Christmas 2014

Christmas cookies this year included some annual favorites and a few new designs.

 Santa trees for friends were inspired by Paddle Attachment.

Santa in the chimney was a large (6x4) design for a local Women's Club Holiday Party.

Each of the children in the family receive a "special" cookie and this year I opted to use one of my favorite Santa cutters for all but two of my great-nieces and nephews.

Grandma Carol asked that I repeat the new driver cookie that I made a few years ago for two of her grandchildren.  I am not sure if Kendal and Logan will be "allowed" to eat the cookie or if Grandma will turn them into ornaments for her tree.

My annual favorites are snow flakes and snowmen.  I am not sure why because I HATE snow! I just love that full bodied snowman, I make him every year.  I also pieced together a circle and a top hat to make a new snowman design.

Finally, my first mustache cookie. . . and a whimsical Santa inspired by Michelle at Make Me Cake Me. While decorating this cookie, the song, "Weebles wobble, but they won't fall down," was  running through my head.  Does anyone else remember that commercial?

Merry Christmas to all!

Ho-Ho, Uh-Oh!

Last year when I saw this cookie cutter on line I decided I had to add it to my collection.  I am not sure why because it is MUCH larger and more expensive than most of my cutters, but it was just so cute!  

I nicknamed him "Santa on Steroids" because at 4 x6, he is the biggest cookie I have ever made.

 

Bagged and tagged, he made a very festive favor for an annual Women's Club Christmas Party.

Goofy Turkeys for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving cookies in the past have been traditional turkeys, mini turkeys, flower turkeys, football turkeys.  .  . this year, I opted for a gang of goofy turkeys.  Eight  different designs and not a turkey cutter in sight.

Design inspiration came from SweetSugarBelle  to use an ice cream cone cutter to create a turkey.

I then followed The Bearfoot Baker's directions to use an acorn cookie cutter for another funny turkey design.

Once I made these designs, I decided that "goofy" turkeys would be my theme for the family cookies this year.

For the teen girls, a glam turkey with a tag that said "girls just want to have fun."

Since my niece, Kendall, was recently named as an all-area athlete, I decided to make her a volleyball turkey complete with bling on the feathers and toes.

It is interesting how the same cutter can be used to create different designs.

A pineapple cutter was used for the cookie for the older boys.  The cookies are not exactly how I had  envisioned them, but they will work with a tag that says, "a goofy turkey for a goofy guy."

 For the younger children,  I made turkey puzzles inspired by, MunchkinMunchies.

A Christmas ornament and a small ice cream sundae cutter (see group photo at the top), completed the collection.

Gobble, gobble, gobble!

My 15 Minutes (or Seconds?) of Fame

Did you ever have one of those moments where you second guess yourself and think, "no, that can't be right?"  That happened to me recently when I opened an email and realized that the cookies pictured in the ad were mine.

My 2011 family Christmas cookie collection was staring back at me as I read the ad.  A compliment of sorts, but disappointing that the company did not ask for permission or cite their source.

A good learning experience as to how easy it is to access and share information that is available in cyberspace, and an interesting experience in this cookie journey of mine. . .

Revisiting an Old Friend-the Grenadier

The first time I made  "Gren" cookies I spent a lot of time planning and worrying about that big black mustache, so it was fun to have an opportunity to make this design again.  Note to self:  if there is a next time, the hat needs to be bigger!

Congratulations to Stephanie, a talented, hard working teacher who recently received the "Outstanding Contributions to Education" Award in her district.


Other Grenadier cookies:
An Unusual Mascot 
and  
August 5, 2013 

Veterans Day

Elk Grove High School is hosting a "Salute to Veterans" today and they asked me to make cookies for the event.

Happy Veterans Day 

and 

thank you 

to all who have served!

Halloween, 2014

Halloween would not be complete without,  monsters . . .

 pumpkins. . .

 

 and a few good witches. 

My favorite Halloween design year after year has been the witch hat, but this year I had fun hand cutting the legs that were inspired by a sun catcher I found in the $1.00 bin at the fabric store.

Happy Halloween and Boo to you!

Fall Leaves for a Special Friend

 

My friend, Kathy, and I had plans to travel to Boston together this fall, unfortunately, we had to cancel the trip due to her cancer diagnosis.  As she bravely meets the challenges of chemotherapy, her caring and generous co-workers organized a fundraiser for her.

I was asked to bring cookies for the dessert table, so I  am hopeful that this fall collection will be a "sweet" replacement for the fall colors of New England.

 

These cookies are fun and easy to make thanks to SweetSugarBelle's tutorial.

You might also like the pansies that I made for Kathy in August:

http://mycookiefriend.blogspot.com/2014/08/love-hugs-and-flowers-for-special-friend.html 

"I Do"

 

Two wedding showers, same cookie.  .  .  I just love the simplicity of this cookie and apparently my friends do, too.  A simple pearl plus a little lustre dust creates an elegant design that has been  a repeat request when I have friends hosting wedding showers.  Bagged with a pretty bow and lots of ribbon it makes a very elegant party favor.

You might also like:

Mom and Dad's Wedding Anniversary, August '13
Happily Ever After, September '12
Rehearsal Dinner, October '13

Dad is 87 Today

Dad was a little nervous about taking his driver's test this year.  He passed and Mom convinced him it was time to buy a new car. Hope he enjoys his new wheels!

Happy 87th birthday to a wonderful man!

Thanks to:

LilaLoa for the rear view car cookie design. 

Mike of SemiSweetDesigns for the gas pump and front view cookie designs.

 

Love, Hugs and Flowers for a Special Friend

Yellow and Purple Pansies with a heart for my sweet friend, Kathy, who has been diagnosed with a serious illness.


I included a card that said:

Though we call them pansies, they are anything but wimpy.  They are the hardiest of flowers, which seems appropriate for the strength you possess.  Pansy is actually derived from “pansee”,
meaning thought and remembrance.

Please know that I am thinking of you, dear friend, and remembering you always in my prayers.  You are an amazing person and a friend who has touched my life in so many ways.

I know you have the courage to face this challenge and I will be with you every step of the way.

Thanks to:
-My "Sugar Sister," Donna, for creating the card to accompany her Pansy collection
-SweetAmbs for her Pansy tutorial
 

Girl Power

Great-niece, Mary Grace, and her Mom always plan creative birthday parties.  We celebrated her first birthday party with lady bug cookies, long before I started taking pictures of cookies.  Her 2nd, 3rd and 4th birthday celebrations did not include cookies, but we did have pickles!

Mary Grace's Fourth Birthday

Her fifth birthday started a cookie tradition:
5 - Turtles
6 - Pigs
7 - Gumball Machines
8 - Ice Cream Sundaes/Cones

This year, Mary Grace has embraced the pixie look and donated her long hair to Locks of Love.  She has also starting thinking about careers and has decided that she wants to be a brain surgeon, so instead of a party she wanted to do something related to science.

Mary Grace, Mom and 2 friends visited the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and dissected a cow's eye.  I'm not sure that the word dissect was even in my vocabulary when I was 8 going on 9! 

Dissection, Lunch and Ice Cream--Happy Birthday!

For her cookie treats, she asked for a doctor. . .

 a girl brain "with a bow". . .
(I decided swirls and craters was the closest I would get to an anatomically correct brain!)

                  

  and an eyeball.

The treat bag topper said:

Girls can do anything,

so at 9

Mary Grace  

says a career as a doctor 

will be just fine.

Happy Birthday!

Love, hugs and cookies for a very special girl!

References:

 Haniela's tutorial for a Scary Eyeball

 Brain with bow was inspired by  http://notyourmommascookie.com/2012/09/girly-zombie-brain-cookies/

Rita's Retirement

If my sister, Rita, was alive during World War II, this famous icon might have been "Rita the Riveter" instead of "Rosie."  Both personally and professionally, she has lived her life with passion, commitment and courage.

We Can Do it?  RITA CAN!         

- Can a young Mom plan a budget for her family so that 3 children can attend private school from kindergarten through college and not have any  student loans when they graduate?  She did it!

-Can you spend six months recovering from a stroke, then return to work full time?  She did it!

-Can you organize your community and raise enough money to keep your local parochial school open when the Archdiocese of Chicago announces that it will be closed?  She did it!

-Can you change careers when many people are facing a mid-life crisis?  She did it!

Now, after twenty-one years of dedication to her job as the Chief of Staff for the 38th Ward of Chicago, Rita is retiring.

Knowing my sister, it will only be a few days before she re-directs her energy into new causes.  Therefore,  I have created a  "retirement to do" list for her.

1.  Take pride in your career and cherish the memories.

2.   Relax at a spa as a gift from Matt and Diane.

3.  Clean out your closest to make room for casual clothes.

4.  Slow down!  Learn how to stop and smell the roses.

 

   

 

To my wonderful sister,  

you are 

Retired & Admired.

Congratulations!

A Versatile Cookie Cutter

Last summer I found this cutter on sale and although it is much larger than the cookies I usually make, "cookie cutter" + "70% off" was too good to pass up.   As it turns out, I am discovering that it is quite versatile.

I am "cookie cutter challenged" when I look at a cutter, I usually only see one use for it.

It made a nice ice cream sundae for my niece's birthday party last summer.









Then, Ali B inspired me to make it into a Vampire.

This week, I made Spa cookies for the first time, and with a few quick cuts, this was the perfect cutter.