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.

 I decided to make my interpretation of the rainbow bridge to Heaven.  And the butterflies?  They said they saw lots of blue butterflies that day.  And I'm a sucker for a good butterfly cookie....

These little butterflies were so much fun to make, and surprisingly easier than I thought they would be.  So I decided to make another VIDEO

This is a fun one because it uses two of my favorite and surprisingly rarely used techniques that I think get overlooked.  Airbrushing and hand painting.  I love it.  I got my airbrush at Karen's Cookies and I've been pretty hooked.  Now I'm not the best hand painter in the world, but I think it's serious fun. ( It reminds me of when I was a girl and I would paint Sadie Hawkins signs, or when I would marker cute notes for my friends between classes.  And who can forget scribbling the name of your crush on the back of your notebook with acrylics...  ok maybe not everyone used acrylics to scribble.  Just me.  )






Back to a serious note.  These cookies were meant to represent loss and healing, which seems appropriate this weekend as a dear family friend just passed from a brain tumor.  So while this post was meant initially for Wendy, Rick and Max, I feel it's only appropriate to dedicate this tutorial to our dear friend and his family who are grieving.

Unable are the loved to die.  For love is immortality.  ~Emily Dickinson