Cheerleaders and Flip Flops...in January?

A good friend asked me if I'd be willing to make some cookies for her to take to some special friends.  Of course, I said yes....but then she said she wanted cheerleaders.  Uh oh.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to make cheerleaders!  Flickr to the rescue.....honestly I don't know what I'd do without the inspiration from the talented bakers and decorators who willingly post their unique creations for others to review.  I can sometimes closely replicate a design, but designing from NOTHING is really, really hard for me.  

The inspiration for the cheerleaders came from Sugar Deaux.

I'd made flip flops before, but again, went to Flickr to get inspiration.  This time, by Montreal Confections.

I was pleased enough with what I did, but I have to learn more PATIENCE when it comes to decorating cookies....I don't wait long sometimes between colors.   Anyone else have that problem?  I get so excited to see the "final product" that I sometimes sabotage my own efforts.

Thanks Debra, for letting me make these for you and your friends.  I hope the girls really enjoy them!

More Football!

My friend Kim asked me to make Philadelphia Eagles cookies.  Hmmm, no Kopykake projector to try to make that logo.....and I was worried I wouldn't be able to match their teal-blue colors, either!

Well, I think I did okay on the color - it's interesting mixing Americolor drops to see if I get the right shade.  I was so worried about the color, that I don't think I spent enough time getting my consistency of flood icing thin enough.  Insert *big sigh* here.  Luckily the birthday boy will be more interested in eating the cookies than analyzing them.  :)   Oh, and the 18 is for his favorite player, Jeremy Maclin.

Lots to still learn about decorating cookies, but I am very grateful for my friends who give me chances to experiment.  Thanks so much!

Snowflakes Inspired By A Gift Tag!

Ok, let me admit this now.... I am addicted to making snowflake cookies!  I'm not sure if this is because I cut tons of paper snowflakes in elementary school....or because snowflakes were actually one thing I could sketch....or because I once took a most reflective walk in a perfect winter night with light snowfall....but whatever the reason, I LOVE SNOWFLAKES!

And, I love these snowflakes, too.  They were inspired by a gift tag and wrapping paper I bought this year.  Hope it's okay to have some black/white wrapping paper at Christmas!  It's actually very "elegant" which is definitely a contrast to the rest of my home. :-)

I also receive such inspiration from other "cookiers" especially those who share their talents on Flickr.  Some of these were especially inspired by IndulgeDesserts on Flickr.  I'm not quite where she is on her piping skills, but I'm working on it!  Hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I enjoyed making them.

Sweet Snowflakes

One of the cookies I love to decorate is the snowflake.  I'm not sure what it is about them, but I like it.  Maybe it's because these snowflakes don't cause me to slip, but they do make me smile.  :-)

For My Birthday Boy

I've seen many beautiful, online photos of cookie cupcakes, and I finally got the chance to make my own this weekend. And I really wanted them to turn out "just right" because they were for my own boy!  They were fun to make, and I couldn't resist making some birthday candles, too.  Happy birthday to my boy!

A BIG Christmas Cookie!

Earlier this year, I ordered this extra-large Christmas ornament cookie (it's 7 1/2" wide!).  I was excited to finally use it this week as I prepared some cookies for our church bake sale.  I'm not sure how many folks will want this large cookie, but it does make an impression!

These cookies were made with dark chocolate dough and gingerbread dough.  The smells in my kitchen the day they were baking were soooo good!  

Stars for a Star Coworker

Today our staff celebrated one of our "stars" as employee of the month.  She's a big Dallas Cowboys fan, so I whipped up some quick blue and white stars for her reception.  Congratulations, Sharon!