Friday, October 19, 2012

spoiler alert, more cookies

 so these are the last 2 in the file, then i have to get more off the camera, and boy-howdy will i be busy this fall, so visit often.  if you're not wowed, you can at least laugh and point. :)
i had a busy week by the time i had a breather to make cookies for a trip to mom's house for a birthday dinner, so i made bananas.  why? i thought of a greeting card i have somewhere in a drawer--a dancing banana peel on the front and inside, "just a little card to cheer you up or **** you off."  it seemed so simple and silly that it fit my allotted time and intended grin.  they're just a moon shape with a little pinch at the ends, then brown sanding sugar over yellow, and 2 quick lines with brown edible marker when dry.
and these were a pin-wheel-star experiment.  i wondered what different lines would look like radiating, and got a kinda snowflake, and kinda flower.  i heard no complaints.  the bigger hits were the little musical note/guitars for rock star Grace, and baseballs and bats for sports star Andrew, detailed with edible markers.  i just love coloring on food.
also it's bake sale season! email me if you think it needs a cookie daydreamer or her wares.  till then... (waving)

Friday, October 12, 2012

pretty in pink

hubby's cousin Dana had a lovely outdoor wedding in California last month--tons of flowers, hanging votive jars and crystals, all in a palette of pinks.  prior to, i was tapped by m.o.b. Aunt Donna to create the bridal shower cookies.  i went with a lacy umbrella, embellished with fondant flowers with dragee centers.  D for Dana, and J for Josh were stenciled on adjoining hearts.  Dana emailed back with exclamation points that she loved them.

so closer to the wedding, i offered to make cookie favors for the big day.  Dana was totally on board and described her midsummer-night vintage vineyard look, and i played with sketches and ideas and the clues i had from the invitation.
here's part of it...
here's what 12 dozen looks like...

and here's the final product.  "silver" curls and pink blossoms, with scrolly lettering on classic 3-tiered wedding cakes, and a final brush of gold pearl dust.  so many steps, but once you get to the end of the counter, the other side is dry and ready for another detail.  it was cookie after cookie, with that nice zen-like busy feeling.  (it ain't work if you like doing it!)
Jeff's Aunt Dahlas helped with the shipping once i got them baked.  humid late August is the worst time for waiting for icing to dry, so i was nervous that even Dahlas's painstaking saran-wrapping and double boxing, or however she did it, couldn't keep them from squishing, but in the end they made it from IL to CA in perfect condition. (whew! thanks AD!) Dana bagged them and added ribbon and a personalized label, and had one at each place setting.  Congrats to Dana and Josh; many more sweet and sparkly memories for you!

Friday, October 5, 2012

how i spent my summer vacation


hubby’s coworker, also a Jeff, invited us to a July 4th cookout, but unbeknownst to us he had an evening shift.  my Jeff and i and the kiddo spent the afternoon at Cantigny and, come party time, we called to find out they were wrapping up.  just my luck to miss a party. so on the 5th, i sent these stars to work with Jeff (and reserved the chocolate chip cookies for my unbirthday celebration, ie, eating cookies while watching tv), and later Jeff (the other Jeff) said his family members cleared him out of his take of the star cookies that night.
fate stepped in to earn Jeff some extra cookies when i stopped at Starbucks for a little wi-fi time.  except hubby drove us with the lights on, and didn’t know i was getting out of the car too.  he got out first, and i reached for the keys and the laptop.  yeah, i left the lights on--when i had to go home, the car was dead. and everyone behind the counter was way busy because i was leaving at rush hour.  so Jeff called Jeff, who lives close, and our sorry little car got a jump because Jeff is a cool dude.  so i made him some cars.   he shared with his grandson who asked, “can i eat the tires too?” thanks Jeff!
Coming up, a shower, a 2-in-1 birthday, a wedding, a baptism, some birdies, and ninja clown assassins (ya know, for Halloween).