Rubix cube birthday cupcakes!!!

I plan to have pictures of how I made the cupcake topper… if I can find the pictures!

I’ll be back….

Here are cookies I made to celebrate a 40th birthday.

I will be working on details for this post later. I am so far behind on posting my work, but at least I want to  show you the pictures of what’ve I have done. It might be a while, but it will be done.

Stay tuned….

I’ll try working on text and information for this post later, but in the meantime enjoy looking at this set of cookies I made. They were inspired by Stella & Dot jewelry.

Stay tuned for more information. Thanks for visiting the blog!

Here come the Lalaloopsy dolls again… in sugar cookies.

Three designs are shown here: Crumbs Sugar Cookie, Sunny Side Up and Dot Starlight.

Just slightly different from a previous version. I made the bows ahead of time to save time. I added them later to the cookie while I was filling it.

Dot Starlight is the first Lalaloopsy doll. With a pretty red bow and a bright yellow hair, she is always ready for everything with new ideas. She is a dreamer…

Crumbs Sugar Cookie. I always say it… she is my favorite, I don’t need to tell you why right? It’s always tricky to achieve her color of hair, but a mixing of several shades of pink will get it there. Crumbs, the best baker in Lalaloopsy Land.

Sunny Side Up, the farmer of the Lalaloopsy dolls. A fun tomboy. I love her bright orange hair and fuchsia bow. I decided to make her curls in a couple of different ways. The curls of one of them are a lot easier to make. The ones in  the other one, much faster. Can you tell which one takes me a lot longer to finish?

I love making these lovely cookies. They are time consuming, but it’s so worth it. There are several that I really want to make such as Snowy Fairest and at least one of the boys. I ran out of time unfortunately.

If you are interested in them, please let me know. They make wonderful edible party favors.

I would love to help you out and make your Lalaloopsy event a little bit more special with these sweet treats.

This year was a once in a lifetime opportunity to make cookies to celebrate Pi.

Why?

Well, Pi = 3.141592 … and so on. An irrational number, but there’s nothing irrational about this post.

A few weeks ago was March 14, 2015.  So on 3-14-15 at 9:26 Math lovers everywhere celebrated Pi and Albert Einstein’s birthday.

When I was in school my favorite subject was Math. I loved it! So,  I was delighted to say “yes” to the request of making cookies to celebrate the special occasion. Here we go..

I love this first cookie. Super Pi to the rescue! Can you see it? I showed the cookie to my husband before writing on it with the black edible marker and he just stared at it. He couldn’t tell what it was. Oh boy! “Did I make a mistake with this design?”, I thought. My husband was just focusing on the gold color, but if you see the red you get it. You do!

This next cookie I also like very much. You need to look close and try to figure it out. I told you about the date (the black cookie). Try to read the blue and the white cookie.

I ate some pie and it was delicious! Yes… it is funny.

Here are a few other designs that I enjoyed making. Pi is infinite, so it was only appropriate to have the symbol somewhere in a design.

I have another fun cookie for you. This is a notebook with fun uses for the word/symbol Pi so you can figure them out.

Whenever I make a platter of cookies I always try incorporate some simple, but pretty cookie. I call them “fillers”. Here are some of those simple cookies, balloons and other assorted mini cookies with Pi references.

Black boards with math teachings, notes and drawings. Black boards because the cookies were for Mathnasium, a math learning center.

One final look of this cookie platter. This was one of the big cookie platters that I offer with over 25 cookies.  This is definitely the only platter I will ever make for such an occasion as we will never be able to celebrate this same event. No tears please…

Happy birthday Albert Einstein and happy Legendary Pi Day.

I believe Mathnasium is a franchise and they would locations all over, but if you are in the Des Moines (West Des Moines) area, follow the link for more information about this amazing learning center.

Valentine’s Day Cookies 2015

The first hearts I call “Abstract Hearts”. They are hand painted and they were an ‘experiment’. That means that I messed up a lot of cookies before I was happy with the finished hearts.

I fell in love with an image I saw online while searching for ideas. A set of hearts full of coordinating colors, but no pattern at all. The colors looked brushed and spotted at the same time, if this makes sense. I took the brushing idea and the result is what you see below. They looked very dull and opaque after they dried so I sprayed them with edible glitter to make them shine.

Are you familiar with Burlap fabric?  Burlap is a fabric material used for sewing and creating home decorations. The next hearts are decorated with the idea of trying to recreate the texture. Let me tell you… decorating these puppies was so time consuming and my hand was cramping after working on just a couple of them. The lines are meant to be really tight and close. I might have achieved the burlap look in one or two cookies, but my hand was numb with all the piping. The red hearts were some of the first ones and the brown ones… some of the last. I’m sure you see the difference.

The flying hearts are next. I worked on these cookies last year, you can see them here.

Burlap was one type of fabric design. This next hearts are decorated with a style called Filigree. Filigree consists of curved lines connected to each other and because it is typically used in jewelry or metal pieces in either gold or silver.

You may wonder why there is a musical theme to this year’s cookies. I worked on this set for a musical Valentines piano recital offered by children taking piano lessons from Pied Piper Studios (Kindermusik). My daughter participated this year so it was a very special Valentine’s event for our family.

Musical notes, symbols and pianos were some of the designs. You can see last years music Valentine’s Day cookies here.

Two more designs to show you. I love birds and this year I wanted to incorporate some sweetness inspired by these beautiful creatures. These cookies were some of my favorites.

Here are some teddy bears that may require a little bit more attention next time. there’s no connection between the heart and the arms, but they are still cute.  What I like about them is that they have texture to them, like fur. It might be hard to see it though in this picture. I do like the pandas, they are super cute. They can always get cuter!

Here is the treat table. Besides the Valentine’s Day cookies, I also made rich chocolate cupcakes topped with a dark chocolate buttercream and pink vanilla cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream.

Another sweet treat I made for them were Cake Balls. Flavors included chocolate and chocolate ganache buttercream and vanilla with dulce de leche buttercream. Those are delicious!

My daughter Lillie did a wonderful job playing her piano pieces and she delighted the seniors with a couple of songs as well as the other children.

For the second year, I had the pleasure of working on sugar cookies for my children’s school, Saint Francis of Assisi.

Last week was Catholic School Week and it was a very special one. On Wednesday, teachers and staff members of the school were treated to a very special luncheon were my Sweet Treats were the dessert of the menu.

Cupcakes, Cake Balls and of course, Sugar Cookies. The cookies were given to each and every teacher and staff members of Saint Francis as an edible Thank You favor for their their hard and amazing work they do.

Brace yourself… this post is a long one. I will start showing you the sugar cookies I designed for them.

Here’s a picture of all the cookies together, well at least one of each cookie cutters that I used this year. Several of the cookies you’ll see I made last year, but they are decorated a little bit different such as the school bus, the chubby pencil, the blackboards and the apples.

I added more detail to some of the apples. This year there is a very cute worms with eyes and smiles on some of them . I also loved the ‘notebook’ apples with the ABCs on them.

Classroom blackboards. I didn’t make as many as last year, but I made a few ones that are very special. There is one with a proverb. Then there is another one with a list of the word walls that my kindergarten son was assigned that specific week of the event.

I had to make books. That’s what’s school is about! I made the books  with a Christmas Tree cookie cutter and I trimmed the top part and the trunk of the tree ( hi hi, get it… I trimmed the tree! I’m not good with jokes).

I love the school bus. A little bit different from last year. A school bus is a school bus, there’s only so much I can change. I’ll find more ways.

Colors and markers in different colors as well as boxes of crayons. The crayon’s box is one of my new cookie cutters. I really think I could have been it done a little bit better, but I was running out of time. I’ll work on that next time.

The chubby pencil got different shades of color, not just the traditional orange.

I made rulers last year, very simple and plain rulers. This year I wanted to make them a little bit more exciting by adding words and other design on to them.  The same cute worm from the apples, tiny apples and appropriate words.

This is a new cookie cutter design. It has the perfect number of spaces to display what the meaning of the word “Teacher” is. Writing all of that took a long time and by 2:00 am my handwriting/piping was quite shaky.  I do like how they turned out. I can even see these cookies with a little hole in each of the rings to make it more realistic.

The next cookies (except for the round ones) were just a last minute idea. I had no idea what to do with the baked cookies so they were the last ones to be decorated. I started decorating them little by little not really knowing where this was going. I ended up with a cookie that I absolutely loved.

This cookie is very special. Last year, Saint Francis of Assisi school received the National Blue Ribbon Award. When I received the request to make this year’s I knew that I would be incorporating the award into the set of cookies. Making circles is not the easiest thing to do. Even when I draw it on to the cookie, I still cannot get it 100% correct. The majority of the cookies turned out good, the ones that looked more like ovals… well, my dear son ate them.

That’s it for the sugar cookies. I also made cupcakes and a few dozen cake balls. Here’s a Facebook link about the event. Post by St. Francis of Assisi School.

My sweet Noah is now 6 years old and all six of them have been so wonderful.

This year he decided to celebrate his birthday with a Pokemon theme party with all his friends.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take a lot of pictures of the cake. I was in such a rush at home that I took the cake directly to the venue. Now I regret it.

This Pokemon cake has the Water element represented by the standing candy rock sticks on the top of the cake. We also have the Grass and the Fire element, each covering one third of the cake (shown on the right top and bottom side of the picture below).  We couldn’t miss the basic element of Electricity shown on the very front of the cake.

I did take a lot of pictures of the cookies thank goodness. Typically, when I’m the one hosting the party I am working on the cake and the cookies and everything else until the very last minute. This time I was able to finish them the day (or two) before the party.

First, the party favors. Pokeballs sugar cookies were individually packaged and tied with pretty ribbons for each one of the children.

The tray had a combination of all the cookie designs and his special birthday message cookies.

Although I wish I could have incorporated a lot of the Pokemon characters, I could only do so many of them. I focused on some of the ones Noah requested, his favorite ones. Some of the characters include: Pikachu (my favorite!), Charizard (Noah’s favorite), Charmander, Totodile, and Squirtle.

This is Squirtle, a water Pokemon.

Charizard an evolved form of Charmelion, a fire Pokemon. Noah’s favorite Pokemon because it is a dragon (cousin of the Dinosaurs, he believes) and it has fire.

Totodile. More like a crocodile right? This cutie is another water basic Pokemon like Squirtle.

The adorable Pokemon on the bottom right is Charmander. He is a fire basic Pokemon that actually evolves into Charizard (the one to it’s left). I didn’t get a picture by itself.

I love how the Pokemon logos turned out.

A tray with all the assorted Pokemon sugar cookies.

A final look at my son’s 6th birthday cake.

My birthday boy Noah (bottom right side next to the boy wearing #21, Jack) and some of his friends. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get all the children in the picture. Some kiddos were outside the party room having fun.

The party was so much fun. We actually held it at the same location as last year. Noah specifically requested it. Even though we went to look at other fun places, he said that it was so much fun playing at Backyard Adventures, that he couldn’t go anywhere else. He was in charge!

I never in my life imagined that I would have a son that would enjoy watching the same cartoons I watched as a young girl. I was thrilled to hand him over my Pokemon movie collection as well as some of my Pokemon figurines. I never had Pokemon cards, but we have to thank Santa Claus for bringing him a large collection of trading cards that he can now play with.

Happy birthday my loving son. I love you with all my heart!!!

How do I post Halloween work after Christmas work? I have three kids and a husband that acts like another one (sorry hubby).

I know it’s late, my poor blog suffers all the time. Nevertheless, I still want you to see this Halloween cookie collection (2014). So here it is.

Hello October!!!

Halloween is not Halloween without candy corn. Unlike other times where I have plain lines between the colors, this time I decided to give them a little bit of realistic character and distress the colors right where each color is changing. Can you see it? Also, last year I got the colors mixed up. This year I took the time (a minute to be honest) and googled real candy corn. The top color is white, middle orange and bottom yellow.

Oh, but this year I gave them customs to make them look spooky (or cute). Are you scared now? Boo…

I love these guys. I got this cookie cutter at my local grocery store and I honestly didn’t know what to do with it. It is such a huge head and such a tiny body. Some of them are cute… some scare and some… creepy!!

I’m happy… I was happy with them. Most of the cookies went to my church’s Octoberfest event, their cakewalk. Some other cookies were placed in a big basket and taken to the schools office (St. Francis of Assisi). Many thanks to the school’s staff for all their work. They are all wonderful people.

Looking forward to next’s Halloween cookies. I better start thinking about it! Time goes by so fast….

Happy New Year!!!

Yeah, I know you might be tired of hearing that by now. I want to wish you a very prosperous.

No words (for now), just pictures. Pretty ones, I hope.  Enjoy!

Well, like I tend to say… better late than never.

Those were my Christmas sugar cookies of 2014. I own a large number (very large number) of Christmas cookie cutters and it was very difficult to decide what to do this year. I certainly miss working on  my cookie houses and Santa Claus designs, but I was so happy to finally incorporate baby Jesus into one design. After all, Christmas would be without him.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (or Holiday) and I truly wish you a very happy and healthy New Year.

Although I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions (long story that I don’t have time to write about), I really hope I can change the fact that I ‘neglect’ my blog. I hope this year I can show you more of my work, with more details and more… more of everything.

Let the fun for this New Year start…. Let the New Year’s baking of more Sweet Treats begin.