it's cookie time...

mmmm...don't you just love the smell of baked cookies?! i sure do...

i participated in my sis, Mary Ann's Cookie Swap this year and was partnered up with Tangee a mom of 4 and artist/jewelery creator. She loves snickerdoodles and brownies, so made some for her...can't figure which one is my favourite...but my kiddos love the the snickerdoodles and andes mint chocolate cookies (imagine brownies with melted andes mints on top...mmmm...i made this two years ago for my partner...here's the recipe or here ) also sent other cookies like magic bars ('member those when you were a kid?), Uncle Mike's chocochip cookies (the lil' munchkins' Uncle Mike made these divine chocolate chip cookies over the Thanksgiving holidays...he dropped them by the tablespoon and they were huge!!! bec. my lil' ones have lil' mouths...i only dropped them by the teaspoon...perfect for lil' hands!), some peanut blossoms and some fortune cookies (sometimes it just fun to try to decipher what those fortunes are, right?!)

wrapped some goodies for her...i sure love that wrapping paper...reminds me of candy canes...i sure LOVE the dollar store!!!!

here's the final pack that i sent off to her...


the bottom right bag/box (with the cute lil' reindeer) is a homemade recipe container...


Martha Stewart boxes...man, just can't get enough of those white bakery boxes...i think i should've majored in packaging design...i love BOXES and trying to figure how to make them...weird, huh?!

special lil' candy pack...one of my lil' Shioban's nicknames is 'bon-bon' ...like the sound of it, it's soooo adorable! my mom sings this crazy song from the 50's or so...maybe from the Shirelles or something...'Shioban, Shioban...la,la, la, la, la...Shioban!' it's corny but cute and Bon-Bon loves it!

this is my holiday card to Tangee...it's so true, 'It's the lil' things that count!' times are tough but with a lil' elbow grease you can make pretty lil' simple things...and bring a lil' smile on someone's face...

like this.

i made this homemade recipe container with scraps of my paper collection...

i made recipe cards and stuck them inside wrapped in red+white baker's twine

Tangee can add more recipes to it...plus it's lil and won't get in the way...and i just LOVE the reindeer and heart...so simple yet sweet...

my sis, Mary Ann gave me a bunch of these cute measuring spoons...'a smidge of caring, a dash of sweetness...sprinkle with giggles, and stir up some fun!'

so, so, adorable!

hoping Tangee likes them...there's nothing better than the cookies right out of the oven...warm, soft and chewy...i'm just afraid with the travelling...they'll dry out and be hard...soooo sorry for that...i did put a square of moist bread in the bags...but maybe i should've just put a slice...next time...

totally love baking...wish i had more time in the day to devote to this art...looking forward to tasting some sunshine from your warm world, Tangee...(hoping you and your family are feeling better and please don't worry...send them whenever you can...no RUSH, no WORRIES...)

Thank you so very much for being my partner...Happy Holidays!

bonne nuit

xoxo jo ;)