Playing with paper

I had a bit of a rough morning.  A battle of the wills over chores, some serious talk about a school issue and the messiness that always accompanies vacation had me feeling a little cantankerous.  But as I looked out at the branches of the walnut tree whipping in the wind against a dark grey, cloudy backdrop, I felt the calmness settle into my heart.  I let the peace soak into me and then I felt it; the tiny stirring of creative inspiration. 

Trees often have that effect on me, especially when the wind tickles their leaves.

I had bagels to make this morning, but they're the kind of bread that only takes a moment here and there.  So while they rose the first time, I contemplated the crafty possibilities.  Moments later, I saw in my head exactly what I wanted to try.  After I rolled the bagels in to pretty little circles and set them out to rise again, I gathered my supplies. 

I boiled the bagels, got them baking and then got started.  After a bit of measuring, cutting and gluing, this is what I made...

I know, nothing special, right?  It's just a plain old envelope with a colored band... But wait, there's more!!

The envelope is actually a little package!  It's perfect for gifting cash or a gift card, even a few little chocolates, if you made the band a bit bigger. 

Obviously this one is pretty plain - I didn't take the time to doll it up too much because the kids were coming in from playing outside and the bagels finished baking.  But I can see lots of possibilities here!