Books for Baby

 

The invitation for great-niece Kaley's baby shower was the inspiration for her cookies.  I edited the art work to remove the time and place, then added "Oh, Boy!" as a book title.  

 Large cookies were packaged for favors for the guests with a tag that said, "Thank you for starting the next chapter with us."

 

In addition, mini cookies were prepared for the dessert table at the brunch.

 Finally, some Halloween designs were included for the children at the party.

A Musical Celebration

A cookie bouquet to present to great-niece, Meg, at her spring band concert.

Painted Cookies-KISS

Don't get me wrong, I love decorating cookies, but I don't like the time it takes to mix all the colors and clean up all of the supplies.  In an effort to stick with my philosophy of KISS--keep it simple, (it's just a cookie), I have been experimenting with painting on cookies.  Since I have no training in art, I took baby steps to reach a comfort level with this decorating style.

I started with simple eggs . . .

followed by a little tree. . .

. . . and now flowers.

Since I have always loved the simplicity of white cookies,  I used up some left over dough, iced them with white frosting, and painted on a hint of color.  KISS and pretty.

Amazing how the same cutters can look so different with a few simple decorating changes.

Happy 45th Anniversary

 Forty-five years ago today, my wonderful sister, Rita, married her high school sweetheart.  At a young age they endured the challenge of separation due to Bill's tour of duty in Vietnam, but love letters kept them connected and they married shortly after Bill's return.

It was a beautiful, sunny, day and the scent of Crabapple trees filled the air as Rita and her wedding party walked the short distance to the church. 

As I packaged the cookies, a leaf fell off the daisy on the wedding cake and it made me think of  the days when little girls sat and picked the petals off the daisies and recited, "he loves, me he loves me not."  

No doubt in this relationship, she loves and he loves.  From sweethearts .  .  . to parents.  .  . to grandparents.  .  . love endures.

 Love, hugs, and cookies  

on your special day!

Spring Flowers

Flowers have always been one of my least favorite cookies to make until now.  No matter how many different cutters or designs I have used, I was just never very happy with them.

Fortunately, SweetSugarbelle, has designed a flower cookie cutter that has finally allowed me to make a simple, pretty flower that I like.  In addition, thanks to Miss Doughmestic, I was able to turn the simple rose into a pretty dogwood flower.

References:
Miss Doughmestic's Tutorial
Sweet Sugarbelle's Facebook Page

Hap-BEE Birthday

Last year when my special friend, Mr. C, celebrated his 100th birthday, I made traditional designs that included candles, cakes and balloons.  Although we will not be traveling to Ohio for a big celebration this year, I wanted to honor him on his 101st birthday and re-purposed a set that I have made before. 

Sending love, hugs and cookies across the miles. Hap-BEE birthday and BEE well! 

References:

Aileen Master graciously gave me permission to use her heart/bee design when I made them back in 2010.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring!

Celebrating the season with flowers. . .

Eggs. . .

and a whole lot of bunnies!

Simple bunnies.  .  .

Pretty bunnies.  .  .

Glam bunnies.  .  .

Bunnies two ways.  .  .

Standing bunnies.  .  .

 . . . the end!

Mother's Day

Love, Hugs and Cookies to a Very, Special Mom!

Leann's First Communion

After months of planning and preparation Great-niece, Leann, made her First Holy Communion today.

She wore a dress adorned with flowers and her Godmother/Aunt Heather's veil.

Sisters .  .  .  Mary Grace, Megan and Leann .  .  .

Leann Rose, requested rose cookies for her party. . .

. . . doves, hearts and edible butterflies were added to the collection for this special day.

 Leann with her Godparents, Great-Uncle Matt and Aunt Heather.

Leann, Dad and Mom  .  .  .

It doesn't matter if she's all dressed up or wearing her casual clothes, Leann is one special girl!  Uncle Matt and I are so proud of you.

Love, Hugs and Cookies

for 

a very, special girl!

Easter 2016

My Easter cookies this year were a bit of a departure from my usual "cute" designs, not a chubby bunny or carrot in sight!

Last year, when I hand cut some Stargazer Lily cookies, I really liked them but the shapes were a bit strange.  I opted to purchase a lily cutter and design "pretty" cookies for the family this year.

A few pastel bunnies and water color eggs with pearls and gold lustre dust completed the platter for our family dinner.

Of course, I couldn't completely abandon my preference for "cute" cookies, so I made some chick puzzles for the younger children.

The cookies were bagged and tagged with a verse to inspire their creativity.

Finally, I couldn't resist making a few of these adorable little lambs inspired by Mike at Semi-Sweet Designs.  Mike has a template available, however, since I do not have a Kopykake, I did them free hand.

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring! 

Bee . . . Well

Fortunately, after a broken wrist and four months of therapy, I will be able to say good-bye to my therapists today.

This whimsical cookie collection is a gift to show my gratitude for their patience, guidance and support.  In February, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to write with my left hand again, but an outstanding team of therapists have helped me to return to my normal routine which includes decorating cookies.

I first made these cute little bees for my co-workers when I retired in 2010.  My decorating skills have definitely improved since then!

In an effort to conquer my fear of my airbrush, I am trying to use it for a few cookies here and there.  I thought polka-dots would be a nice addition to this collection.

Flower cookies are always a challenge for me, so I am constantly looking for new design inspiration.  This collection is based on a beautiful design by the amazing Jill FCS.  My petals were a bit wonky, but they made me smile.

Unfortunately, as my therapy comes to an end, a friend is now facing rest and rehab for a broken ankle.  I made some extra cookies and a different bee hive to take to Denise when I visit her this week.   Maybe the cute little bees will make her smile.

As I finished this collection I decided to add a few of the cute little lady bug RI transfers that my "Sugar Sister," Donna, recently made and shared with me.  After all, lady bugs are supposed to bring good luck  .  .  .  Let's hope for an injury free second half of the year.


Special thanks to:

- Aileen Master who graciously gave me permission to use her design when I made them back in 2010.
-Tutorial for the roses can be found on SweetSugarbelle's blog.
-Jill FCS