Another helpful tip I've discovered that makes using the tubes easier is to save the plastic "clamshell" containers that strawberries come in these days. The sides are high enough to help keep a full complement of tubes upright & the bottoms already have plenty of drainage holes. If you cut your tubes short, you can even close the top to make a "mini-greenhouse". I am also finding these plastic clamshell containers invaluable as "mini greenhouses" for seed starting even without using the tubes. Just fill with your soil mix, plant, & close the lid. Not only do these containers work great, but they are durable enough to be used several seasons. I have quite a collection now in all different sizes.

Thanks for this! I've posted it on my F'book page.

It really turned out great!! Love the curly swirly at the top! Definitely the worst part is cutting the paper. I use a cheap Boston papercutter that is not properly squared, and have to fudge my folding a little. When I did these with my 4th grade students, all we had was the plain foil paper in blue, red, green, gold & orange. They looked awesome! We covered a whole tree in them for the school lobby. Then I got scolded cause the teachers would catch kids folding cubes in class...ruh-roh! Actually that paper looks cool...like I need to go buy any more wrapping paper than I already own, lol!

I prefer rimless, shiny aluminum pans for cookies (I use almost 30-year old Rema Bakeware insulated pans - invented by a friend of mine, Margaret Logan). I use rimmed pans (insulated and non-insulated) for many other things, but not cookies. In fact, I have 3 different sizes of each of these pans to accommodate different uses and recipes. Avoid extremely thin pans because they seem to be the #1 reason for burned cookie bottoms and under-baked tops. Tip: if you already have thin pans, you can put 2 sheets together (one on top of the other and only bake on the top sheet) for added insulation if you tend to get burned cookie bottoms. Dark nonstick pans (such as Wearever) are also popular, but not without some changes to your finished cookies. Cookies baked on dark nonstick pans can be smaller than those baked on shiny aluminum. The cookie may be more rounded, tops and bottoms more browned - especially the bottoms. Bottoms of cookies may also be harder than using shiny aluminum pans. I've judged so many cookies at fairs over the years, I can tell you which kind of pan was used for baking. To me, there IS a huge amount of difference. Black surfaced pans bake faster because the dark color absorbs heat. The diameter of the cookies may be smaller and the cookie shape be more rounded. Choose cookie sheets that are at least 2-inches narrower and shorter than the inside dimensions of the oven, so the heat will circulate around them. I also suggest having at least 3 identical sheets (4 is even better - especially if you have a convection oven and bake more than one sheet of cookies at a time) , so you always have a cool sheet to load, and all the sheets will bake the same since they are the same. I nearly always line my pans with parchment paper, if for no other reason it makes clean-up so simple. There are a few cookies that are best baked on the sheet without parchment. I bought a lifetime supply of parchment paper from a restaurant supply store, and I cut each sheet in half for my pans. I reuse it for one baking session or day of baking, especially when making cookies. Otherwise, it gets tossed into the trash when I done with a baking session. -Grainlady