spring pretties

A recent Sunday found the family and I at the in-laws celebrating 3 occasions at once—the co-birthday party of nephew Andrew and niece Grace (that Sunday being about the midpoint between their birthdays) and the 45^th wedding anniversary of Jeff’s Ps, Bobbi and Wayne.  Andrew picked blue, Grace picked teal, and I made airbrushed lizards and butterflies for the kids.  For the happy couple, I made blossoms in their wedding colors, peach and white.  I added a few in coral for fun, and some yellow sugar “pollen” for sparkle.  Happy birthday/birthday/anniversary to you, may there be many more years!

The lizard to the right has a smooshy tail, because it was humid.  Commercial kitchens, which I intend to utilize more, are more climate controlled than my home, where I bake for my family.  I will be more into the business of selling cookies for real—licensed, insured, business-carded, advertised, vending to your local businesses, teaching(?), and stocking your parties with awesome treats—in the coming weeks.  So tell your friends! (striking a superhero stance)

These hearts were to welcome a baby girl.  I have no other details, but “welcome!” to the little one.  The little-kid-like scribble flowers were a similar technique to the purple flowers on…

…these cakes, for a bridal shower in Milwaukee.  Cousin-in-law Kati ordered them, and took delivery of them after I elected to take care of 2 tasks at once: to get the cookies delivered to her, and to give myself 2 hours off.  I accomplished this by driving to Milwaukee.  I love and miss driving—all I do in the suburbs is short trips to the same places.  Driving on 94 through that rolling, half-green (it was march), nowhere of space between Chicagoland and when you start seeing outlet malls after the WI border, is like driving across the steppes of Russia, dotted with business parks and RV dealerships and the like.  I imagined that I wasn’t headed for a Starbucks at a busy intersection, but a hut in Ulaanbaatar.  But Starbucks it was, and we all had somewhere to be, so we agreed to get a real family gathering going at some point.  And then I was on my way east across Russia again.

Finally, here are some bits o’beach I did for my kiddo’s school’s Daddy-Daughter dance, the theme of which was “under the sea.”  Fondant shells and pearl dragees, and 3 kinds of sand colored sugar made little seaside circles sparkle.   

Thanks for stopping by; coming soon, Shakespeare…

WAR IS OVER!

the title of this post refers to John Lennon’s assertion that all we’d have to do is declare peace on all the front pages and billboards of the world, and we would collectively experience a paradigm shift—that by believing it were possible, it wouldn’t be too far behind to simply make it so.  food for thought.
the next biggest paradigm shift i can think of is becoming a parent.  you think you know people, try making one!  it’s a daily reality check, and Jon and Cassie are joining the club.  Cassie’s cousin Lisa commissioned me to create baby shower cookies based on John Lennon’s baby animal drawings.  it was the much-loved motif at her own shower, and they wanted to revive that same charm.
while i couldn’t copy Lennon’s nuanced doodles, and though i was constrained by the shape of my cutters and the late summer humidity, they still turned out to be cute little animals, sketched on bright pastels with an edible marker.  many thanks to Lisa, and many more congrats to the parents-to-be! 

and i got a Star-Wars something coming up—yay!

i do... want cookies...

a bride to be liked some cookies similar to these, and i did my best to recreate their features on a dozen for a shower, and i hope the original artist won't hold it against me, but they were pretty, and my pleasure to make, and i came up with a great new technique for making uniform hearts:  sponge food coloring onto the back of a metal mini heart shaped cutter, and stamp the cookie.  i did the same with the square outline and got nice even lines and duplicated the shape each time. awesome.  Congrats and thank you!
coming up, info on the opening of the ITN "Meet Market," a baby shower, a birthday, and some yummy bugs...

little ones

Michael’s baby boy, their first, is on the way, and the huge family baby shower needed 12 dozen cookies.  i said no problem [my record is 220] and was ready to delve into baby design when he provided me with a picture of just what he wanted, gray and baby-blue onsies with ties.  he was also in favor of their last name somewhere on the cookie, and i offered, and he accepted, the alternative of a little pocket with a monogram.  sweet. 
Chicagoland weather these last few days has been absolutely soaked, and my old house is pretty bad at being resistant to humidity.  i run the AC till i’m feeling freeze-dried, and it still takes my cookies a day and a half too long to dry.  but if i boost the powdered sugar for dryer icing, it’s not flat and smooth.  so i fretted a bit finally getting them to their destination, but they got there.  [apologies to Michael’s mom, i delivered the cookies with a smudge on my face, no doubt gotten from trying to fish out the cord for the Garmin from under the car seat.] 
Michael also insisted that i provide something with my website, but i still haven’t resolved my new laptop/old printer/no disc/no internet impasse to printing labels and such, so a big thanks to Jason at OfficeMax for helping me make simple little labels.  [i might have been showing my age when i asked him to just add a little flourish character from Wingdings, and i had to tell him it’s a font—i didn’t add that it’s one of the only-12 fonts i first had back in like, 1993.  ya know, right after the internet was invented...  am i that old? 
i finished off the cookie with a light dusting of pearl dust.  not a lot, just enough to soften the matte finish of the icing, give ‘em a little “glow.”  i hope all party-goers found them sweet and cute, a preview for when little-man Mr. S. arrives.  Congrats to Michael’s family! 
and stay tuned everyone, i got a new stencil...

a long ride...

or rather, Ryder Long.  the short version of the Long story is that before Ryder was born, angels and doctors worked together to surgically install a life saving shunt.  some weeks later, after many prayers and emails and a few sighs of relief, Ryder was born on Easter, and he was home by Mothers Day.  and he's cute as a button, and everyone is doing very well, and we're all very happy.
after my "Wild Things" project, i realized that the teddy bear shape need not be a bear--it could be a little boy dressed as a bear!  (a little pinch at the top of the ears before baking, and these could be cats!) so i made fuzzy blue teddies with little baby faces peeking out, and detailed them with the edible ink marker.  and they were off to new Mommy Dana and Daddy Josh, with our shower gift.  welcome home little guy, and congratulations to the Long family!
coming soon, i have a massive baby shower order due next week.  and there's talk of a wedding later this summer.  and i probably should make the hubby something pretty for his birthday :) meanwhile, have a good weekend, all...

bridal butterflies

and then Jackie emailed me and asked if i could do some shower cookies with a purple butterfly theme, with the couple's initials and wedding date.  when i was decorating them i thought they kinda looked like little save-the-date cards being whisked away by a flock of butterflies.  couldn't get the whole flock in the shot though, i had to get them wrapped up for delivery.  busy busy!
thank you Jackie! and i think i have some tulips in my future...  stay tuned, and happy Sunday :)

wild things

long ago, Mary Jo recommended me to her daughter Jamie to make bridesmaid dresses and now Mary Jo has called again because Jamie has a new little Maddox, to be honored at a Where-the-Wild-Things-Are-themed baby shower. 

and i was all, "uh oh, i never read that book."  it's true, it was always checked out by other kids and i never got my turn (lip quiver) no, it was always checked out, but i just read other stuff.  i knew the pictures, and the movie previews looked awesome, but still, never read it.  so i Googled for pictures and discovered that my "Frosty the Snoman" plus a mini crown, plus a leaf for a tail, meant that the main character would be a snap.  those monsters? (were they called "monsters"?) they were many and intricate, and while i have to admit i took the easy route, it is a book about/ a shower for a little boy [and if you know little boys, they're all "main characters."], and when i dropped them off, Mary Jo said that any stuff they found for the party was always the monsters--nothing about the kid.  so now they have him, featured as a cookie!
i used to have a policy against licensed characters, considering that at one end of the talent spectrum, i could make a well-known character look ridiculous, thus disappointing my customer, or the other, that i'd make them well enough for someone to point out my copyright infringement.  i figured if you wanted a Barbie party, i'll make pink stars; or Harry Potter would get some white owls; stuff like accessory images.  but if i allow for it to be like "fan art" where the artist redrawing it isn't trying to mimic it, but reimagine it, then i'm not so nervous about characters.  i've seen "Regular Show" characters drawn like Anime, or the Star Trek crew as cookies a la Playschool's "Little People," and it's fun.  my "little ponies" weren't "My Little Ponies" so my little "wild things" turned out just right--this artist's interpretation of a cute little boy going "Rarr!" in some white pajamas. 
Congrats to the whole family and welcome little Maddox!  and coming soon, some softballs, purple butterflies, Easter, a couple birthdays, and now that i'll have coworkers, maybe some projects just for fun? 

who? JJ!

my recent post of little baby birds popping out of shells got my cousin-in-law Kati thinking about an upcoming baby shower for her friend's little boy JJ.  (Kati married into my dad's side of the family, so before i departed from my maiden name, there were 2 of us, minus an E.  i wonder how many old friends of mine looked for me and thought i moved to Milwaukee?)

her idea was little owls, since the mother to be has a thing for them, and in blue and brown, and with the name JJ in there somewhere.  what i came up with were owls in a half shell, in 2 kinds of blue and tan.  "JJ" became the little bow tied around each egg.  i got the baby-owl shape by actually using an Easter shape of a marshmallow bunny peep in a half shell, but i pressed the ears together to make the head, then pinched the corners to make their little horns--instant owls!  their little bewildered owly eyes were detailed with edible marker, and a dust of white pearl dust gave them some glamor.  a big welcome to you, little JJ!
and that brings me current again, so everyone start thinking about Valentine's Day.  :)

lil chickies

Monica ordered cookies for baby Daniel's arrival and left it up to me.  i found an intended-for-Easter shape and diverged from the yellow chick and decorated egg look and made little blue birdie babies hatching out of some wild eggs.  some quick lines with the edible marker made them smile and flap.  i may have flapped a little myself--i like cute birdies.  :)
and speaking of kids and cookies, in lieu of any employment opportunities, i'm still eager to do large projects; if you're a mom, teacher, student, or fellow baker and you think that your school/organization ought to have a bake sale, i'm down with helping out.  and/or if a Great American Bake Sale for Share Our Strength sounds good, call me.  Christmas is coming, and i like spreading joy...

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!

Corby (heart) Melisa, part 2

i couldn't resist making a cookie that played on the happy couple's now-shared name, West. i did these in the same colors as the bridal shower cookies, also with pre-piped letters.














i got this fabulous red color by pre-piping the heart in the same lavender icing, but when dry i brushed on red pearl dust.

the heart and gift box cookies for the shower totaled 4 dozen, but i made just 2 of these to tie onto the shower gift--the bride said they were her favorite. congrats again!



coming soon, more love, more gold, and my favorite flower gets a comic-book moment...

Corby (heart) Melisa

Then my sister-in-law Kristi's best friend Melisa's mom Barb called and asked if i could make cookies for Melisa's bridal shower. sketches were sketched, and the final pick was purple hearts with pre-piped ivory initials, and gift boxes with toothpick-dragged hearts and purple bows.














pearl dust was brushed on both for that sparkly romantic look. and what did i get the bride? ...cookie cutters. :)

baby Ivy's shower

Kate is having a baby girl! rubber duckies were requested, with "baby Ivy" piped in. i added the bubbles. the whole time i was decorating them i was singing Earnie's 'rubber ducky you're the one.'
shipping them to WA was an experience--the p.o. says "if it fits, it ships" but the express box they give you is better suited to ship something shaped like a laptop. 8 of the 36 little guys didn't make it. the ones that did, i'm told, were a hit. (Katie and Kate share an interstate high 5!) now go have that baby, lady! and send pictures!