Boo! (October 2014)

Ok, this post is titled "Boo!," not because of some sort of cookie tragedy (is that such a thing?...yes, I'm afraid!), but more appropriately because of Halloween.  

Man, the cookie decorators I follow have some amazing ideas for Halloween!  I love these witch boots from Sweet Sugarbelle that she made a few years ago, and I decided to risk attempting them myself this year.  I followed her steps almost to the letter, and I was pretty happy with how they turned out.  She designed these using an upside-down shirt cookie cutter...so smart!

Since the boots were so intricate, I used a much simpler "Boo!" design for the spider web cookies.  I just used the wet-on-wet technique to add a pop of color all at once, and then I added the writing (and small spider!) with black icing once the main area dried.

Mini cookies are not only one of my favorite ways to add interest to a cookie platter, but they have also been a fun way to pass out favors at school.  This time, I used snack bags stuffed with "Five Little Pumpkins."  Although fairly simple, since there were SO many of them, they were pretty time consuming.  I used 20-second icing in 3 stages to give the pumpkins the right texture, and then I added the details.  I had thought about drawing on the faces with a food coloring marker, but because of the ridges on the pumpkins, it wouldn't have looked right.

 When they were all laid out on a platter, the colors seemed to coordinate nicely.  We had a great time bringing these to our friend, Stacie's house for an afternoon of Halloween-themed fun.  She had everything from ghost tortilla chips to punch over dry ice to spider cupcakes...so clever!  Oh, and we also wrapped up the kids in toilet paper mummy-style...classic.

 I love this action shot too!

 Happy Halloween!

My Kind of Music! (October 2014)

Well, this next batch of cookies were inspired by my new labor of love, an interactive parent-child early childhood music program that is taught by me (a speech-language pathologist) and an established and in-demand early childhood music specialist in our neighborhood.  This class is more than a "Mommy and Me" class, as it is specifically tailored to meet the needs of ALL children, especially welcoming those with special needs.  

As a team, we are so passionate about this program, and I could blog about it all day.  

Instead, if you are interested, I highly recommend you check out our Facebook page and our website, where you can also watch a short youtube video of what to expect in one of our classes.

This new adventure all began very organically.  Once I experienced Miss Michelle's music classes with my own children through the park district, I was hooked.  Not only was I excited about the curriculum and her musicality (she writes her own songs and plays the guitar!), I was impressed with her ability to connect with the kids, while involving the parents throughout the class.

If only the parents that I worked with everyday (parents of children with special needs) had a place to take their children, where they felt they could experience the social, bonding joys of a music class, and also support their child's therapeutic goals.  AND, wouldn't it be nice for these amazing (and exhausted) parents to meet other parents who understand and support their needs?

I guess these are lofty goals, but Miss Michelle and I are up for the challenge!

As we are much more familiar with therapy, music, and education, we have had a major class in marketing and business over the past few months.  This logo was designed by a family friend of Michelle's...isn't it great?  I love the playful design and the colors.

I knew this would be the inspiration for the cookies that follow.

From my all pinterest searching, Katie's Something Sweet shop on Etsy inspired these guitar cookies (above), and I tried my best to mimic the guitar in our logo for these guitar-shaped cookies (below).

 I guess it's not that surprising that I had a guitar in my cookie cutter collection, and since I was already into the theme, I decided to also use my music note cookie cutters.  I totally forgot how HUGE they are.  (FYI, the bigger the cookie, the less likely they will be eaten.)  But, they did add some balance to the very busy platter.

I also made some mini circles, surrounded by sanding sugar of matching color for more bite-sized music note options, and there were definitely takers of those.

Originally, I brought this platter to our very first pilot "My Kind of Music" class.  Michelle and I munched a bit, as did some of the office staff and our photographers (thanks family!).  Due to various allergies, they weren't shared with the families, but as this whole endeavor has definitely been a team effort, this was just my way of saying, "thanks."

I guess I communicate through cookies often.  

I used the leftovers from this platter to bring to a meet-and-greet event with other therapists and early intervention providers, to help advertise our program (in the yummiest way I know how.)

It was only a matter of time until my "work-life" and "creative-life" collided.

Here's to the start of a new journey!