Painting Gold

Ready for a video??!!

At long last!!  I finally made a video!!

Don't get too excited tho....it isn't the best quality...I had to film it with my ipad....

BUT CONTENT is awesome!

Wanna know how I get such a metallic gold????

Cute Pumpkin "Cake" Balls

So Cake Balls......*sigh*....I'm going to be straight with you

I hate 'em.

Don't get me wrong...I like the concept OK, and I think they're cute and all....But if I want to eat cake, I would rather eat a slice of cake...instead of whatever on a stick.  That and....I can't really make 'em.  That might be my true reasoning behind my loathing of cake pops....and cake balls.  It's messy and time consuming and just not for me.

So why am I doing a post with cake balls and cake pops???

Because they're NOT CAKE POPS!  It's faux cake balls.  It's CHEATING in the cake on a stick territory. 

Allow me to explain....and show you how to do them 3 ways for Halloween :)

TUTORIAL: Dracula In Love

So I was searching my brain for something cute to design for Halloween....and all I could think of was that movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall....and that Dracula love ballad..

Hillarious if you haven't seen it.  Jason Segal....

Anyway.....that's how I ended up with this:

Yes...Dracula is in love.... and he has it baaaaaaad.

Who is he in love with??  Uh...I dunno...probably a blood bank tech....

No matter....

To share the love I thought I would also share a little tutorial for y'all....simple and sweet...

Then maybe a few more shots of the collection here...because I took a bajillion pics....weird right?  I mean me?  Taking way too many pics of cookies?????

TUTORIAL: From the Vault: Fall Pumpkin Wagons

Gotta make this a quick post unfortunately  Baby John is in his fussy state today....trying to breath fire.  And my oldest refuses to clean her play room and is trying to get into my cookies....so.  I need to be efficient.

It' a really quick and easy photo tut of PUMPKIN WAGONS!!

And can you guess what cutter I used??

Tutorial: Speckling with Luster Dust

Ok, I have a really easy tutorial for you...of course I did it in video because it's one of the only ways to really show you how to speckle...it's more of a live action kinda thing...


But first let me tell you a little about the cookies I speckled.

I made these for the Go Bo Foundation.  Follow the link to learn more.  This is one of two sets I plan on donating to the Go Bo Bake Sale.

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.

Tutorial: Cutting Roses

We all know there's been a lot going on lately.  Busy busy....  SO I thought to ease back into it all I would share a simple tutorial with you guys.

I know you've all seen me do these roses before....

Ok not THESE roses....but roses similar to them.  Same shape that is.  Of course I have decorated them a million and one ways.  In fact this rose is my very first franken-shape.  I didn't have a rose cutter that looked like I wanted.  I wasn't thrilled with the cutters out there at the time either.  Keep in mind this was like 4 years ago.  Yep...I've been making these roses since the beginning....

Made these to send to my friend Kim while she was away at school

Tutorial: Angels

A little while back a reader sent me an email asking of I had a tutorial for my little angels I made 2 years ago that was hosted on Frosting For The Cause.  She informed me that the link to the tutorial I made didn't work.  I checked it out, and sure enough the site is down.  So no one can get to the tut.  So I thought I would re post it here now.

Keep in mind, I made these 2 years ago!  If I were to make these now I probably would have just piped the hearts straight on instead of doing RI transfers....and even if I was to do RI transfers, I would do them over a sheet printed with hearts so that they were all the same.  But that's just the perfectionist in me.  They're still cute.
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I have been fortunate in my life to not know anyone personally affected by cancer. Though I don't have any personal experience to share, I am aware of the pain it can cause families and the devastation it can leave behind. I thank the Lord daily for my fortune. It saddens me to know that out there somewhere a woman is battling with her own body.

Keep up the fight ladies

So today, in honor and memory of those waging war against cancer we're going to make cookies. Cookies make everything a little easier to swallow. :)

Tutorial: Stadium Cookies

Ok... So I made these stadium cookies like I don't know how many years ago for a college football playoff.  At the time I was just kinda getting in my groove and I had no idea how popular they would become.  Well, they are now one of my most copied cookies.  Not complaining.  I'm happy people seem to like them.  Just one of those things where you don't know how something is going to go over until years pass and you do a Google search.

Anyway, I thought I would show y'all how I made them years ago.  Or kinda how I made them.  A quicker and smaller scale version of them anyway.  The ones I made years ago were like 5 inch cookies and had this rather unnecessary scalloped edge on them.  Anyway....here's a toned down version of them that's super super easy.  And I think the cookie I used is like 3 inches or something.  So there you go...party sized.  Just in time for the Super Bowl.....

Tutorial: Edible (OR Storable) Christmas Cookie Ornaments

This year, I think I've done more cookie decorating than ever before...which is ironic because I haven't taken any cookie orders this season....

I had this plan (last year) to make a whole cookie tree...not a tree made of cookies, but you know, our little 2 foot tree covered in cookies.

The 2 foot tree....it's our first tree as a married couple.  We still have it....

Anyway, best laid plans blah blah blah.... you know how it goes.  Didn't happen this year.  Of course.

But that didn't stop me from trying.  At least trying to kick the cookie ornament urge.

So I made a few and put them on the big tree :)

Wanna learn how to make them?  They're super easy.  And the best part is I only had to make one color of icing...woot!

Recipe: Easy Brownie Triangles with Mint "Buttercream"

So after the events last Friday, I didn't feel much like working over the weekend.

It's Christmas, a time for love and family and peace, and the thought of working through another weekend with my daughter was a little depressing.  So I didn't.  I had fun with her instead.

Every time I make cookies she asks me if she can be my little helper.  It's heartbreakingly sweet...that little face with those doe eyes looking up at me.... tho I know her real motivation is just to get her hands on a cookie and icing...to eat it.  Still...

So this weekend I made a project that she and I could do together.  Even got the hubs to join in.

So yeah, it's a family activity.  Something you can easily do with your kids this holiday.  And it's fun too!

No, these wont be OMG amazing or expertly done or perfect by any means....just clean wholesome down and dirty baking fun.

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.

Tutorial: Stacked Pumpkins

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

Patriotic Pool Party - Star TUTORIAL

So, I know, I've been gone FOR-EV-VER!  My computer broke...for good this time.  Bye-Bye hand-me-down Dell laptop.  I would get a new one and get straight back to work but you know...there's a mourning period.  I've been moping about my house for a month, wearing black, crying at random moments, scaring my family with my mood swings.....but never mind my personal life....my computer moved on to a better place, namely the bottom shelf of my book case.  I find comfort in knowing that it will make an excellent makeshift coloring table for Sophie....  *sigh*

Anyway, I stole borrowed my husbands laptop while he was sleeping with permission to do this very special tutorial.

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: 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: Hand Painting - The Basics

So a couple days ago I posted these:

And I instantly got questions about these:

Notes From A Kitchen - Bonus TUTORIAL

I was trying to thin of some clever, cute, witty way to start this post, but I'm blanking.  So let's just jump to the good stuff.  Save the witty banter for later. 

  

Tutorial: Blue Butterflies

I received an email from a family friend last week with an interesting story:

After the tornado, I was following the Humane Society adopt-a-thon on Facebook.  There was a senior dog with health issues that kept getting passed by.  The Humane Society posted his picture and a large group of people were following the picture to see if someone would adopt him.  Finally, a woman named Wendy posted "I'm on my way".  Everyone went insane and was so excited.  The Executive Director of the Humane Society met Wendy at the gate and Wendy and her husband Rick adopted Max.  They in turn set up a Facebook page called Max's Miracles Page and a core group of people followed Max and donated to his care and upkeep.  Unfortunately, Max passed away in August.  A group of seven women that followed Max, Wendy and Rick got together and gave Wendy and Rick gifts from ashes I was able to get from Max's Vet.  We called ourselves Max's Aunties.  Shortly after Max passed, Wendy and Rick had an even more horrible tragedy ... Wendy's 23 year old son died in his sleep.  The group of aunties supported Wendy and Rick and have been there for them trying to help them through this horrible period.

The Aunties are from all over:  Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas City, North Carolina, Louisiana and three from Joplin.  Most of us have not met.  Next Sunday, this group will all be together for the first time here at my house.

I just thought this was so touching I just HAD to make cookies for her.

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