say "Thanks" With A Cookie Gift Bag

Here's why I like to give a cookie gift bag as a token of thanks: 

• It's a more personal gift than something I could buy.
• It's not something they can buy.
• It's something everyone likes.
• It's something they can share (or not).
• It's a way to say "thank you" when someone has done something nice for me, and there's really no way to repay them. I just want them to know that I'm grateful. 

Like if a teacher does something especially kind for your child, or a neighbor goes out of her way to help you in some way, or your friend gives you a shoulder to cry on when you've had a bad day. A little gift bag of cookies is a small gesture to send some love right back at them.

I gave the cookie bag pictured above to Paul who is married to my long-time, dear friend Sheri. She has an awesome online yarn store (check it out at  TheLoopyEwe.com). Paul is a skilled photographer and is in charge of photography of all of the beautiful yarn you can view online at The Loopy Ewe.

Sheri and Paul spent most of last Saturday afternoon in my kitchen with me while he advised me on the lighting challenges in my kitchen and helped me learn to take better photos of food for The Yummy Life blog. It takes some serious patience to teach these skills to an amateur like me. (Aperture? Huh? What's that?) You will hopefully see a gradual improvement in my photos as I apply what Paul taught me. My photography skills are a work in progress. 

So, I sent Paul home with this bag of chocolate dipped oatmeal cookies as a small token of my gratitude for my Saturday afternoon photography lesson.

It's easy to make up these cookie bags. The key is being prepared. If you have the bags and tags on hand, it's a snap to throw together a cookie gift bag. Having a personalized tag and a coordinating ribbon of some kind is just enough fru-fru to make it special. Here's how.

Assemble these Supplies:

• homemade cookies
• clear cellophane or plastic bags (mine are 5x11--they come in lots of sizes--look for them at party and craft stores)
• gift card (printable below)
• hole punch and pen
• ribbon, string, yarn, or shoelace 
• scissors

Here are the step-by-step instructions:

First print out a sheet of gift cards.  You can print on whatever paper or card stock you like. I used a natural-colored card stock for mine.

Cut a gift card from the sheet, cutting carefully just outside the border.

Fill out the "To" and "From" with a pen. Use a hole punch to make a hole in the upper left corner of the gift card. 

Through the hole in the tag, thread a ribbon, string, yarn (Sheri can help you with that), or try what I used--a shoelace. I know that seems kinda strange. But, I was in the grocery store looking at their gift wrap stuff for some ribbon or string that would look good with my brown and gold tags. They didn't have ribbon that was the right color, but I came across these shoelaces for outdoor boots that were the perfect colors. And, they were cheap! I cut off the ends and knotted them (so they wouldn't look so much like shoelaces), and voila--the perfect tie to go with my tags.

Even the cookies kinda match the shoelace. It was meant to be!
(This is the kind of observation that makes King-Man roll his eyes.)
Center the tag in the middle of the shoelace, hold it in the front of the bag, wrap the ends of the shoelace around the bag a time or two and tie a bow in the front.

Print a sheet of these tags and keep them handy. You can use them for any gift from your kitchen. Although it's hard to go wrong with cookies.

Now you can make it a yummy day for someone else!

Related posts that may interest you:

• Whole Grain Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
• Chocolate-Dipped Oatmeal Cookies
• Make a Spiced Hot Drink Mix Gift Jar
• Make A Banana Bread Mix Gift Jar 
• Make A Granola Gift Jar
• Make Caramel Apple Gift Bags and Tags