Traditional?? Bah Humbug!

A few weeks ago I was out looking around at Cost Plus World Market. I saw this really cool jumbo gingerbread man. I figured it would be fun to decorate for Christmas. Well Christmas came and went and there sat my naked little gingerbread man waiting to get spruced up.

 So I thought & thought and the ideas flooded my crazy lil brain with many ideas. I traced him out and then started doodling a cool idea with a Day of the Dead design. I personally have a love for skulls and bright colors. Day of the Dead designs pretty much resemble both that. Google Day of the Dead and you will see what I mean. It's so festive and pretty.

 

After getting what I wanted down on paper...I went to piping & flooding!

 

Having the colors already picked out and on paper made it SO much easier and faster! Oh...and I cannot forget to mention his cool pimpin gold tooth. That was a royal icing transfer. I made extra and attempted to wear one but it quickly disintegrated in my mouth HAHA!

 

The funny thing about this....this gingerbread man does NOT smell like the yummy spicy gingerbread cookie we are most associated with. It smells like a store bought cookie that you don't want to eat that resembles the texture of a thick sponge LOL. So what I have decided to do it let it dry out on a cooling rack then I am going to attempt to put a lacquer varnish on it with hopes to keep him around til next Christmas for a festive decoration. Wish me luck! :)

HO HO HOme for the Holidays

A group of cookiers got together and decided to do a 'Home For The Holidays' with this HUGE 5"x 9" cookie cutter....Christmas Village Collaboration: With everyone using the same cookie cutter create your take on a Christmas homefront (front facade only) In whatever dough floats your boat.

 My mind was going in a million directions with ideas. I surely did not ant to do the typical fancy Victorian house or the whimsical gingerbread house. Both ideas which I love but I had to be a little different. Going off the path somewhat lol. Summer and Tiki Hut popped into mind and the ideas went from there. Bamboo and straw with strands of Christmas lights, a small totem pole with a Santa Hat and Christmas isn't Christmas without Santa right? The totem pole and Santa are royal icing transfers. Just seemed the easiest way to do those. The straw was done with a Wilton tip #233. The bamboo technique was inspired by SweetSugarBelle. I also painted some brown food coloring on the bamboo to give it some depth. I must say Santa looks to be having a much better time in his Tiki Hut rather than freezing his big bum off at the North Pole! HAHA! 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 

And for some more fun. Here are the rest of the entries...

from top left and going clockwise:

Jill: Jill FCS

Laura: Laura's Cookies

Nadia: My Little Bakery

Anne: Flour Box Bakery

Andrea (me): Cupookie

Anita: Sweet Hope

Lorraine: Lorraine's Cookies

Georganne: Lilaloa

  

 

Deeeeeelicious Christmas Cookies!

This year I decided to not go the route and make all the time consuming tedious Christmas cookies that I wanted to send out to my family. I found some amazing recipes I have been wanting to try for some time and I thought now would be the time to try them. They all are so yummy and all have a unique taste. The Chocolate Mint Cookies are my absolute favorite and the Key Lime Shortbread cookies are my second favorite. So light and tart. Here are the recipes if you ever are in need of a delicious cookie!

Cinnamon Roll Cookies:
http://www.crunchyrock.com/2010/12/cinnamon-roll-cookies.html
 
Toasted Sesame Seed Honey Cookies:
http://www.sweethopecookies.com/toasted-sesame-seed-honey-roll-and-cut-cookies/

Chocolate Mint Cookies: I substituted the candy cane pieces for 1 1/2 cup of ground Andes chocolate mint baking chips.
http://www.sweethopecookies.com/christmas-peppermint-candy-roll-and-cut-cookies/

Key Lime Shortbread Cookies:
http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/1141/key-lime-shortbread-cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Cookie Cravings Cookbook

Gold Medal Winners!

Five friends who train together, laugh together, motivate one another. What better name can they call themselves other than the "Gold Medal Winners' I received some photos of the group and tried my best to make each one resemble each other. I must say it was a challenge at first but once I got into the groove I really am happy they way they came out. Also made some fun fit muscle buff bod cookies to go along with the medals.

  

 

Wahoooooo!!! Go Team!!!

THANKFUL

This past Thanksgiving I baked some cookies with the idea of spelling out the word 'THANKFUL' and make them out to be something related to Thanksgiving. Well Thanksgiving flew by and I didn't have time to do them. So I came up with an even better idea. Make each letter correspond to what I am thankful for. I really am happy how they turned out. Such fun cookies to make.

Here are the individual letters and what they mean to me...

 

T is for Technology. With today's technology I feel the possibilities are endless. Ive met so many great people over the internet and I am so thankful for them.

 

H is for Health. Probably the most important to me. It is important to me to take very good care of my health because I feel health and happiness go together! I am healthy and I am thankful for it.

 

A is for Animals. I have such a big heart for animals. I would do anything for them. I am thankful for all the most precious creatures in the world that make my life happy and enjoyable. ♥

 

N is for Nature. I love everything about the outdoors. Being outside is like a drug to me lol. I'm addicted to natures beauty and so thankful I can walk outside and see it everyday.

 

K is for Kindness. I'm thankful for the kind hearts out there in the world. Kindness rubs off on one another and it is truly a blessing to see it in action.

 

F is for Family. My family means the world to me. I am thankful that we are strong and close. Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who love you no matter what.

 

U is for USA. I am thankful to live in a country so free and beautiful. I love America!

 

L is for Laughter. I LOVE to laugh. Nothing is better than Laughing til your stomach hurts. Laughter is truly the best medicine and I am thankful I can voice my laugh whenever I want. HAHA!!

Be Thankful....

  XOXO

Homespun Christmas Tree Cookie Design

I'm sure some of you are familiar with Pam of CookieCrazie. She designed a new chrsitmas tree cutter that you can get over at KarensCookies. I got this cutter in my amazing bag of goodies from CookieCon the beginning of this month. It was so much fun & I got to meet so many wonderful cookie artist.

 Pam asked if many of us would decorate a cookie using her Homespun Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter she designed. I came up with a couple designs and here they are...

 

 

And a fancy schmancy group shot together. Just because sometimes things

look much better paired together than sitting there all by themselves....

 Guess this means it is time to get into the Christmas spirit. 

Let the fun begin :) 

You have to check out the others take on the Homespun Christmas Tree Cutter. 

Pretty AMAZING I say so myself.

Pam – CookieCrazie

 1 Ali – Ali Bee’s Bake Shop

2 CeCe – Tactical Baker

3 Laurie – Cookie Bliss

4 Andrea – Cupookie

5 Christine – Sugar Cravings

6 Heather – Sugar Nosh Treats

7 Lorraine – Lorraine’s Cookies

8 Penny – Grammie’s Cookies N Goodies

9 Nancy – Seasons of Joy

10 Kim – The Partiologist

11 Maryann – Cookie Artisan

12 Jen – Posh Pastries

13 Jennifer – Cookie Cutter Creations

14 Tricia – The Cookie Loft Girls

15 Elizabeth – Lizy B Bakes

16 Stephanie – Ice My Biscuit

17 Melissa – The Baked Equation

18 Liz – Arty McGoo