Indy 500 Cookie

 

It's May in Indianapolis and that means one thing....Race time!!

 and it's not just any race it's the 96th running of 

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing!

For the yearly gathering at the track that my brother attends, the 500 consists of 3 days of camping out at the track with multiple RV's, a live band, lots of good family and friends, and plenty of beverages...This year my brother thought a cookie would be a nice addition to the party and I was more than happy to oblige. The only requirement was the RV so it was specific to the event and the title 'The Greatest Spectacle', the rest of the design was pretty easy!  There is nothing more iconic than the pagoda at the IMS and nothing more exciting than the cars. A simple checkered flag border and the 2012 Indy 500 (cookie) is in the books.

Fred's 60's Birthday Cookies

It's race time in Indy and that's OK by me...I love making cars on cookies!! Especially really cool looking cars like this one. These were special cookies since the recipient was the owner of this specific car that won the 1997 Indy 500!!! Needless to say this car needed to be perfect because if anyone would know if it wasn't it would be him! The race car cookie was a special cookie commemorating his big win and his years of memories at the track and with that car. 


The second cookie is more about his life now and the things he enjoys doing today. Hanging out at the lake, traveling around in his RV with is 3 dogs, and cruising on one of his multiple custom 3 wheeled motorcycles. The two flags helped me incorporate some of the things he is involved in while keeping relevant with the design. Layout wise I cannot help but find flaws in this cookie as a designer, but I really enjoyed creating all the elements and finding a way to make them all coexist on the same cookie without making it too disjointed. 

All in all, Fred was quite surprised and according to the person who ordered them for the occasion he was 'so impressed and pleased'. Nothing makes all the work I put into my cookies from design to creation more worth it than hearing from someone who hasn't seen or had my cookies and hearing how much they enjoyed it. 

Gavin's Batman Cookie

I have two young nephews and another infant niece and nephew, so I'm well versed in the world of cartoons and children's videos that are available, but I must say Batman isn't a character that I have ever paid much attention to. If When I design a Cars Cookie or a Toy Story Cookie, I've seen those movies enough times to tell you everything about it so designing a cookie is no big deal and usually comes fairly easily
...making it is another story, but I digress :) 

When Gavin's Grandmother asked me to make a Batman (and Robin) Cookie,  I didn't realize how many different Batman images there were through all the years and how much he has changed since the beginning. So what version of Batman was little Gavin into? These are the things that run through my head as I try to design the best cookie I can for each order. I decided that even though the logos have changed somewhat they would be very recognizable for everyone and would make a cool looking cookie.

I'm not sure if it's the nature of the Batman symbol itself, but once I put it down as the central element of the cookie, the rest of the cookie was rather difficult to design and the other elements a bit hard to place. Despite the initial difficulties, I think the cookie itself turned out well. I like the bold graphic nature of it and the way all the elements came together in the end. Maybe a bit mature looking for a 3 year old, but definitely recognizable as a Batman cookie.  I love the yellow border around this cookie. Its was probably the most time consuming element, but in the end it was worth it for the way it made the other graphics really stand out. 

From what I hear, Gavin had a great birthday party and all the Batmen and Batgirls really enjoyed the cookie.
 

Nursing School Graduation Cookie

This was a pretty special cookie. The first cookie I ever made to sell to someone other than a family member was the Colt's Birthday Cookie. It was for my co-worker's sister Amber on her 29th birthday. Well, this cookie was for my now ex co-worker who contacted me to make another cookie for Amber, but this time it was to celebrate her graduation from the Ivy Tech School of Nursing. To get a repeat order is one thing, but it has been quite sometime since I've been in contact with this co-worker and for him to remember and seek me out for this occasion was very special for me.

I designed the central element with the nursing cross, Ivy Tech logo, and graduation cap originally when I sketched out the cookie. Beyond that, I had a rough idea of the other elements I wanted to showcase like the stethoscope and the nurses badge, but the rest came rather organically filling in the necessary space in the cookie. 

In that same method of creating new elements relative to the already existing designs, I came up with this border in response to the large and graphic central element. It wasn't something I had planned on having as such a large focus of the cookie, but the way it contrasts and compliments the central element make it one of my favorite elements on this cookie. I think this border really makes the cookie stand out and gives it a nice clean finish. I did take the liberty of continuing the design along the side by adding a heartbeat line for good measure and to bring home the nursing theme.

I was assured by my co-worker that the cookie was as good if not better than they remembered and that everyone there couldn't stop talking about it. Most importantly, I have some new clients from that order alone and I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunities and help I have received from my co-worker in helping me get these cookies going!

Luigi Birthday Cookie

Ballerina Bear Birthday Cookie

Leo's Birthday Cookie

 50th Birthday Cookie

Working in a cafe I have had a chance to meet many new people. I got the chance to get to know Leo's wife through multiple visits. Our food interests were discussed on multiple occasions and my cookies came up a time or two, so when she planned Leo's 50th birthday party in the cafe she asked me to do a cookie for the occasion. With a list of Leo's favorite things I set to designing the cookie. I wanted to make the scene seem somewhat like a sports locker since his interests seemed to lean that way. A name plated shelf which holds his 'golden' gloves, his necessary tech gadgets, and is tagged with the logo from his beloved bike. 

As interesting as all the elements were once I placed them on the cookie, the biggest visual piece was the 5-0 that was front and center. I needed to find something to make the numbers visually interesting and I got my inspiration from the invite. The stitched pattern that fills the numbers was the backdrop for the digital invitation and went perfectly with the color scheme. In the end, this cookie was focused on the individual elements that make up the central scene. Each one came out exceptionally well and together they created a very striking cookie that Leo and his wife were very happy to have at their party.

Folio Cookie

New Year...Lots of new cookies

This is my first cookie for a corporate event, and I think it worked out well for everyone. My aunt's good friend from college who works for Folio in Texas was coming into town to pitch their product, marketing in this case, to local company ExactTarget. I was contacted to create a cookie for the meeting that conveyed Folio's approach to the pitch. 

For this cookie I had a lot of back and forth concerning the design which is something I'm not really used to in the beginning design phase, but this is their image on the line and they wanted it to be a correct representation of the direction they wanted the meeting to go. They wanted to have both logos' equally represented and a facebook 'like' symbol. I submitted a couple of designs and we decided the bold and simple one you see above was the most appropriate. Each logo has some detailing that makes it stand out, but the bold colors and contrasting text bring each equal attention. I gleaned the design of the detail work around the symbols from Folio's presentation materials. Those details help bring it all together and make the rectangular designs work on the round cookie. The border is not simple but not distracting as all good borders should be and frames the important perts of the cookie well. 

 From Folio's end the cookie went over very well and everyone was very happy with the meeting and the cookie.  Unfortunately Folio is based in the South so no repeat business :) I really did enjoy making this cookie and being a part of the presentation and I would love to do more work involving other corporations...I must say, recreating logos is one of my strong suits and a cookie like that makes quite an impression.

Pumpkin Birthday Cookie

  I LOVE this cookie!!

This was another cookie that I donated to a silent auction fundraiser for a school. I had donated this cookie quite a while ago and figured the winner had forgotten they had purchased it. So, I was quite surprised but glad to be contacted by Graham's mom to make a cookie for his 2nd birthday party.

When she told me that she wanted the cookie to be Halloween themed for a 2 year old's birthday I was excited to be able to create an adorable Halloween version of my birthday cookie design. Plus it was her idea to have the cookie  shaped like a pumpkin which was such a great idea and really made this cookie special. 

I always try to make cookies extra special for little kids by putting plenty of little goodies for them to discover. They always like to see the number they are turning on their birthday so besides the large number 2 in the middle I try and hide some for them and their guests to find. This time I created two friendly bats, two 3D pumpkins, and two number 2's stuck in the spider's webs as well as plenty of cute little spiders crawling around the cookie to find. My  favorite part has to be the spider webs though. I love the way the ones put over the orange sparkles look and the way it helps the spiders stand out as well, but with the addition of some black sprinkles even the ones put right on the cookie stand out and look really fun. But what really makes this cookie fun is its shape. Making it look like a pumpkin made it that much more special and that much more interesting. Overall, I'm very happy with the way it turned out and I know that Graham and his guests loved it to. 

Extreme sports cookie

 

When John Henry's mom contacted me for a cookie and later told me he would like it to include anything along the lines of dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, or skateboards, I decided to focus on all the extreme sports and not just one. The problem with that was getting all that those intricate machines on one cookie without making it too complicated. Instead, I chose to do silhouettes of someone riding each machine. I found some really cool graphics online that I translated into icing and I think the overall effect was really successful. Part of the success of the silhouettes is that they are all set against the vibrant orange of the 6 that helps them stand out even more.

The layering of all all the bright colors and the use of a white outline creates an effect that makes the silhouettes pop and enhances the border as well making the whole cookie work together. 

It's always nice when I can make a cookie come together like that especially when in the early phases of the design I wasn't confident that I can pull it off. Luckily, the more cookies I create, the more design techniques I learn to really make a cookie come together and stand out. John Henry and his mom LOVED the cookie and no matter what I think of the design that's the ultimate goal when I make any cookie so I couldn't be happier.

Toy Story Cookie

Put this one in the record books! Six characters on a cookie!!

Phew. That was a fun one, but six different characters on a cookie is pushing it even for me :)

This was a special cookie for me. Not only was it for my nephew, who is always so excited to tell me every year what he wants on his birthday cookie (see Cars Cookie ), but I was also able to have a friend who is an awesome photographer come over and get some great shots of the process and the cookie!! 

Anyone can take a picture of a cookie from directly over the top and crop it for something like this blog, but as I have said and so many others tell me, the pictures never do the actual cookie justice...so now was my chance to have a very skilled photographer accomplish something I can't with my limited skills. 

Lauren, my friend and photographer, was such a trooper. She made the trek to my house to spend some time with me during the decorating process and then again for the birthday party so I cannot wait to see the final product. She has a preview up on her blog Paper Crane Photo with more to follow soon!!

Thanks Soooooo much Lauren. I can't wait!!!

UPDATE...

Lauren's photos are up on her blog and they are awesome!!! 

Take a look at the cookie making process through the eye of another artisit 

Enjoy!

Gavin's Birthday Cookie

Take it from little Gavin...just try my cookies and I dare you not to get hooked!! :)  

Gavin is friends with the little girl I made the Puppy Birthday Cookie for and was at her birthday party when he got to try my cookies. Soon after and way in advance of his actual birthday I received an email from his mom asking me if I could do a cars cookie for his Birthday party. Apparently, Gavin LOVES cookies and his mom loved the fact that she could find one big enough and decorated to match his Cars theme. 

I wanted to change up the design since this is my third Cars Cookie and the first two were so similar.  Since Gavin loves Lightning and Mater I decide to put those two characters front and center. I really liked the look of the road in the other cookies so I kept the idea but used it to create the 3 behind the characters. I wanted to fill the rest of the space with some racing related things like the flags and the checkered finish line. I added threes in any spot that I could, I've learned that even kids appreciate the little details especially when it comes to their new age.  

'Tow' Mater is a favorite of mine as well, but he is a new character for me to try and create. I knew he would be difficult due to his rusted coloring. No icing color would work so I would have to try a new technique. I knew I wanted to paint with a colored un-shimmering dust but up until now all I have been able to find was the powder with the luster in it. Until, that is, I looked just the week before and my store finally had the all the colors in!!! needless to say I stocked up!! Usually, I mix the powder with a vanilla extract to create a paint that I then apply over the icing, but to get the right look of an old rusted car with uneven rust patterns I decided to paint with a brown color dust right over the white icing. As soon as I did it i knew it was the right decision because it looked great!!! Just another trick to add to my book :) and another cookie to add to the portfolio. 

Update:

So from what I can tell from pics on facebook Gavin's birthday was the place to be for any 3 year old!!! His mom planned an incredibly fun looking party and it looks like the kids and Gavin had an absolute blast celebrating and of course eating all the yummy desserts! And this is why I love what I do, because it makes the people who I do it for so happy. An email from Gavin's mom:

Jennifer,
THE COOKIE WAS  FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not even believe it! Thank you so much!!!  Gavin loved it and all i heard all night was cookie?? thanks so much!!!

It was my pleasure :)

Welcome Home Cookie

Welcome Home Jeff

Every year my good friend's family holds a 4th of July gathering at their lake house where everyone comes and goes and has a great time hanging out and enjoying the company and the lake. 

This year was special because my friend's husband Jeff just returned from Kuwait. This cookie was a surprise for a celebration of his service and safe return home as well as a celebration of the 4th holiday. The image you see in the center is one that my friend knew that her husband would love to see from his time abroad. Jeff is a HUGE Kansas Jayhawks fan and in while in Kuwait he found a mural that had this image of an Army clad and fully armed Jayhawk. He fell in love, and I was commissioned to put it on a cookie for him which is exactly what I did. I have to admit I think the American flag, even with its colored sparkles, is a perfect backdrop for this Army Jayhawk and for a 4th of July weekend celebration cookie to welcome home a hero. 

July Fourth Weekend Bash Cookies

A BIG party requires a Big Cookie order :)

That's why when my dentist was getting ready for her BIG annual party, she contacted me with an order for 3 cookies for this one gathering alone.

Not much says 'Fourth of July' more than the American flag and fireworks so that's where I focused my designs. When it came to the flag, I didn't want to cover the entire cookie so I filled in all of the white areas of the waving stars and stripes and then simply outlined the red and blue colored areas. Once I added the red and blue colored sugar flakes the flag really took shape and made a bold statement while adding a little flare. The text is written in white over the white icing and outlined in a very thin blue so it seems as though the outline is all that is there. 

 

 Fireworks are trickier than you might think. I have tried to create fireworks on a cookie before for another 4th of July cookie some years ago. This attempt was surely an improvement, but still not what I had hoped for. I tried to create a fun combination of colors and sparkles that filled in the cookie and really burst with texture and detail and I succeeded in that, but for some reason they just will not come out the way I envision them. That is not to say that I don't like the way they turned out. It's just any designers curse that the final product will never come out as good as you see it in your mind. Well, there is always next year for a fireworks cookie that is as fantastic as I envision it, but this was as good an attempt as any and really did stand out at the party. 

 

Happy 4th Everyone.....

It's my favorite day of the year and a good day for the cookie business

The Peterson Co. Anniversary Cookie

It was very special to me to be able to make this cookie. 

The Peterson Company is my father's new company and just celebrated their 

1 year anniversary this Friday. Not only that,  but the company logo is one that I designed so it was great to be able to put one of my logo designs on a cookie that I designed as well. 

The title font is the very specific to the company and a key to it's branding so it was important to match.  At my father's request I also included two hard hats that don the Company logo to fill in the empty space. Since I designed the logo I was able to perfectly match the company colors which turned out really well with the cookie. A light sprinkling of silver sprinkles around the edge was all it took to finish this cookie for presentation at the office party. 

Starry Night Cookie

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A little while ago after I pointed out on here that I am able to almost paint with the icing someone commented on facebook saying that they could just see me doing (van Gogh's) Starry Night on a cookie...challenge accepted :)

The perfect opportunity arose when I was able to have a booth at a small art fair to benefit the Carmel Arts Council. Not only did I have pictures of some of my other cookies, but I was able to display this latest cookie and it looked great!


I'll just let the cookie speak for itself on this one!

Kelton's First Birthday Cookie

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My sister-in-law's nephew just turned one and to celebrate that special occasion his mom contacted me to make a cookie for the event. She told me that the theme was going to be giraffes and circles and sent me an image of his adorable bedding from which I got a lot of inspiration. I decided to use the patchwork design of the circles to create yet another circle containing a graphic of a giraffe that I found particularly cute. Because I wanted the focus to be on the design aspect here and the birthday boy can't read I used a smaller but more artful font to convey the birthday message. Together the simple giraffe and the simple lettering work well within the patchwork design of the circles. 

Nothing about this cookie is the biggest or most attention grabbing, but each simple element works well with the others creating a complete and coherent design with enough detail to keep it interesting and exciting. 

My favorite part has to be the border. The white is a great contrast to the middle graphic and the thin and random colored lines make it a lot of fun while being a clean ending to the cookie. 

The colors are one reason this cookie is successful. Thankfully! 

I have used this palette before and due to poor execution of the colors I felt  that the cookie as a whole suffered. I believe I remedied that with this cookie so that each color compliments the other and works well with the brown and the white.

mini cookie just for the birthday boy

   

Since traditionally there is a special little cake or slice of cake made for a 1 year old's birthday, and to capture that candid messy eater shot that parents love, I was asked to create a cookie for that purpose with maximum icing for the birthday boy to dig in to. 

As I was making this little 6 inch cookie, all I could think about was how good this little cookie looked covered in all that icing!!! Poor Kelton almost didn't get his cookie because everyone around my house including myself thought it looked so yummy :) We managed to restrain ourselves and the final design was just perfect for the little guy. One more patchwork circle with a big shimmery "1" all set against the white background with the giraffe spots all along the edge and there it is, a personalized cookie just for Kelton on his first birthday. 

Tie-Dye Cookie

 
This post will be more of a progression through the creation of this cookie, 
and what a progression it was!

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I have to say that I even surprised myself with how well this Tie-Dye cookie turned out! The order came in from a woman and her daughter who was graduating and wanted a tie-dye and peace sign cookie for her graduation party. That was it, no words, no reference to graduation, just the design. So, I thought that I would go all out and create a really bright, really fun tie-dye design that took up the whole cookie, then overlay some white and outlined peace signs to finish. Well, that was the plan and that's what ended up being the final product, but in between was a lot of work!! 

It started out simple enough with adding each color around the center and it was going quicker than I had thought it would, but the minute I moved outside of the compacted center area that's when the work started. That first picture probably took about an hour and half. From that point to finishing the tie-dye probably took another 6-7 hours... a couple of breaks included. 

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I LOVE the look of this cookie just the way it is here. The colors and design are just so much fun and it was such a learning experience to complete just this part of the cookie. I've never done anything like this so the approach I took was an experiment, and although it took sooo long to complete, the final product was amazing (apologies for boasting, but I loved this cookie :)

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Another hour or 2 and the cookie was done. Quite a feat! The outlined peace signs are filled in with sugar flakes to create some sparkle while allowing the tie-dye to show through. The solid peace signs are painted with ivory iridescent paint so that all the peace signs stand out and sparkle against the more matte background. The contrast worked really well and helped the peace signs stand up to the brightness of the tie-dye. Since the Tie-dye design didn't continue around and down the side of the cookie I put a simple white scallop around the edge to make it a clean look. 


Another good addition to this cookie was the colored sugar flakes around the edge. The picture does it little justice, but as the flake colors run together they continue the tie-dye theme. The effect was a pleasant surprise as I have never used the flakes on a border and usually use sprinkles. Just another addition to my repertoire :) 

George Strait Cookie

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My old boss, the one I had made the Harley Cookie for, came back for another order (much appreciated!). This time she knew exactly what she wanted on a cookie and it was just a matter of whether I could do it for her or not....

So she sent me along this picture of the birthday girl's favorite 

concert tour t-shirt and wanted me to recreate the logo on a cookie.

 

And I told her that OF COURSE I could do it!!!! 

I'm not one to back down from a challenge :)

In reality it was actually very easy for me to create this cookie. The bulk of  my work comes from my desire to make a perfect cookie every time I do one. That means when I get a design theme I obsess about the design and colors and composition until it's finished. With this cookie the design was right there and all it took was my ability with the icing to make it look as realistic as possible, and it turned out GREAT!! I loved the final product and outside of deciding were to put the 'Happy Birthday' and what to do to finish the border it was all laid out for me. I couldn't ask for much more!

I utilized some of the technique of adding more dimension that I had worked on in the last cookie, Maddie's Birthday Cookie, to make the scull look as realistic as possible and in person at least it was very effective and gave is so much added depth.

This cookie design only reiterated to me that somehow I do have a real talent for recreating something taken from a picture or a logo and being able to make it look surprisingly accurate! Some other examples include the Cancer-Free Tattoo Cookie (from a camera phone image of the tattoo), the Cars Cookies, and Mo's 30th Birthday Cookie (from an image of her dog) not to mention many of the other logos and designs seen on my cookies. No matter how many I do though, I never stop loving the feeling of completing a design and seeing how well I was able to achieve my latest goal or challenge. 

Keep 'em coming!!

Maddie's Birthday Cookie

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Be careful what you tell me about the cookie recipient because it's likely to end up on their cookie. Since I don't know a recipient and all I have to go off of is the orderer's info, that's what I do.  So when I got the order for Maddie's cookie and was told that she likes basketball, soccer, and tubing behind a boat, that's what ended up on there. Not that that's a bad thing of course! I really liked the way this turned out. 

When I was designing the cookie the first thing that came to mind was the fact that a part of all three things that she liked (the basket and soccer ball and the tube itself) were round and would fit together nicely spaced around the cookie and create a very interesting composition while the center would be a big bright 11 that I  make stand out as much as possible. After I had decided on all of that, I thought that filling the rest of the remaining space around each object with a theme appropriate background would really help bring everything together. A grass field for behind the soccer ball, a net for behind the basketball, and a wake made by the tube to show it in action. The finished product was successful though I had some doubts while executing it.

 I really liked the way the whole of the design works together though each individual object stands out on its own as well.  I will say it again, the picture never does the cookie justice, but I heard it a lot about this cookie, especially about the soccer ball, and I have to agree. The soccer ball was actually one of the best parts about this cookie, it had 3 dimensional shape for each of the hexagons as well as clear sprinkles and iridescent paint to highlight and create more depth. Though the average viewer doesn't recognize the tube at first from the picture, in real life with its dimension it has real character and Maddie knew exactly what it was from all her years of tubing on Geist Lake. 

Even with the center design all complete the whole cookie wasn't complete until I added the 'Happy Birthday Maddie' around the edge which made the whole thing a coherent circular design perfect for my circular cookie!

This cookie was not only fun but really let me work on some techniques to make my designs a bit more 3 dimensional and interesting. I think that aspect really helped this cookie and brought it to a new level. In the end it was fun to make and even more fun to look at....I guess for those lucky people at the party it was fun to eat too  :)

Caribbean 50th Birthday Cookie

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This is the third cookie in a series of 50th Birthday Cookies that I made for a group of old friends. Each name came with a list of interests and favorite things that I got to pick and choose from to make a complete cookie. 'Chief' enjoys hanging out on his pontoon boat every summer weekend and enjoys a good Miller Lite. His list also mentioned that he loves the Caribbean so I decided to transplant his favorite pastimes onto a Caribbean beach complete with palm trees and crashing waves. The pontoon is based off of his own black and tan boat but set in bright blue tropical waters instead of the Geist reservoir. Besides the detail already involved in the Miller Lite logo I also decided to make this particular bottle one of the new Vortex bottles. It was as simple as using some edible copper iridescent powder to create the look, but it made it something a little extra special. That's what I tried to do for each elements of this cookie, add something special to make it stand out and be a little more personal. 

Surprise Mother's Day Cookie

I wanted to do something special for my mom on mother's day. 
Even though I don't usually freely admit this, my mom actually frequently bakes these cookies while I'm at work so I can have enough time to decorate. Without her help I would probably skip sleep more often than I do now just to make sure these cookies get done on time and I couldn't be more thankful. I'm usually the one taking all the credit for the cookies, but when I can I let people know of my mom's contributions. One thing is for sure, she doesn't get enough appreciation for the cookies or for allowing me to make a mess of the kitchen and then even helping me clean afterward. 

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For all this, and just because we never get to actually eat these cookies much anymore, I decided to make one for my mom without her knowledge. That meant that I had to bake the cookie and clean up the kitchen without her knowing then move all my decorating stuff up into my room so as to keep the existence of the cookie quite and the mess involved out of her kitchen...an added bonus for her :) but ultimately pretty tricky to pull off.

My makeshift workspace...a bit cramped

I wanted to create a beautiful and elegant cookie for my mom, one that showed how much she means to me and how much I appreciate all that she does for us. Since I've been working on my flower making lately and they have been turning out pretty well I decided to keep up the practice and create a beautiful bouquet of my mom's favorite flowers. I chose to do a yellow rose (the flowers from her wedding) and orchid bouquet. Each flower is extremely detailed and something I spent a lot of time trying to perfect for my mom. I think that the white and plum colors of the orchids complimented the yellow extremely well and make the orchids pop while giving them a lot of depth. 


The bouquet itself is well balanced with the long tapering orchids creating a soft silhouette while the roses created a full bouquet all balanced out with some subtle baby's breath. I put the bouquet in a simple and modern glass vase that I think my mom would like if it were for a real bouquet then completed the cookie with some delicate detailing around the bottom half of the cookie. The title was easy enough to come up with, but it was the messages that I added around the vase that made it a bit more personal and special. And even though they are just extra writing they didn't detract from the central focus of the bouquet like I thought that they might, but rather the addition helped add to the composition and the personal feel that I wanted the cookie to have.

A traditional but elegant scalloped edge dotted with yellow stars topped with sugar pearls and finished with a contrasting green border completes the design and wraps up a cookie that I was very proud to present to my mom on mother's day. And, it was made even better because we both got to enjoy eating this cookie after putting so much time and effort into making all the cookies lately.

I already said it on the cookie, but I guess you can never say it too much.

I Love You Mug!

Happy Mother's Day

50th Birthday Cookies

A recent trip to the dentist office yielded more than just pearlier whites, I actually came away with an order for 3 different cookies, 2 of which were made for the same occasion just days later. My dentist is a friend of my sister-in-law and had seen the cancer-free tattoo cookie that I made for her sister, so after I showed her a couple of pictures of my other cookies she asked me to make these two cookies for her husband's friends who are both turning 50!

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What I was given to work off of was a list of some of the things each guy likes. 'Eddie's' list included ski boats, computers, absolute and orange juice, and photography. Since these things don't lend themselves to a very coherent scene of any kind, I tried to break up the list into each element and then incorporate everything else that was needed on the cookie like the name, the Happy Birthday, and the 50 into those elements which took some planning.

I started with the ski boat because I thought it would be a good anchor for all the other elements. But, what's a ski boat without pulling something on ski's? This something happens to be a 5 and a 0...I haven't attempted trying to put people on my cookies yet. To tie in the computers I created a browser page which contains the name and birthday wish not just in plain text but written in html code which I thought was a clever idea. I completed the rest of the cookie by filling in the space with a camera and his favorite drink. I believe this is the first attempt I have made at recreating clear glass and both the Absolut bottle and the glass with the orange juice turned out really well and very realistic. I think all the elements in this cookie, though varied, work well together to create a unique picture of the cookie recipient.

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For 'Chitter's cookie, the list included 'bass boats', 'bass fishing', and 'Budweiser'. This list was a bit easier to work with.  A lazy day spent fishing on the river with some cold drinks sounds like the perfect way to celebrate a birthday so I wanted to recreate that feel on the cookie. 

The bass is my favorite element. It's the next progression of my technique of painting with the icing. I was able to create texture and gradient as well as a lot of shade and shadow which gives the fish a lot of character and depth as well as the realistic look that I was going trying to achieve.

Since the bass turned out so well and I'm feeling more confident in my ability to do the whole painting with icing thing, for my next challenge I want to try and recreate a famous painting on a cookie. I'm not sure when I'll get the chance, but I've been thinking about it for sometime, and I think I'm ready to try. Who knows maybe the next cookie I post will look like a VanGogh!

Field of Tulips Cookie

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I'm such a nice sister... :)

My youngest brother just drove home from Colorado where he has been attending school at UC Boulder and before he even got home he already had an order for me that he was going to take to a friend that night for her birthday. With only a day's notice and work on my schedule for the next day I'm not quite sure why I agreed, but I think it might have something to do with how easily I am persuaded by this particular brother. None the less, the cookie was for a good friend of his who happens to love Tulips. 

I chose to focus on a few detailed tulips of different colors in the foreground that fade out to a full field of beautifully colored tulips. I kept the design very simple beyond that to keep the focus on the flowers. I do however think that the border goes very well with this design and its simplicity puts the focus back on the flowers while containing the scene. 

With the completion of this cookie I can add another flower to my portfolio which now includes tropical flowers, roses, daisies, gerbera daisies, and carnations.

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!