for your throwback thursday

a funny thing happens when i accidentally sleep with my contacts in, and then take a shower in the morning--my eyes get so bloodshot it looks like i'm either high as a kite, or got myself choked nearly to death.  fun fact.  such a morning happened when i was set to deliver these cookies to the Chicagoland Vintage Clothing, Jewelry and Textile Show & Sale at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.  so if you saw me there, looking like demon eyes, that's why.  the dresses, on the other hand, were all kinds of fab.  the director of the show wanted one of each for gifts to give out, and gave me a side hug for my efforts.  
and everyone loved them, and everyone bought them.  i was getting a text every few hours, "13 left," "4 left," etc, from the bosses until they sold out.  this is exactly what i wanted--local events that have a situation for attendees to have a snack.  and that snack is fine tuned to be part of the entertainment of being there.  you don't break for lunch and leave the dresses for a while.   you get lunch and see even more.  and i love how versatile a dress shape is.  i had to limit myself to 4 styles or i'd never finish.
coming next, little ballerina silhouettes for a big dance event.

also it snowed like, 8 times...

i’m soooo very behind.  but so much has happened.  i left off with Christmas, and shortly after that i was planning on posting these crosses for baby Ryder’s baptism, and some snowmen that are still on my phone's memory card, that were for the snowy end of December, i'll post them eventually... and then I had some super-M's to make for Mary Jo’s grandson Maddox’s super-hero-themed birthday, before heading to visit my dad for the last time.

i spent the whole project reflecting on my comic book loving father (who likely wouldn’t [and ultimately didn’t] see these M’s), and how i’ve been committed to this cookie life, and how my dad would kinda give me an elbow nudge after each well-made art project and tell me i could make money doing that.  nothing would have made Dad happier than to see me get rich, especially for cookies—anyone who knew our family knew that there was a mother-daughter team that made pretty awesome Christmas cookies, and we’d roll our eyes when he’d talk about how we should open a bakery and rake in cash.  so after i got these cookies in a bag, we had a real swell a banking oops, and Mary Jo’s payment was my only cash to go downtown.  (so much for riches.  yet.  thanks MJ)   Dad passed away January 10.  he was 66.  he is very missed.  then after the service, i took a deep breath and got back to the grind.  (building my cookie empire, and all that.)  

and then two St. Augustine grads were in love and in town, and the young lady’s mom, a drawing winner from November, requested some luv-bugs.  and then something extraordinary happened.  

backstory: last summer i discovered a little café in the library, and thought of how charming it would be to illustrate cookies for a building full of stories, or even just crank out buckets of chocolate chip cookies.  c’mon, books and cookies—it’s perfect.  i was hired, but worked at the East Dundee location, usually making sandwiches, and baking when i could.

then the extraordinary part.  at the beginning of February, the library location had a bit of a staff renovation.  they asked me to come in and i was told that A: in the scramble to get treats on the counter in time for a Black History Month event that weekend, anything i baked in East Dundee was brought to the library, and quickly sold out, so good job Katie; and B: i would be working from the library starting that Sunday, and would be the sole baker for all 3 locations.  and that i could bake whatever i want, and do my cookies, and that i should make a shopping list of everything i need to hit the ground running.  i swooned.  

my first project, strangely enough, was for a bring-your-own-hair-dryer themed event we catered at a salon.  i was told with very little time to complete it, so i did mini hearts on the side, because they dry faster, and when it came time to go, only the hearts were ready.  i renamed the glamour-girls “Rapunzel” and library patrons and staff found them adorable.  they were actually from a Pocahontas cookie cutter set--John Smith’s pioneer-mullet had a nice right angle to it, and made the perfect hair dryer.  they were quickly joined by froggy princes and heart balloons for Valentine’s Day.  those are also on my phone, sorry. they didn’t last long either.  [in fact nothing does.  brownies, cookies, Grandma’s Hello Dolly bars, banana bread, cupcakes, i’ve been crazy baking.  and I make “truffles.”  balls of different things dipped in chocolate.  the most popular is the super-simple s’mores version: a big marshmallow dipped in chocolate and rolled in crushed graham crackers.  the men i work with say i cook with crack, and often use lewd vocabulary when expressing their enjoyment of my desserts.  so i’m doing something right.]
on Valentine’s Day itself i had aqua hearts with pink roses.  i didn’t get a picture, but they were inspired by the color scheme on my sister-in-law’s dress, and the roses were a simple 2 tone swirl like this [an upcoming post]. 
my next cookie goal is to get good at different rose techniques.  my goal after that is making In The Neighborhood Fresh the best darn cookie and coffee stop in Elgin.  and since i know that no goals are reached overnight, i’ll go get a good night’s sleep because i work tomorrow.  empire building and all that.  

 so i’ll close with another icon of an awkward fit waiting patiently to reach a potential, my most recent library project, lil’ mr. ugly duckling.  next, dresses and ballerinas…

radiant Sons

i was once again tapped to make thank-you cookies for the choir, for the annual Christmas musical performance and potluck.  this is based on s-i-l's emailed drawing; an oval and holly leaf made the shape, outline and flood technique with pre-piped letters made the image, and some pearl dust made it sparkle.  thank you Trinity Lutheran Choir!  and i hope everyone's final 12 days of Christmas are are just as yummy and sparkly.  (it's snowing pretty hard here, we might add a verse of 13 shovelers shoveling.)  coming soon, baby stuff, snowmen, and maybe superheros and owls?

Christmas, in case you missed us...

these were available at the store in December.  stop in during January, snowmen are on the way!

some airbrushed patterns inspired by wrapping paper...

some gingerbread...

scotties dressed for the cold...

and the first winner of the November raffle, Beth, requested some reindeer.

thank you all, and i hope your holidays were merry, happy, joyous, festive, and safe.  drop in again soon for some baby stuff, coming soon...

winter break

real quick, cause i gotta catch a train, (i blog on the run) here's what i brought to share at the kiddo's kindergarten Christmas party.  or holiday party.  whatever they call it, that's for another blog to sort out.  anyway, the rule is no homemade stuff, but i cleared it with the higher-ups, that if i made them at work, it's cool. 
the kids got airbrushed gift boxes with red or white bows, and for the teacher and helpers, and the other folks helping my little guy with his energy surplus and language skills, some pinwheel stars. 

merry everything to you, kiddos and educators!  and coming soon, all the other Christmas goodies i've been up to.  now off to that train...

making nice

i walked into someone's bad mood, and she flipped my bad mood switch, and it was 7th grade for 3 hours.  so i baked cookies.  the card read "let's have some wine and bury the hatchet."  yeah, i said it with cookies.
i'm a dork.

lil tweeters

Mary Jo needed 3 dozen little birdies to match the invitations for the baby shower she was hosting for Nara, new mommy to Aliyah.  the artwork featured little tear-drop-shaped birds, so i used my largest tear-drop-shaped leaf.  being not-quite full sized, i made a few extra. pink sugar in 2 tones made them girly and fuzzy and sweet.  congrats to mommy and baby, and thank you Mary Jo! 
and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  see you all next week!