Cabbage Babies

So my husband bought me a KK a while back.....and I never used it.

Now that we moved, I didn't have the space to bring it with me.  So there it is...gone now.

Never used.

Except once.....

Happy Valentine's Day

Hello out there!!

Yes, I know, long time no see....read...whatever.

Let's catch up shall we?  July last year I made a sudden move back to Texas (Howdy Y'all!).  Got a job in commission sales,,,,new home sales to be exact...and I love my new job.  Husband came back from his work in California and started school learning high end automotive tuning (I think that sounds right)....Sophie is in Kindergarten and John is just the sweetest funniest little guy EVER!  (Naturally.... )

Anyway....I made these a while back....and it's nothing new....just a throwback to one of my earliest and most favorite designs...

These are Ecrandal lingerie cutters.....I have had this cutter for like 5 years at least now and it still looks practically new.  Love these cutter.  Love the shop. Love the people.

Anyway, back to life....

I am going to try really hard to get on here and do more posts...be more active.  It's going to be hard....Full time job, husband, kids, new place...it takes up time.  But hey, I'm back in Texas which means...

I CAN TAKE ORDERS AGAIN!!

TUTORIAL: One Stroke Flowers

I made these cookies for my MIL last year.  I was feeling inventive....and my MIL is a super awesome woman and I love her.  So I wanted to do something pretty for her.  But I didn't have a lot of time.  So I had to cut a corner...my usual corner cut is to not mix colors.  I will make white cookies (because I don't have to color the icing to do that) and then airbrush....  or paint.

Now I know I have stated before that I am not the best at painting at cookies....Mostly because it's like painting with watercolors and that's just not my thing....but I still know a few painting techniques.

I remember in art class being taught this really easy way to paint two toned flowers.  It's called a one stroke technique.  Because you can apply 2 colors in one stroke and make a beautiful petal.

Shabby Chic Owls

Sometime in April my mom decided to host a baby shower for one of our long time family friend's daughter.  Her daughter grew up with my sister Amy.  So of course our families became friends.  Well, she was decorating the nursery with owls, so mom asked me if I would make owls for the shower....she asked me back in early March.  It's as if she knew I wouldn't get to them once baby John arrived.....like she knows me or something...moms...weird right??

Well yeah, I didn't get to them.  Totally coincidental...had nothing to do with the baby arriving...my mother isn't always right....

But I had already cut and baked the cookies.

Since I don't sell my cookies, no one eats them.  So I kept the owls in a ziplock in a freezer till about.... well... 2 days ago... when I decided I would finally get these owls done.  They had been haunting me...begging to be decorated.

Giving Thanks: Doves

As some of you know, 3 months ago my father passed away suddenly of a heart attack on his 60th birthday.  I had just had a baby 5 weeks before.  3 weeks before that my husband had to leave for 3 months for work.  It was a lot of stress and big life changes in short succession...all within a month about.  After all of this I held it together pretty well.  But as it all sunk in, it began to take it's toll and I started to become ill.  I'm ok now, thanks to family and friends who have been there for me.

It's been a very difficult 3 months.

I wanted to take the opportunity to publicly thank all of the people who have lent me so much support through these last few months.  People have sent me flowers, taken my kids for play dates, made me dinner, sent me gifts....it's really been amazing.  What touched me the most were the things sent to me from people I don't even know that well.  I think I received cards, gifts, sweets, books, baby things just about every day for a month.  In fact it's been so overwhelming that I haven't even had the time to keep up with it and thank everyone properly.  I WILL get to that.  I mean it.

I just want you to know that each card, book, gift, box of hand made cookies.....each one made me cry.  Not in the bad way, but in the way that I was so grateful.  I felt so loved it couldn't be helped.  I just wept every day for a month...and happy tears for a change.  To think that you would go through the trouble to do something so nice for someone you may not have ever met in person.... it meant something to me.

I also want to thank everyone who left comments of comfort on the blog.  It was good to hear so much positive from so many.  There are some of you who have gone through similar experiences and for a while there, when it was really important, I didn't feel so alone.

I'm going to post a tutorial or two pretty soon.  I'm edging my way back into work and daily life.  Sorry for the hermiting.  I hermit.  But I'll be back.

Thank you for your patience.  And thank you for reading.

Mardi Gras 2013

I like Mardi Gras.  Granted, yes, I've never actually been to Mardi Gras....but I have a soft spot for it for some reason.  Maybe because I have a soft spot for New Orleans and Louisiana in general.

Yes, there are flaws in New Orleans...I mean...Bourbon Street...kinda dirty and well...  you know...

But the FOOD!  The food is some of the best anywhere.  And Louisiana is so beautiful.  All those bayous and moss covered trees....old homes...wildlife and water....

And did I mention food?

I basically go visit New Orleans (and Louisiana in genreal) just to eat.  I used to go visit my sister while she was in LSU.  Last time I was in Louisiana actually was when she graduated... I've been running short of valid excuses to get my fat happy butt back....

Anyway... Mardi Gras right?

Sophie's Pink and Purple Princess Party

Over the holidays my beautiful little girl turned 4.

These were seriously the only non Christmas cookies I made all season.  And I think they're my favorite because they're just so darn GIRLIE!!  :)

Tutorial: Christmas Bow

So like so many people this season, my schedule looks like this:

go go go...to-do to-do to-do....shopping shopping shopping...work work work...party party party...

Christmas.

Did I mention party?  I think there's something going on every weekend for the next month... maybe more.  Who knows.  Anyway, with all these parties going on (which I love btw....I mean who doesn't love a good party around Christmas?) I get asked to make a lot of cookies.

Yesterday I went to my first cookie exchange party.  And I had to bring cookies (duh).  4 dozen of them.  Well, with everything else going on this month, I don't have a ton of time to make really exquisite Christmas cookies in large batches.  And I would imagine neither do a lot of people...I mean we have to get everything done to get ready for Christmas.  There's social engagements, the shopping, the cooking, decorating.... and of course we want to spend time with our family.  So when it comes to cookies like these....I keep them old school simple.

Classic simple and festive.  Does the job.  And it's cute to boot.

My Post Cookie Con Hand Painting Attempt

Also known as, my week trying to be as cool as Arty.

Well, I'm back from Cookie Con, and still not even kind of caught up on all the excitement.  I'm reeling.  It was AWESOME....with a capital AWE.

I'll do a Cookie Con recap later this week (or next), but for now I wanted to talk about something particular.

So Arty McGoo was there teaching in our little troupe that weekend.  And she did her all famous hand painting.  Really, if you enjoy damp dark places and have decided to live under a rock, and don't know who I'm talking about.... CLICK HERE.

Anyway, she did her demo on hand painting and somewhere during her presentation I said (aloud...why did I say it aloud?) "I think I can do that".

Then after Liz and I chatted, and she told me how fast and easy it was to paint on cookies.  I'm all for fast and easy....

And I came home.....and had a deadline to meet...and thought....quick and easy....ok... let's do this!

And after a WEEK this is what I came up with

Gothic Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone!!  :)

Chocolate and White Halloween

I really don't enjoy black icing.

I just don't.  So I try and use it as sparingly as humanly possible.

Well during my design session for this years Halloween cookies, I noticed quite a few designs that required black icing....and we're talking lots of black......

Me no likey that....

So here's what I did instead

Right so it's not exactly black but the general point is made.  And the best part about it....you only have to mix one icing color.  If that.  It's just white.  White icing on chocolate cookies.

Now I suppose I could have added more cocoa or a little bit of Americolor black to the dough to make it darker....yes, that would have been nice looking.  But I didn't....because I didn't think of it till after I baked them.  Crikey.

But still....for some fast and easy cookies...not too shabby.  I used a little bit of Americolor black mixed with some water and painted on my remaining details.  These were seriously fast...and fun too!!  I even put a little sanding sugar on my ghost and moon.

I will be posting the last of my Halloween cookies tomorrow...on Halloween.  Seems fitting.

Till tomorrow!!!

Sweet Halloween

Ok, so I am arriving SO last minute to the Halloween Party this year.

Truth is, I've been so busy nesting for baby and getting ready for my big trip to Cookie Con, I've fallen a little behind.

 made like 5 different sets of Halloween designs and only finished 3.  Perhaps I can still re purpose some of them.  Or possibly post them late?  Dunno.  Haven't figured it out yet.

Anywho...  here's a quick little set I made for the kiddies.

Nothing fancy or WOW about them.  But cute and fun all the same.  All made with a little candy cutter.

I do have to say, I am SUPER excited and SUPER nervous about Cookie Con this year.
I'm teaching a class.....scary I know.  Now there is some REAL Halloween terror for you right there.

But I'm also really looking forward to seeing my cookie friends, and I know it's going to be a whole lot of fun.

I might post my teaching project and some pics of Cookie Con when I get back.  Perhaps a few tutorials of what I am teaching for those who are unable to make it this year.  It's all up in the air.  I dunno...

Anyway, I will probably have another post today....maybe two more...because I have 2 more sets to show you.  And I was hoping to have a tutorial for one of them but I don't know that I'm going to be able to get to it.  Boo....

Tell then.....!

Tutorial: Stacked Pumpkins

So about 2 years ago, I made these cute little stacked pumpkins out of a snowman cutter......

Surprise...

**Ok, well if your a friend of mine on Facebook this might not be such a surprise.... but I'm getting ahead of myself....**

You may have noticed my absence....or maybe not.  I'm not THAT important...just saying...I've been fairly unparticipative on the inter-web for the last...uh...4...5 months??  I have valid reasons....I think so anyway.

Firstly, and probably the most influential reason, is that my computer bit the dust.  I mean crash and burn.  Crash being that I was carrying it and tripped...*crash*.  I had a small service.  There were a few attendants...ok, so my husband and me really.... and that's only because I dragged him to the living room to pay his respects before it was shelved.  Shelved with all of my data trapped inside....*sigh*...sorry, it's still a little rough.

I'll be fine...

Anyway, without the good old technology, posting was well.....difficult.  So that's that.

On happier notes...a lot of good stuff has been going on since I rejoined the living here in the real world (where I tell people I run a cookie decorating blog - "I decorate cookies" - and they look at me very perplexed...."You do what?").  August has been birthday month.  My birthday was on the 14th.  The big 3-0.

30.....I don't want to talk about it....

But it was also my grandma's 75th birthday and she was here to celebrate with me in Joplin :)  Not to mention my sister in law and my father in law...it was their birthdays in August too.  So basically it's been a month long party.

I'm tired....and fatter.

Birthday present:  a new computer....yay!!!!  So it took a little while to catch up with everything I missed and get back in the swing of things.  Get all the work uploaded and edited that I have been making over the last who knows how long....  But basically, I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm caught up (as best I can) and I should be back to regular posting.

And you know, life isn't all about cookies and food (blasphemy!!!)
....look what else happened while I was busy living...
( this is the surprise ).....on the way...

We're due in March 2013 with kiddo #2!   :)

Tutorial: Writing in Cursive

 I've been a little MIA.

Things have been going on and it's been a little crazy and stressful.  But I'm still here.  And I haven't forgotten about my blog.  :)

Needless to say with all the action and adventure going on over here I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on new cookies.  So I thought I would post something I prepared a while back but never got around to posting.

Writing in cursive on cookies.  I know it's not the most exciting topic and tutorial but important none the less.  There will be SO many occasions when a client asks you to write someone's name on a cookie

Tutorial: Sunflowers

I made these pretty little sunflowers about a week ago for a family friend

This certain family friend actually ran my wedding rehearsal years ago.  And now her offspring was getting married, and it was my turn to do something for her.

Tutorial: Orchid

My friend Haniela emailed me a while back.  Asked me if I would make an orchid.

Um yeah!  I would love to!

See I bought this gorgeous orchid cutter from Ecrandal YEARS ago but never had the opportunity to use it.

So I was thinking SCORE!  An orchid!  :)

And when it was all said and done, I ended up making this:

Tutorial: Making Royal Icing

It's hard to decorate a cookie without icing.  Some use butter cream, some use glaze...

I use ROYAL.  I like royal simply because it gives me the versatility and detail that I like.  I can make transfers, flowers, crisp clean lines, leaves...just about anything I like. 

 Royal Icing

5 TBSP Meringue Powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 c. water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp additional flavoring (optional)
2lb confectioners sugar
1 TBSP to 1/4 c. Light corn syrup


Place meringue powder, cream of tartar, water and flavoring in the CLEAN bowl

From The Vault: Mardi Gras

Sick.  I've been sick.  Deathly ill.  So the totally awesome Mardi Gras cookies I made this year, aren't yet ready for posting.  Mostly because I don't think snot is a very Mardi Gras kind of thing.  Doesn't fit with the theme.  Well, not for me anyway.  Different strokes for different folks....

Tutorial: Ruffles

I'm pretty girly girl.

I mean not pink and zebra and glitter kind of girly...  I mean like lace and ruffles and makeup and shoes kind of girly.  And sparkly things....can't forget pretty sparkly things.

So it's no real surprise that I love putting ruffles on cookies.