Everybody say, "Yea-ah!" (June 2014)

One of the moms at my daughter's school approached me to make some birthday favors for a surprise party she was throwing for her husband's 40th birthday.  But, not ordinary "Happy Birthday" cookies...there was a theme.  (I was loving the idea already.)  She told me that he works hard for his family, holding a steady job during the day and DJ-ing gigs at night, so she was using his DJ hobby as the theme for the party.  The wheels in my head were turning already.  I did some searching on-line, and I found an image on pinterest that I knew I could use as inspiration. 

With her approval, I moved forward designing personalized turntables, headphones, and DJ booth.  

The turntables were made from a square cookie cutter.  I tried to tie all the cookies together, using the same colors, same quin accents, and same silver sheen (Wilton food mist).  I sprayed all the silver parts first, then continued on, decorating the accents.  I also tried to design them with the colors she had in mind and without too much black (no fun to have everyone with black mouths at the party, as seen in previous record cookies...eek!).

 

The headphones were made from the most unusual cookie cutter, a teddy bear, which required a bit of cutting before baking.  I struggled a bit with how to add texture to the headphone speaker, even trying one of Sweet Sugarbelle's newest techniques, but after attempting with little success, I decided that simpler was better in the end (as it usually is).

The DJ booth was definitely my most challenging, but most rewarding.  I used a house cookie cutter with a little bit of trimming pre-baking.  The 20-second icing was used in stages to give an outline to our guy's arm and head, but was otherwise not as intimidating once I attempted it.

These were fairly big cookies, at least 4-5 inches, so it required more than one batch of dough...good for me to remember in the future for these larger requests. 

 I bagged and tied these cookies up, and they were used as favors for all the guests.  

This mom put so much work into the party details and planning, and I was glad I could play a small part in it too.  I hope he was truly surprised and that the party was a success.  

Happy Birthday, Mario!

Happy Birthday, Little Tiger! (May 2014)

Wow, how is my boy 2 years old?!  I mean, when did that happen?  He is at such a fun age though, talking up a storm and doing everything his big sister does.  We don't have that many shows that we watch on tv, as there are only a couple that I trust and feel I don't have to screen episode-for-episode.  Daniel Tiger is one of them.  It's a sort of spin-off of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood using familiar characters and short songs to teach social-emotional lessons.  My kids soak these up like sponges, and it's amazing, but during a rough time, we'll sing a little tune from the show, and it seems to just click with them.  Anything from, "When you're sick, rest is best" to "Use your words" to "Stop and listen to stay safe."  Anyhow, being a therapist, I could go on and on with how much I love this show, but thankfully since my son is so enamored with it too, I could filter that love into cookies for his birthday party.

Although we're focusing on cookies here, I wanted to include my 2 birthday cakes I made.  (One would definitely have been enough, but at the last minute I got worried that I would fall short...did you hear that one-year-from-now Beth?)  Anyhow, I made the cake part real easy.  I used boxed-cake mix, boxed-brownie mix (for the gluten-free ears), and pre-made frosting (who doesn't love that?).  I used my food coloring to decorate, and it really was simple compared to the cookies.

For the cookies, I knew I wanted to make Daniel.  I used a simple circle cookie cutter and added two smaller circle shapes to the top for ears prior to baking.  Then I flooded it orange and added details.  I used one of Sweet Sugarbelle's tips on adding that little white glisten dot on his eyes, and I think it helped bring him to life.

 

Next, I made his trolley using a trolley cookie cookie cutter.  After trying to figure out how to create one with a train cookie cutter and some other shapes, I ended up just giving in and purchasing one from Karen's Cookies.  (They have almost any shape imaginable, and they are so friendly.)

Finally, I wanted a more basic design for the platter, since the other two were more elaborate.  I purchased a set of number cookies from Sur La Table.  I know, I keep buying cookie cutters, but how could I not have a set of numbers?  I have all the letters, and I'm sure to use them again, and hey...stop justifying, my collection is a few cents each.  (I know I have a sickness.)

 These were outlined and flooded with red, and then, I tried to give it some texture, resembling Daniel's favorite red sweater.  I'm not sure if I captured the knitting, but it was an interesting pop of color on the platter.

 

Everyone ended up taking some cookies home as a favor, since our guests tend not to want to touch the cookies on the platter during the party despite my insisting.

It was a "grrr-ific" party, and I know my little guy had fun celebrating.  

Happy birthday sweet boy!

Picnic in the Park (May 2014)

How is preschool over for the year?  It just flew by!  But, it was time to say our good-byes to our teachers and friends until next year.  Such a nice group of kids and parents (and you all know how much I love the teachers...just read the previous posts).

Since it was a picnic, I again, took a cue from Sweet Sugarbelle to create this platter, pretty much straight off her blog.  Hopefully I did her proud.

I had all the cookie cutters I needed, including the bumble bee, but I love that she used a balloon-shaped cookie cutter to make the lady bugs...

so clever!

 She goes through the tutorial for these little guys on her blog, but she cautioned that using a food-color marker for the bumble bee was crucial.  Of course, I'm a rule-follower and do as I'm told, so I had no trouble with these guys.  

I almost added some eyes, but then I didn't want to mess with a good thing. 

I think the flowers and rain-kissed leaves really added to the platter, especially by lightening up the color palette.

They were a big hit at the picnic.

And, of course, the teachers had their own little plate to enjoy or take home...they certainly deserve it!

 What a great first year of preschool! 

Thanks for everything, and see you in the fall!

Let Them Be Little (May 2014)

My daughter has been taking a Ballet/Tap Intro class through our park district for the past year.  Every Wednesday since September, this girl has awoken from her nap with a big smile, ready to get dressed in her leotard, tights, and leg warmers for dance class.  She has made a great core group of girl friends, and I cannot speak highly enough about her dance teacher, Ms. Barb.

Well, about 2 weekends ago she had her dance recital (I know, I'm a little late on the blogging, but you'll see in the posts that are to come soon what I've been up to).  As far as dance recitals go, this was the real deal.  Think: full high-school sized auditorium, on a stage with lights, full costume, and yes, even a little blush and hairspray.  She was SO excited.  I made these cookies to serve at the light brunch we had at our place after the show, and we also bagged some of them to give to the girls on dress rehearsal night.

First of all, let me give full design credit to Sweet Sugarbelle.  When I saw these originally posted on her blog last summer, I have been secretly dying for an opportunity to try and re-create them.

These little ballerinas are made in several steps.  First, I used a mini cookie cutter to make different faces.  Believe it or not, it was a mini skull from my Halloween set.  See?  Those mini cutters come in handy for lots of reasons!  I trimmed it a bit, added hair (in 2 stages to create a bun-type hair-do), and then filled in the face and hair bow.

Once dry, I outlined and flooded flower cookies with purple (yep, the color of the girls' actual costumes).  While they were still wet, I placed one head on each flower.  When those were dry, I added arms and more ruffles to add to the aerial perspective, and used a food marker pen to add eyes.

They were then bagged individually with a little label on the back, thanking all the girls for a fun first year of dance.

Ms. Barb also received a plaque cookie cutter with the name of the performance song, "Let Them Be Little," by Billy Dean.  I hadn't heard it before, but let me tell you, you need a whole box-full of tissues to get through this country song.  Seriously, then imagine parents watching their 3-4-year-olds dance along...ah, the water-works were going!

But, despite all the rehearsals, preparation, and excitement, nothing could prepare us for our daughter's actual performance.  In a flurry of 13 hand-holding chasse-ing girls, there was one that fell mid-step, our own.  She sweetly stopped crying long enough to finish the song in the final pose, and she just might have gotten the loudest applause.  I think she was as embarrassed as a 4-year-old could be, but I know one day, she'll find the story to be as endearing as we do.

Here's celebrating a great first year of dance, and to our little ballerina!

We love you.

Girls' Day Out! (April 2014)

I know I've said it before, but I love my sister-in-laws.  Currently, I am the only one of my siblings with kids, and while that might lead to feelings of distance between some siblings, it is quite the opposite in my family.  My brothers and sister-in-laws are the most doting of aunts/uncles, and when the ladies suggested a day for "just the girls" in downtown Chicago, it was not only my daughter who was excited.  The idea was to do things that the boys might not fully appreciate, all while taking in the adventures of the city.

I was fully on-board.  Literally.  We started our day with a most-exciting first train ride, which led to a first-time taxi ride.  Then, onto manicures, brunch at Hub 51, a playdate in the park by the Chicago River (with some hot cocoa to boot), window-shopping, and dinner at Ed Debevic's.  After all the excitement, we finished the day with a "pajama party" at my sister-in-law's, filled with, yes, a chick-flick-type "dance party," popcorn, and my daughter's first-viewing of "Sound of Music."

We woke in the morning to have breakfast at their apartment and a quieter train ride home.  What an amazing 24 hours!  With all they had done to plan the "vacation," I had to bring cookies along that would capture the essence of our girl-time together.

Dolce Desserts had some great spa-themes cookies, for which I drew some inspiration, especially for the nail polish jars (which were made from the bottom of a menorah-shaped cookie cutter).

 The craziest cookies were the hands with polished nails.  That cookie cutter came with my first set of Wilton cutters, and I never thought I'd end up using it...I mean, who makes hand-shaped cookies anyway, right?  Well, as the flesh-colored hands were drying on racks in my kitchen, I felt a little like I was looking at a cute version of a zombie movie.  Weird.

  I used a funky glasses-shaped cookie cutter for the sleeping masks, but trimmed them a bit.  Then I sprinkled some sanding sugar along the border for some texture. 

Overall, they ended up being a pretty cute set, and they made it there safely via train carry-on.

Thanks for the great weekend, girls!

Spring has Sprung! (April 2014)

Finally the snow is melting and the flowers are starting to bloom!  

My daughter had her Spring Program from preschool, and I didn't want to show up empty-handed.  This time I had my daughter give me suggestions for which cookies to create for the occasion.  Both kids have been singing a new favorite spring song from preschool: 

"Spring has sprung.  The birds are here.  Listen to them singing..."  

So, it was unanimous...spring birds and especially robins.
 

 

I had purchased a momma and baby bird cookie cutter set a few months ago, which I knew would be perfect for these cookies (and I loved that they came with their own "mini" option).  Lizy B had some very cute bird designs I had spotted on Pinterest awhile back, so I just adapted the colors and added red bellies for the robins. 

Lizy B also had a cute spring tree design that I wanted to try.  But instead of piping on all the blossoms individually, I added little quins from a recent purchase I had made on Etsy.  (So, I guess that impulse-buy came in handy.)  In addition, I adapted a design from East Coast Cookies for the birdhouses, also adding the quins for continuity.  To add them, I just sprinkled them onto the somewhat hardened 20-second icing, and then shook off the excess.  (Much easier than piping on flowers I might add!)

 I placed one birdhouse, one tree, and several birds, mini birds, and flowers into cellophane bags for each of my daughter's teachers.

And I made several plates of cookies for all the teachers to share, since they all deserve a treat.

The program was an absolute delight to watch as a parent.  My daughter was very into it.  The kids entered the room waving American flags and singing a song that they had learned back on President's Day.  Not only was my girl singing the loudest, but she was full-on marching.  I love how there is such little inhibition at her age.  I almost died when the teachers asked the kids to sing louder at one point in the program...the veins in my daughter's neck were popping out!  

Love her. :)

Thank goodness spring is finally here!

Running High (April 2014)

So, I've been participating in this training program through a local running store, Runners High 'N Tri, twice a week with a great group of ladies for the past 5-6 weeks or so, each with a goal of completing our first ever 5K or 10K race.  We've really been troopers, I must say...venturing out in as low as 10 degree weather with our extra-warm thermal leggings on just for the sake of training for race day.  Well, the day has come and gone as of yesterday.  

I am so very proud to proclaim that I completed my very first 10K at about a 10-10 1/2 minute mile pace (and still walking around today without much of a limp!).  It was a run to benefit our town's performing arts center, so costumes were encouraged at this "Red Carpet Run."  I had on a little black cotton dress over my running gear along with sunglasses and a string of pearls, Breakfast at Tiffany's style.  To keep me going for the last leg of the race, my family got dressed up and cheered for me on the sidelines too.  My daughter even spontaneously joined in to run the last 0.25 miles with me at the last second...what a way to finish the race!  Lots of cheers, loud music, and my little girl and me all dressed up and running together!

In order to thank the store, my new running buddies, and importantly, our great coach, Michelle, I thought a tray of cookies might be nice.

Good carbs, right?

I only had men's loafer cookie cutters (and I can't even believe I owned those), but after seeing Bake at 350's running shoe design, I just tweaked the loafer to try and look a little more athletic.  I think it still looks a bit like a golf shoe or cleat, but it would have to work.

Partially due to some laziness, I didn't outline and flood these cookies, but rather used 20-second icing for each section.  It made the project go faster, but after the cookie had dried, the icing didn't look as even and clean.  Ah well.

I had some fun with the store's logo.  I printed off the "R" from their website on a piece of paper, and put some wax paper on top of the copy.  I then piped the red icing on the wax paper to match the font as closely as possible.  Then, once it had dried, it easily transferred onto the wet white-icing cookies.

I'd like to say we all "paced" ourselves, but I think some of us ate 3.1, well, maybe 6.2 of these cookies all in one night.  :)  

I won't call anyone out on that, right Michelle?

 

 What a great store I've discovered with a very friendly staff and coaches/trainers who really care for the runners.  I did sort of get that "high" after running the race and even after some training runs.  They're trying to convince me to train for the half-marathon...I just don't know that my body is made for that.  We'll see...maybe this won't be the "finish line" for me just yet.