Birthday Bouquet (March 2014)

Growing up in a house with two younger brothers, at times I would be jealous of my friends with sisters...someone to understand all that girl stuff plus double the wardrobe to share, right?  Well, it's not like I don't love my brothers, but I admit that I feel lucky to have some pretty awesome sister-in-laws (all of whom also grew up as the oldest with only brothers as siblings...there's an unspoken bond there for sure :)

One of my sister-in-laws just had a milestone birthday, and although she is still younger than me, I won't disclose her age just in case.  However, we had a little family celebration, so I definitely wanted to contribute some dessert...cookies.

The flowers were pretty straight-forward using, well, flower cookie cutters both big and small.  I used The Cookie Artisan's Springtime in Paris cookie platter as inspiration, but I wanted to add leaves to the some of the cookies for a little variety.

I used different sizes from Wilton's leaf fondant cut-out set, and I overlapped the flower and leaf with the dough prior to baking.  I think the double-leaf flowers are my favorite (but they were pretty big!).

Using the same colors, I had some fun making the monogram cookies, although it took a bit of trial and error.  Originally, I had photocopied some monogram initials I liked, put some wax paper over the paper, and piped the icing on top of the wax paper.  However, next time I'll need to choose a thicker font and be more patient in the drying process, as they all broke when peeling them off the wax paper.  Ah, live and learn.

I ended up free-hand piping the letters on after some practicing.  And, although each "R" looked a bit different, they all got the message across.  :)

I liked this little design so much that I made "M" and "C" monogram cookies and placed them each in a favor bag with accompanying flowers for other friends in gratitude and for celebration.

This color palette just makes me think of spring.  As of March 20th, it is officially here...

And to my awesome sister-in-law, Happy Birthday!

New Babies (March 2014)

 A few of my family's friends recently had new babies born, a little girl and a little boy.  So, to help them celebrate, I rationed off some of my cookie dough intended for a large platter of cookies, and created a little favor for each of them.

For little Jane, I used a onesie cookie cutter and one of my favorite "baseball tee" designs.  

Then, I thought I'd try one of Sweet Ambs' floral patterns as seen on her blog.

The whole design is made with wet icing, so I had to work quickly, but I was pretty happy with how they turned out, especially for my first try.

 The mini swirl roses were Sweet Sugarbelle's design and made while also creating the wedding shower platter for my co-worker.  

(Actually, all of these colors can be found in that cookie platter, making the mixing of icing colors not any more labor-intensive.)

For Chase, I used a bear cookie cutter, starting first with his belly and snout, then adding his head, feet, and ears with 20-second icing, and finishing up with his arms and a small blue heart (Build-A-Bear style).  His eyes and nose were drawn on with a food-coloring marker.

Such fun occasions to celebrate.  

Congratulations to all the new parents and grandparents!

I think this is one of the reasons why I continue to love decorating cookies...a very positive undertaking, celebrating life's most joyful moments.  

Aww, hugs and kisses all around!

Frozen Friends (March 2014)

Ah, birthday season is upon us at our house, and this year, the theme was easy.  Disney's "Frozen" movie has seemed to become intertwined in just about all aspects of our lives since its viewing in late December.  We dress in their costumes, sing the songs, watch the you tube videos (now limited to 1x/day!), and make-believe we are the different characters daily.  Not only was it our daughter's first movie in the movie theater, but it soon became our son's first too.  We found one of those sing-a-long showings, and wow did they sing!  It's amazing how they really have no inhibition at this age.  And, it's so fun as parents to watch them watch/sing/play with something that they are so in love with.

So, Frozen it was for the birthday party.  Since she was set on character cookies, which were quite a challenge, we opted for an easy brownie dessert (with a decorated cookie as a garnish).

I found these snowflake sprinkles from Kreative Baking Shop on Etsy, and I thought their colors went well with the Frozen decor.  The brownies are actually a recipe I found on Bake at 350's blog, and they are the best (if I may say so!).  She calls them "Birthday Cake Oreo-Stuffed Brownies," and they are exactly what you think.  Birthday Cake flavored Oreos baked inside these fudgy brownies...yum!

  The cookie platter was more time consuming.

 I played it safe with my go-to snowflake minis and new favorite snowman, Olaf, as seen in a previous post.  He was made from a snowman cookie cutter, with the hat trimmed a bit.  He was a necessary addition to the platter, especially with all the boys we had at her birthday party.

I was much more worried about the Anna and Elsa cookies.  I found some cookies for sale on Etsy from Pastry Tart Bakery for these characters that helped me form my own design.  Here is their take on Anna and Elsa.  I liked how they sort of cropped the girls' dresses and how they styled their hair, but I wanted my girls to have their eyes opened, a risky endeavor I later found out.

You know, I am not the best at free-drawing, especially when it is Disney I'm trying to imitate.  It was funny to me how each of the girls looked different, despite using the same decorating techniques.  My best friends for this project were Americolor's Food Decorator Pens, especially when I was drawing the facial features, to get all those small details.  And, while overall, I can critique each one, once they were on the platter, I think they resembled the characters enough that they still were "like" each character enough...you know, "Anna-like" and "Elsa-like."

And, I'll take that.

A very happy birthday, to our now 4-year-old, who is definitely "worth melting for!"

Spring Weddings (March 2014

See how optimistic I'm being with the title of this post?  I, like every other midwesterner, is completely over this never-ending winter.  Let's bring in the spring with some wedding celebrations.  I just love this design from Dolce Desserts.  I thought it was simple and elegant...just the thing for my friend's mom's wedding. 

She is using purple as her accent color, and therefore, so did I.  A nice color pop against an otherwise pretty neutral platter.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, underneath the decorated cookies are a bunch of my lemon-glazed shortbread cookies, one of her favorites, and specifically requested for this platter.  

Wishing them much happiness for their upcoming wedding this weekend!

And congratulations to my co-worker who is also getting married this month!  Today was her bridal shower at work, so I made this platter for her using the same inspired design.

Her colors are pink and grey (so pretty!).  I tried my best to replicate her simple, but very elegant full ballgown and her bouquet of pink roses.

And, for minis, I used a mini pumpkin cutter to create Sweet Sugarbelle's new rose design, accented with some sanding sugar.

Let's hope all these warm wishes melt away some of this stubborn snow! :) 

Valentine's Day Love Letters (February 2014)

Ah, Valentine's Day.
How nice to have a break from polar vortex temperatures with a holiday that warms our souls.  Even though we don't go overboard with celebrating Valentine's Day at our house, we do love this holiday and the opportunity to formally tell those how much we love them.  

The kids have been cutting, gluing, coloring, and sticker-ing all week, making notes for their teachers, family, and friends.  Remember how much fun it was to give and get Valentine's notes at school?  Well, this year, I made mini hearts with love letters as Valentine's favors for preschool.

 When packaged in snack size bags, they looked like this.  Then, I had my daughter sign her name to a label that went on the back of the bag...great practice for writing her name!

The teachers got individual bags that were personalized for them (another good literacy activity for delivery at school).

 

We also made some for us to enjoy.

 

Since I was making so many mini hearts (about 500 to be exact), I wanted the designs to be interesting, but simple at the same time.

The crinkle hearts had a simple outline of matching sanding sugar, and the standard hearts had coordinating embellishments and designs.

On their own, they're not too fancy, but they looked a little more coordinated when on a serving platter or in a favor bag.

I've been collecting mail throughout the week (mostly from grandparents, friends, and relatives) and putting it in a special Valentine's bag/mailbox for each of the kids to open tomorrow on Valentine's Day.  I'm excited to see their reactions and for them to hopefully realize again and again how much they are loved. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Outdoor (Indoor) Winter Fun (January 2014)

Ok, this whole blogging thing...I've been using basically any free time I have had over the past 3 months or so to work on my posts...yes, all 33 of them, and today, with the 34th post, I have to say I am officially "caught up."  Like I had said originally, the whole "purpose" of this blog is just a means to remember the cookies after they've been eaten.  And, happily from now on, the cookies I post will be ones I will have just finished, in the appropriate season and for timely occasions...at least, if I keep to it!

These cookies were really just for fun.  I noticed our supply getting low in the cookie jar, and with Valentine's Day still a couple of weeks away, I knew I wanted to make something before then.  So, I started thinking about what the kids have been really excited about lately...what, a cookie with them in mind and it wasn't even their birthday?  Yes...it was time.

We have had no shortage of snow around here, and we keep talking and reading about sledding, building snowmen, and making snow angels.  But, unfortunately with our record-breaking low temps, we are unable to fully enjoy it (or at all!).  Their experiences so far have been limited to dressing up in a million layers, dad snow-blowing at all hours of the day, and mom grumbling about how the entryway has not had clean floor in weeks.  

So, how about bringing some of the outdoor winter fun indoor with sledding cookies?  I looked and looked for a cookie cutter that might work.  I had a mini sleigh cookie from my Christmas set, but it really wasn't right.  Then, I "saw" it...can you?

A duck!  One with its bill and one without.  

And, although drawing facial expressions is never my strength, I kept it simple and played around with non-pareils for texture.

I accessorized the platter with coordinating mini snowflakes (my new go-to), and some hats and mittens, again, using the non-pareils for texture and consistency.

I had made argyle onesies before, but I was intimidated a bit by my fair-isle pattern.  Actually though, when broken down into the different designs/lines, it really wasn't too tricky.

And, since I was making these with my kids in mind, I wanted to acknowledge their new favorite little guy, Olaf, from Disney's Frozen.  Over the winter break, my husband and I took our daughter to see Frozen, her first movie in the theater.  Ever since then, she/we have all been make-believing and singing non-stop.  Even my son at only 20 months can sing along...and didn't even see the movie!

I used a snowman cookie cutter, but trimmed his top hat to give him a more oval face.  Although I pretty much just designed him based on the little figurine my daughter plays with, I did get some additional inspiration from Lizy B's blog.  

It was awesome to see the kids' expressions when they saw this cookie all completed.  And now, when they get to choose which cookie they want for snack time, Olaf is the clear "winner."  So, due to the popularity of these cookies among my kids, I am pretty sure this will not the last time I'll be making these.  

Don't you just want to give him a warm hug?

Anyhow, that's it.  All caught up and welcoming our outdoor winter fun in an indoor way.  

Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy the real thing soon...stay warm!

Sweet Little Love Notes (January 2014)

My co-worker is due with a baby in February.  Their first, a little girl, and our department couldn't be happier for them.  I was also happy to have another excuse to make a platter of cookies.  Since I'm basically addicted to Pinterest, I searched for her and spied on some of her favorite pins for baby.

I knew they were decorating the baby's room a cool combination of teal and coral, and I know how much her husband is into music.  I saw that she had pinned a few baby onesies with cute music puns on them, and that was all the inspiration I needed...I was off to work!

How about those music puns?  "Here comes treble...Hold me?"  Awesome.  Since I really didn't think I could fit all the lettering on a onesie cookie, I chose to use a heart, with some additional flower details.

I happened to have the music note and treble clef cookie cutters already.  See...this only fuels my collection-buying habits, since, well, you never know which one(s) you'll need.  I traced the treble clef a few times with the gray icing in order to give it the perception of having strings, and the music notes, although the largest, were the most simple overall design...especially once I discovered Sweet Sugar Belle's simple roses...love these!

 Of course, I wanted to have a mini option, so I chose basic hearts in coordinating colors, since the rest of the cookies were so elaborate and busy.

 Also, to add some background interest to the platter, I made some additional circle cookies.  This time, I used a food marker pen to stencil on the gray and white chevron...still working on perfecting that pattern with icing.  The quatrefoil (the coral in the middle), I was able to free-hand after some practice on scratch paper, and the teal with white polka dots was completed with the wet-on-wet icing technique. 

 

I loved making a baby shower platter that didn't include my traditional baby cookie cutters (i.e. onesies, bottles, carriages).  It was fun to make this personalized platter for such a fun and sweet couple.  

Best wishes with their new addition!