Sixteen Years Awesome!

 

Congratulations, today is your day . . .

Leann is my cookie puzzle loving great-niece and I have made several of them for her over the years.

 

 

Of course, her sixteenth birthday collection had to include a special puzzle just for her.  Much harder than it looks, my brain just doesn't work well with puzzles.  I bought the cutters, numbered them, cut pieces out on paper to know how to put it together and then cut out lots of cookies to make sure I didn't break any while trying to piece it together.  The final design was "plan B" because my original concept didn't work, so I was pleasantly surprised when her Mom picked up the cookies and told me that tie dye was trendy right now.

 

Since Leann is passionate about soccer, big sister, Mary Grace, insisted that soccer cookies had to be part of this collection.

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball.

Flashback to Leann's eighth birthday .  .  .

 

I used the same cookie cutter for the mermaid and the balloon bouquet.

In addition to soccer and dance, Leann is involved in numerous service programs including:  Sister Sister, Best Buddies, Give a Little, fundraising for Dental Awareness and her church youth group.  

A very busy schedule for someone who also has to allow for the time it takes to make the 22 mile round trip to attend the high school of her choice.  No doubt, acquiring her driver's license will be the first thing on her birthday "to do" list.  I wish her lots of luck as she maneuvers the expressway that will be under construction until she graduates.

You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."  With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,  you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

Leann recently completed the 9,036 piece Legos Colosseum so I thought she would appreciate my effort at building a gift box out of cookies.

From family trips, to a service project in Alabama last summer, to spring break 2024 in South Africa, Leann is a girl on the go, with a loving supportive family waiting for her at home.

Sixteen years awesome, sixteen years loved. 

Can't wait to see all the places you'll go!

References:

Quotes from "Oh the places you'll go!"

Haniela's gift box

 

 

Celebrating Graduation with Friends

Traditional designs and the logo of the University of Iowa for Kaitlyn's celebration.

For Markos, a Grenadier. . .

a celebration of school activities and achievements.  .  .

and a University of Illinois t-shirt hidden at the bottom of the collection.

The "Glamathlete" Graduates Today

When my Great-niece, Kendall, turned 16, I nicknamed her the "glamathlete" and chose "The Places You'll Go" as the theme for her cookies.  Two years later and she is still on the move.

Today is the day to honor Kendall's commencement with school traditions  .  .  . caps, diplomas, and the Grayslake North Knight.

 

Today is the day to respect Kendall's dedication to the sports that she loves.

Today is the day to congratulate Kendall on her accomplishments.

Today is the day to take pride in this amazing young woman who is on her way to new adventures at the University of Missouri at St. Louis.

 Love, Hugs,

and 

Cookies

for a

very, special girl.

References:

Girl Graduate-http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/2013/05/standing-graduate-cookies/

Mini-diploma with bow-http://www.madriscookiekitchen.com/ 

Megan is Sixteen

Megan, my great niece, is celebrating her sixteenth birthday. The cookies that I made for her were designed to reflect her special interests, including: Latin, Soccer and Running.  Her younger siblings were my "design consultants" for the cookies.  Mary Grace (7) said "blue and soccer. "  Leann (4) said, "green and apples."  The result is an eclectic collection of cookies.

Happy Birthday to a very special person, we are blessed to have you in our lives.

The traditional collection. . .

The bows were inspired by Ali Bee's very helpful tutorial:  http://snargblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/bow-tutorial.html

The Latin cookies. . . I used the internet as my source for the Latin version of "Happy Birthday,"  I hope it's correct.






Finally, the sports collection. . .This was my first attempt at making soccer balls and I was very happy with the result. The mini shoes were inspired by my good friend, Donna.  You can view here work at: http://carrollscookies.blogspot.com/

Ooops, I forgot to get a photo of the apples.  However, since Leann is only 4, I think she will be too busy eating Megan's cookies to notice that a picture is missing from the blog.

My great nieces, Kaley and Chiann, celebrated their 16th birthdays before I started blogging, but I thought I'd share pictures of their cookies.

I am very fortunate to have a large extended family.