Michigan Graduation Cookies

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My cousin graduated from the University of Michigan today!

Her mom contacted me with an order for two cookies in celebration of the weekend. The first cookie, the one pictured above, is a more personal one documenting her time and interests while at Michigan and also her future plans which include a move to DC!  Represented in the cookie is Michigan football, her sorority Alpha Chi Omega which includes their symbol the lyre and their flower the red carnation, and the Phi Beta Kappa key which is the symbol of her academic honor society. Of course, I couldn't forget to make Michigan the center of attention in this cookie! Meg absolutely loves the school and everything it stands for as do her parents and this day was a celebration for all of 4 great years at Michigan.

 Congrats Smeg! :D

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There are 9 more congratulations that need to be extended as well. One for each of the other housemates that have all lived together at 849 Tappan for 2 years. When I heard that the next cookie I needed to decorate was for 10 housemates who are all graduating, I knew just what to do for the design. I decided that I would create the Michigan sign again, but that this time it would serve as the base for a house. All that I needed to add was the roof, a few areas of siding, and the address and I had created a unique representation of their beloved house and university.

It was important to include each girls name on the cookie and with there being 10 girls, that took a little planning. In the end the continuation of text around the edge of the cookie was a good look and the addition of a graduation cap above each name really brought the whole theme of the cookie together.

To make the cookie a bit more special I added some delicate yellow detailing around the graduation year and between each of the girls names to connect that aspect to the simple scallop border. I was very happy with how well both of the cookies turned out and so happy for all of the girls on such a big day, especially for my cousin!!

Secretary's Day Cookie

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A big thanks to an old friend for passing on this link to her mom. I was so excited when she contacted me and happy to create a cookie for the mother of a family that has meant a lot to me since my childhood.

Formerly Secretary's day, April 27th is now referred to as administrative professional's day, but that's a bit much to try and put on a cookie! So, instead of trying to put a label on this cookie I decided to pick a symbol that would represent the day best and let that be the message. Since the day is about thanking those who do all the little things that make any office run smoothly, I thought that flowers can literally say 'thank you' as this bouquet does while being a beautiful centerpiece and conversation piece.

Since this was for the administrative professionals at a local High School I chose to use the schools colors in the bouquet and in the vase which includes the school's crest as well. I haven't done many specific flowers in my cookies except for the gerbera daisy bridal shower cookie up until recently and I am learning how best to create each unique flower out of icing. The daises were simple but very striking when I added in the purple while the yellow roses were a challenge, but I ultimately figured out the best approach and now feel confident in creating them for future cookies. The message cards were a simple way to get the message of the day across without having to say specifically on the cookie 'Happy Administrative Professional's Day' which created a simpler and cleaner design which I really like.

 

What better way to express your thanks for someone's hard work than with a beautiful bouquet that can also say exactly what you want with message cards?  Well how about a beautiful bouquet that says exactly what you want to say but then satisfies your sweet tooth when the novelty wears off...yeah I think that's better :)

Thanks to all those 'Administrative Professionals' who do such great work, especially those at Guerin Catholic High School who were so gracious and kind when I delivered the cookie.

mmmm....individual size cookies

As I try to expand whatever it is that I am doing in terms of selling my cookies I have been advised that I might try and include an option of selling additional smaller cookies along with the large cookie so that it feeds more people and perhaps delays the cutting of the cookie. Some people apparently have a problem with this. I personally don't understand that and would prefer to dig in as soon as possible, but the feeding more people is always a good thing.

So my mom set off to try and convert our unique recipe for the large cookie into individual sized cookies. This was our first attempt and though we might change some things about the baking process, and I'll have to figure out some better designs, the taste was right on and they are something I would be happy to include with any order!

Island Themed Bridal Shower Cookie

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I'm so glad my Aunt has such a big family, otherwise I wouldn't have any cookies to update :)

This Island Themed Cookie was for her soon to be daughter-in-law who is getting married in Cancun!!! I thought I would bring a bit of the feel of the tropics to this cookie for her bridal shower. I used corals, yellows, and greens, also the accent colors to her wedding, to really create that effect. I chose a simple beautiful flower to surround the central beach scene which includes a palm tree, (much improved  from my last attempt with the Sunset Housewarming Cookie),  bright blue water washing up on the beach, and his and her sandals resting in the sand. With all the colors and details in the design, simply listing their names and the date of their wedding was all that was necessary to complete the design. 

The simple yet detailed flowers really bring this cookie to life and are my favorite element. I did spend the most time on them making sure they were perfect, but I think it paid off in the way that they define the feel of this cookie. This is really the first time I used the technique of painting the icing to fade out right to the cookie as I did for the water, the sand, and around the names. For this particular design I think it was very successful. With such attention to detail, the realistic effects of all the elements let them stand on their own and bring the whole cookie together without the need for a conventional border. 

I hope the cookie captured the beauty and elegance that the gorgeous bride has planned for her big day, and maybe even helped get her more excited about that beach wedding that's not too far away!!

Congrats Tony and Sarah!

Another big thanks to my Aunt for the beautiful photo

Puppy Birthday Cookie

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Right after I finished the Valpo Baseball Cookie for another of my Aunts, I quickly got a request from her son and daughter-in-law for a Birthday cookie for their 3 year old daughter Addison or 'Addi'. 


Lucky Addi had even gotten to pick out the theme for her own Birthday party this year so 'Puppy Themed' was the order of the day for this cookie.  After the last dog that I had recreated for Mo's 30th Birthday Cookie turned out so well I was feeling pretty confident about my ability to do another dog and make it work well with the cookie.


Overall, I really like the way the puppy turned out with the bone with Addi's name on it in her mouth and the number 3 hanging from her collar to complete the Happy 3rd Birthday title. My mother actually really helped bring the cookie together by suggesting that I add the adorable little bows to the puppy's ears, both to bring some of those bright colors to the top of the cookie, and to make it a girl puppy for the little girl's birthday. The bright glitter filled paws and the fun detailing around the center are all great elements on this cookie. If I had to do it again I might arrange all the elements differently. I was very pleased with the way each turned out, but just not in that configuration.


But, a 3 year old doesn't have to know that part :) As long as Addi enjoyed her puppy cookie and it tasted as good as I know it did then I can't complain because it was a really bright, fun, glitter filled cookie to celebrate an adorable little girl's Big 3rd Birthday party.

Young Baker's Birthday Cookie

Another order for my best customer :)
 

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My Aunt asked me to design another birthday cookie, 

this time for her 5 year old granddaughter who loves baking and using her kitchenaid. (The Girl's Birthday Cookie was for another granddaughter and was a big success)

I started with the Birthday design template that I use unless there is a  request for a more specific design, but in my sketches I got so caught up in the idea of adding baking stuff to the cookie that I forgot to leave room for the 'Happy Birthday' and her name! I ended up having to cut out some of the number to fit the name, but it was an easy fix and I like the way it emphasizes her name against the white background. Of course I had to incorporate a replica of her kitchenaid mixer, and the rest of the cookie I filled with her favorite things to bake like cookies and cakes. 

The color palette turned out better than expected and the lime and pinkish lavender contrasted and complimented the turquoise base sooo well, enhancing the design of the cookie. A cookie can always look great in a sketch, but the colors are key to making it work.

I love to use the fact that a cookie is for a little girl as my excuse 

to add as many sparkles and sprinkles to a cookie as I can!!! And this one was no exception. The '5' is filled with white sugar flakes and then finished with the swirl details. I used silver edible paint to make everything that would be metal shine and sparkle, I used the iridescent sugar pearls around the edge, and then added even more of the sugar flakes to the cupcake icing around the edge. 

 

The border of this cookie is my absolute favorite design element 
of not only this cookie, but maybe any of the cookies I have created!! 
This was the first time I used an object and not just an icing technique as a starting point for the border design. Ally also bakes cupcakes and I thought that the sides of the cookie would be a perfect place to add them so they looked as though they were standing up. The top of the icing then comes over the edge. So, from above it creates a border around the central design and from the side it is a unique design in itself. I was so happy when the actual product turned out as well as my mental image. I wish that would happen more often :)

I hope Ally loves this cookie as much as I loved making it for her. 

Looks like she did!! :)

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Cancer-Free Tattoo Cookie

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After a battle with bladder cancer that left her with a scar, my sister-in-law's younger sister decided to put a tattoo over that scar and for five years the scar and the tattoo are all that she has left from her battle, because she has successfully been cancer free for that entire time, which is truly amazing!

To celebrate that anniversary, my sister-in-law asked me to make her a cookie. This was truly a custom cookie. I knew that she had a tattoo so I suggested that we make the cookie and the anniversary very personal and very special by recreating the tattoo that means so much to her. 

The tattoo itself is a very intricate, detailed and highly personal reflection of a very hard time, so I used orange (her favorite color) and green along with a bright white to contrast and compliment the very artful tattoo that an artist had created just for her. The white border around the top of the cookie and highlighting the date of remission, along with the multiple details I included in it, contrast well with the center image making both elements stand out and work cohesively together. 

I do not have the skill of a tattoo artist, but I was rather proud of my work here recreating from a cell phone image what an artist spent hours designing and applying. The fact that it was to commemorate something so special and so meaningful not only to my sister-in-law's sister and  family but on a different level to me as well made this cookie very personal and something I was very proud to be able to surprise her with.

Congratulations Karen!

Valpo Baseball Cookie(s)

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I was soo excited when my Aunt, after looking at this blog,
contacted me to make a cookie for her upcoming party. She has made and decorated these cookies for years and she trusted me to make one for her big party and I was honored to do it!  Plus, sports themes and mascot recreations are something I love doing for cookies and I was really pumped to get started on this one and make a great impression.

My cousin is a pitcher for the Valpo University baseball team.

Today, my Aunt and Uncle hosted 70 baseball players and parents at their house after a game against Butler. Their house and decor for parties always impress guests so I knew this cookie needed to do the same. 

And yes I said cookie (singular), but I'll discuss that later :)

My Aunt was a great help in designing the cookie. She had an idea of everything that she wanted to see included on the cookie and she sent me all the logos and info I needed which saved me time, but still gave me the freedom to put together the cookie and do all the finishing in my own way. 

I chose to do the more intricate Valpo logo because I think it makes a much stronger impression and a better look for the cookie. The 'baseball' banner underneath the University name is my own addition as an attempt to incorporate baseball into that center image. The baseballs themselves balance the cookie and stand out well along the edges while giving it a little extra detail with some clear sprinkles. The ribbon border is one of my favorite looks and the yellow ribbon connecting the baseballs was perfect for this cookie! The finishing touch was a generous sprinkling of silver sprinkles all around the edge to contrast the black tray and add a special touch. With a little text to cheer on the crusaders and some graphic designs to help bring the baseballs and the logo together I think I achieved a pretty well executed cookie that I am really proud to have created. 

but....

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Unfortunately, I had made a mistake!!

That cookie that I just decorated was supposed to be made without nuts! (A point that apparently slipped my mind while baking). To remedy this situation I decided to bake and design another cookie, the way my aunt had ordered it this time. Even though it was made and decorated in a short amount of time, the second cookie needed to match the look and quality of the first. For this second cookie, I wanted to do something more directly related to the baseball team itself so I chose to put their jersey as a center piece. I outlined the jersey with some similar graphics as the first cookie, included another shout out to the crusaders, and finished it off with another ribbon border and a round of sprinkles just like the first. 

It was a good thing they were hosting 70 people because in the end they received both cookies for the party since I had made such a mistake. My Aunt was gracious enough to accept 2 cookies and happily they both worked extremely well together and looked great in the party roomed decked out in Valpo gear.

Real Estate Function Cookie

I donated one of my cookies to a fund raising auction at my nephews'

school a couple of months back. The winning bidder decided to use the cookie for a real estate event that she was putting on today. 

The theme of the event was setting goals and in terms of the design she said "surprise me" so I tried another ambitious scene design for this cookie.

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To showcase a lofty goal, I wanted to show a street with all the homes on the street boasting sold signs.  I chose to use a one point perspective leading off into the sunrise to give the idea that these sold homes continue down the street. That's quite a goal for any real estate agent I think!

This wasn't the deign for all the flashy sparkly details, so instead I chose to focus on the homes and make them as realistic as possible. I used a specific tip with the icing to create horizontal lines of the siding which was very important to the look of the cookie. I did use sparkles in the cookie, but mostly to add texture to the roof. I think the technique and the roofs looked great in the end. A little more texture added in the landscaping and the whole scene comes together as it fades back to the focal point and highlights the whole street.

The cookie was meant to be inspirational and set the mood for the event that was being hosted. The theme of the event was well represented in the cookie and hopefully eating the cookie was the perfect end to the meal and to the event.

Omelets and Experiments

New idea.

Sugar Cookies!!

Although the chocolate chip cookie recipe I have is fantastic I thought it would be good if I added a sugar cookie recipe into the mix as well for a couple of reasons. First, it's always good to give people options when it's truly supposed to be something custom and second, the light color of a sugar cookie would give me a completely different canvas to work on. I wouldn't need to outline things in white icing any more to make sure they stand out against the cookie. 

10:30 pm Saturday

 Time for some experimentation...

I started my first and easiest experiment so late tonight due to an (on the house) extra shot in my cappuccino, which I had too late anyway, but I digress.  For this first attempt, I just used a couple of store bought sugar cookie dough rolls because I haven't looked around for a good recipe yet. It would be an understatement to say that I wasn't very optimistic when I started. I was so sure that the cooking time would be difficult to manage and what would come out would be burned and dark around the edge while being undercooked in the center, but...

I couldn't have been more happy to be wrong!!

All it took was a watchful eye and the cookie pretty much told me when it was done. Except for a raised lip around the edge from where to cookie raised up while cooking and then fell in the pan, what came out looked to be the perfect sugar cookie to decorate...but only time would tell. I simply cut the lip off with a knife and created a flat edge and that was that.

After it cooled and set I could tell it was the right density for decorating and then to make things better it pulled out of the pan with no problems. I removed the foil around the edge flipped it back over and voila!!! A perfectly even baked sugar cookie ready for decorating!!! Now all I need is my own recipe that reacts the same way and I'm in business...hopefully its as simple as I'm making it seem :) 

11:30 pm Saurday

Sugar Cookie Experiment #1...Success!

Fast forward (through a 1am trip to the ER with my brother) to the next morning.

 9:30 am Sunday 

Breakfast time

I had invited another of my brothers and sister-in-law over to the house for some homemade omelets and it was time to showcase and more importantly test my new cookie. (In addition to attempting to create the perfect cookie I am also working on the perfect omelet recipe as well and I'm getting pretty good at it in my humble opinion)

'popeye' omelet: 
spinach, broccoli, red pepper, pepper jack

 

Back to the Cookie...
I used the leftover icing from the Mardi Gras Cookie (see below) that I had made the day before and in between cooking the sausage and the other omelet ingredients and making made-to-order omelets for the fam I threw some 'decorations' on the cookie to hopefully brighten everyone's morning. 

The 'decoration' served another purpose as well. I needed to test the flavor of the decorator's icing with the sugar cookie and also see if the fact that I had to cut around the edge would distract from the integrity of the cookie and the design. That part is still up for debate, but thanks to my brother's suggestions I have some options to remedy that. There is however a very noticeable difference between the surface textures of the two different types of cookies. Although packed with chocolate chips and nuts the original cookie has a fairly even surface with a lot of little unobtrusive bumps whereas this first sugar cookie has larger crevasse that are more difficult to control the icing around. It's not a deal breaker, and I'm still waiting to see what my next experiment turns up, but for now I'm pretty happy it turned out this well and I'm excited for what I can do with the sugar cookie in terms of design now.

10:30 am Sunday

Time to dig in...

Why make a cookie if not to enjoy with family and friends? and did we ever enjoy it! It even made it around to a couple other family members that day so everyone could have a taste.

The cookie itself was evenly cooked from one end to the other with no discoloration around the edge. It has a very nice dense and chewy consistency that I adore in a good sugar cookie. The icing was perfect with the vanilla in the sugar cookie and the colors stand out so well against the light cookie color. Overall I am sooo excited to find the perfect recipe and start decorating these sugar cookies. I think people are going to love them and love the options that I can offer for a custom cookie.

Mardi Gras Themed Fundraiser Cookie

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My youngest brother is embarking on a mission trip to Honduras 

this summer with some friends from High School. They are attempting to raise funds to pay for the trip and one of the ways to do that was to host a themed fund-raiser and present their plan for the summer to prospective donors. Seeing as Mardi Gras is right around the corner it was a perfect party theme and the house was expertly decked out to fit that bill. 

 I chose to stick with the Mardi Gras colors and accentuate them with a lot of fun detailing and accessorizing. 

Although the mask's shape is simple the icing is full of texture 

in the green and purple regions as well as being topped off with plenty of sparkling sugar flakes to create a great glittering effect for Mardi Gras. The eccentric mask is displayed against a stark white background so that it stands out as much as possible. However, unlike most white backgrounds I create this one's edge adds to the exciting feel of the cookie and is another element 

that makes the design whole.

To buffer the edge of the mask against the bright white background I utilized the green, purple, and gold shimmering edible powder that I can paint with.

I made the strokes dynamic and festive and topped it off with gold glitter stars that radiate out from the mask.

I utilized the white iridescent sugar pearls a lot in this cookie to add depth and detail to the mask and to the overall design. It not only added texture, but added to the beaded effect that is so important to the Mardi Gras celebration. The idea of Mardi Gras beads also plays into the border that I chose to create. The mask is attached to a string of beads that form the border all the way around the top of the cookie. The bottom of the border is just a festive collection of star tipped shapes in the custom green, purple, and gold colors that works well below the string of beads surrounding the cookie.

To finish of the edge I sprinkled the border with purple, green, 

gold, and black sugar sprinkles which was a nice finishing touch that I will utilize more often. This cookie makes a bold statement with the large white area and it's erratic edge, the use of multiple layers of detail, and the lack of any text, but it works especially well against the dark cookie and is brought together by the boarder. It fit in perfectly at the party and looked great with the elegant decor for the night. 

Annie's 13th Birthday Cookie

It's been 3 years since I made my first cookie...

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Today is my cousin Annie's 13th Birthday marking that occasion.
It was for her 10th birthday that I made the Dolphin Cookie 

This cookie was made the day of the party so it wasn't as uniquely designed as that first one, but I still fit her current interests and passions which are strongly geared towards music into the birthday template that I have used in previous cookies like the Girl's Birthday Cookie. 

Annie not only loves being in the band, but she is also into crafts and design just like I was at her age, so I knew she would appreciate all the little details I put into the numbers making that the focus. I really like the choice of colors used in this cookie. The contrast between the different greens in the numbers really emphasizes the detailing on top of the bright green background and makes the detailing and music notes stand out more than the similar design of the pink numbers in the girl's birthday cookie. The background of the numbers is also coated in clear sugar sprinkles making it shimmer and all the details on top pop that much more. 

The music notes are emphasized by blue sugar peals that give a nice texture over the whole cookie. With the title on the top and such an emphasis on the numbers and the horizontal bars with the notes running behind them there was an empty space on the bottom of the cookie that needed some detailing; A simple music note and some white icing and the cookie was brought together nicely without much effort.

To draw attention to that little detail I made the border around it by alternating the two contrasting greens only in that area. The rest of the border that goes around the entire edge is made from alternating blue and white icing to emphasize the focus colors of the greens in the center of the cookie. I really liked this effect of the border and think it worked to bring the cookie to a cohesive design.

Wow! 3 years...here's to many more and many more fun and inventive designs

Cathedral Christmas Party Cookie

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My latest cookie was actually done in a bit of a rush, but I still did my best to make a fun and fitting cookie for the Cathedral girl's basketball program's annual Christmas party. I coached the freshman team so this again was a gift for the girls on my team as well as a way for me to chip in for the desserts in the pot-luck style party.

A couple of things needed to be included in the design: Basketball, Irish, and Christmas. I stuck to holiday colors because of the Christmas theme of the party and since the green works for both the school colors and the holidays it worked well for the cookie as a whole. 

I chose to do a similar design to my last basketball cookie.  At the center is a large basketball full of orange sprinkles, but for the holidays, I added a fun little twist and put the Santa hat on top of the ball. The hat actually added a lot of texture to the actual cookie, but sadly that part does not photograph particularly well. On the white fuzzy part of the hat, I used the same technique that I did to make the dog's fur a couple cookies back which adds depth and a more realistic look to the hat. I topped the white areas with clear sugar flakes that added just a bit more sparkle.

Overall, this is not my best nor my favorite cookie I've done and I could find many flaws that I would do differently given the chance, but for a last minute design I really did like some of the attributes of the cookie which I addresses above. It also worked very well for the casual event and the girls loved that I took the time to make something special for them. Most Important though is that the cookie tasted excellent and I left with an empty tray; always a good feeling.

St. Thomas Basketball Party Cookie

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St. Thomas Aquinas (STA for short) is a small catholic grade school in Indianapolis where I coached the 5th grade girls C team for the 2010 basketball season. So, for the end of the year party I decided to chip in for the desserts and make a cookie for the girls.

The design is straight forward mostly because they don't have a visual mascot that I could use so I decided to use the school's name atop a basketball. I chose to make the name large and bold to stand out against the basketball (which is covered in orange sprinkles, since we are dealing with 12 year old girls after all :D ) The year and mascot name surround the ball and the bold central element is completed with yellow dots and white sugar pearls to make a fun statement in the center of the cookie.

A fun element to this cookie is that I was able to include all the girls names from the two 5th grade teams that year. I decided that a Tiger paw would be a cute little addition to accompany the names and add an element to tie it back in with the name in the center. It took me awhile to finally come up with the idea, but I think it turned out so well and made the addition of the names much smoother since I could form them along with the little icon. The color of the paw also correlates to the 5th grade team the girl was on that year either the blue or gold team. I also added a single sugar pearl in the center of the paw, again it's something not necessary to the design, but a detail that was fun and appreciated by my girls who each wanted the piece with their names and the paw. 

The simple but fittingly festive border is perfect for this cookie and brings together all the school colors in a new way that really finishes off the cookie well. Seeing all the girls so excited about having their names on this cookie really made it so worthwhile and the compliments from the parents (especially all the dad's) made me really glad that I decided to make this cookie to celebrate the girl's season.

(sorry for the poor quality of the photo)

Mo's 30th Birthday Cookie

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This cookie was done for my sister-in-law's surprise 30th birthday party. I think the biggest surprise to me on that day was how well this cookie turned out. I've never done an image of someone's dog before and I think it turned out extremely well in terms of looking like the actual dog. His name is Rugger, a Bernese Mountain Dog...the shaggy hair is much more forgiving which probably helps, and it doesn't hurt that I know the dog and was therefore able to capture his personality. I think this cookie was the second biggest surprise that night for everyone there especially the birthday girl. The cookie was a huge success, but I'll let you be the judge of how well I captured the dog.

Birthday Girl!!

Cars Birthday Cookie (2)

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The first 'Cars' cookie that I made for my nephew was such a hit that I received another order for a similar cookie from someone who was shown a picture...I would like to thank my sister-in-law for her efforts in getting me orders :)

This cookie was for a little boy who loves 'cars' especially Lightning and Mac so I definitely wanted to include both characters. I kept the design very similar to the last one so I could produce it in time, but I still tried to customize it as much as I could. It was Seiji's 5th birthday so I included 5 balloons with the number 5 and also 5 orange cones to fit into the 'cars' theme...I was told by his mom that even she didn't notice that part, but that Seiji was excitedly counting the cones and balloons when he saw his cookie.

Again, I put his name and 'happy birthday' on a road sign to fit the scene. Although the Lightning character is smaller than the first edition, I think the detail is similar and still looks realistic, but it's the Mac character (the truck in the background) that I think turned out especially well. I think I captured his overall look especially in the face and cab area and the silver edible paint that I used really accentuated his metal parts as well as the design on the trailer (not captured well in the photo).

I really enjoyed making this cookie! I was surprised at how much easier it was the second time around, but I think I was still able to make a unique cookie.

Gerbera Daisy Bridal Shower Cookie

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My newest sister-in-law chose beautiful coral gerbera daisies for her wedding flowers and I thought they would be the perfect design for the surprise cookie I made for her bridal shower.

I wanted to focus on the flowers yet still make it elegant and whimsical (another part of her design theme) so I chose to do multiple half flowers all around the edge to surround the solid white center and make it pop even more. The middle is just a smooth layer of white icing to display the names, date, and small daisy with a textured detail around the edge including iridescent sugar pearls.

I enjoy the way the green and white vines create a whimsical feel between the different rigid edges of the circle and the flowers. When I started, I was not confident in my decision to do the green vines, but in the end I think it turned out very nicely and I was especially happy with the way that part and brought all the element together.

The daisies themselves were made petal by petal to create a more textured and realistic feel and then brushed with a pink iridescent powder to create the depth I was hoping to achieve. the centers are made with a simple star tip that helped create even more realism and texture. A simple border between the centers of the flowers helps bring the whole cookie together and separates it from the decorative base. 

Congratulation Kevin and Kori!

Updated

5/17/2011

 

I was asked to do another cookie in this design this time as a farewell cookie for Susan working at Harrison College from her co-workers. And here is the final product. 

Favorite Things Birthday Cookie

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Most of the cookies I make are well planned ahead of time and drawn out with the knowledge of an upcoming event. This cookie was the opposite of that, but still turned out to be one of my favorite cookies. 

It always helps to know something about the cookie recipient and in this case I simply chose some of my uncle's favorite things and put them together for a great cookie! (Even though my mom and I decided to make the cookie at 10:00pm the night before driving down to their lake house for his impromptu party!!) Luckily, we had everything we needed and we knew what he liked so it was only a matter of putting it all down on a cookie. 

The Red Stripe drinking, Mickey Mantle loving, wishes he could be fishing daily, Yankees fan absolutely loved the cookie, especially since we surprised him by even coming up to the lake to celebrate his 60th birthday. It was a pretty great day, but then again every day spent at the lake is always a little bit better than the average day.

Gymbo Birthday Cookie

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Gymboree is one of my nephews' favorite places to go and play so when I was asked to do a cookie for a party there I was pretty excited to be able to include all the things that make that place so intriguing for the kids. 

The most recognizable thing about Gymboree is Gymbo the clown who I decided to put front and center on the cookie. I tried to add different textures where I could and use Gymboree's bright primary colors as a theme. I included bouncy balls, the big tent that they use in the classes, and tried make it look as though Gymbo was juggling the balls as well as Owen's name. I used sprinkles to make the 2's inside the bouncy balls and sprinkled them all around the outside border as well which all the kids loved. 

The border around the top was a new technique for me but seemed to fit in nicely with the clown theme and added a new texture and depth around the edge. 

This cookie was a lot of fun to make and even more fun to see eaten and enjoyed at the party by all kids and parents alike.

Cars Birthday Cookie

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Ever since Christmas my nephew has been updating me regularly with what he wants on his cookie for his 4th birthday. Luckily, some ideas like having Santa riding in the Lightning car fell by the wayside, but even since December he has wanted a 'Cars' cookie with Lightning McQueen on it and with balloons. 

So I decided to do a track scene with Lighting racing against some other recognizable cars characters. Of course I couldn't forget the balloons which I made look like they were tied to the back of Lightning and each has the number 4 on it. I gave the track some texture by adding silver sprinkles to the gray road which adds a great touch and made the cookie sparkle in the sun. To keep with the race track theme I put the 'happy birthday' and the birthday boy's name on a giant road sign with yellow dots and white sugar peals that make it look like the sign has lights around it. I even finished of the cookie by surrounding the edge with some of Lightning's best quotes. 

The best part of the cookie though, as my nephew will attest to, is the Lightning car (we had to cut out the car just for him to eat). The detail and character that the car has makes it look just like one from the movie making it instantly recognizable with its decals, numbers, and design. 

I was very proud of this cookie and the especially the work I did on the car, but I was most excited that I could make my nephew so happy on his birthday

(had to sneak a taste before everyone else)