Julekurver = Christmas baskets

This book that my mother found at the public library is so well made, I could easily see it translated into English, inspiring people all of the world to create their own little baskets in colorful paper.
The author is Beate G. Lindseth and the book was published by N.W. Damm & Soen AS in 2007.
The author's homepage is http://www.julekurver.no/

My mother would make such baskets when I was a little girl and hang them on the Christmas tree, often with nuts inside.

Here you see one example of how the simple act of weaving strips of colored paper strips can create a chequered pattern. The number of scissors indicate how difficult it is to cut the patterns with the scissor. The number of hearts indicate how difficult the weaving is.
These patterns are the traditional ones here in Scandinavia, but the author has a lot of interesting suggestions.
Here f.ex. is a Heart inside a Heart.

The book gives detailed patterns you can copy.


This version is called the Love Letter

Some of the other ideas:
A White Dove
An Angel with a Trumpet
The Zodiac Signs
Versions with the maps of the Scandinavian countries
Vikings
Edward Grieg
H.C. Andersen (whose Christmas Basket from 1864 is the oldest preserved Christmas Basket today)

The author tells that she sees more and more American websites showing such baskets in connection with Valentine's Day.

It doesn't really have to be limited to Christmas, but can certainly be used as a token of love.

If you visit the author's website (recommended!) click on at least two of the subjects on her menu, if you don't read Norwegian:
Julekurvsamling (Collection of Christmas Baskets, showing four versions, but she has a collection of one thousand!)
Julekurvmaler (Two, soon three, free patterns for Christmas Baskets)
http://www.julekurver.no/