I love making lots and lots of Christmas cookies [1] every year.  I just like having a large assortment of cookies and flavors, but I'd be in trouble if I ate them all, so I end up giving most of them away, and keeping just a few of each variety for myself.  And I love coming up with easy, creative ways to package those confections so they look pretty when I give them to my friends and neighbors.  

Like these plain white take-out containers, embellished with just a little bit of gold paint.  Everything is better with a bit of golden glamor, right?  Right.

The designs were inspired by my gorgeous foil-stamped Christmas cards from Shutterfly.  I absolutely love the elegant designs (and I must be part magpie, because I find that gold foil embellishment absolutely irresistible).  And the matching envelope liners?  Gorgeous, and SO EASY with the self-stick strip!  I've made my own envelope liners [2] before, and this is WAY easier.

The materials couldn't be simpler:  A gold paint pen and plain white takeout containers.  I bought mine at Smart and Final.  I like using takeout containers for giving away my cookies, because I know that they are food-safe.  No question about it, they were designed for holding food.  Always better to be safe.

I'm not the best artist, but I'm pretty good at copying designs.  I picked up on the gold foil motifs from our Christmas card to draw the gold patterns on the white cookie containers.

I have to also give a shout-out to Shutterfly for having the best photo Christmas ornaments.  What an easy, cherished gift for the grandparents (and a set for us, too!)

I also had these two photos of our recent family trip to the UK printed up in 16x20 prints, and had them framed.  A little Christmas gift to myself.  It's been about five years since I added any photos to our family gallery wall!  How adulty am I, being all excited by new photos of my children on my wall?  Super adulty. 

I love getting inspired by great design!  Especially when it inspires me to create a beautiful, coordinated gift.  

A lovely Christmas card with a coordinated package of homemade goodies?  I know I'd love to receive that, so I absolutely love giving it as a gift.

This post has been sponsored by Shutterfly, but all opinions, ideas, crafts, and enthusiasm are entirely my own.