Sugarbelle's Flower Pot Cookies

I absoolutely adore Sugarbelle. She has talent, enthusiasm, and is very creative! So, when I saw her flowerpot creation this past May, I just had to try it out.
The best thing about her creations, is that they are all very unique. I love that at any given time, going to visit her site, you'll find something quite inspiring, with great colour and beauty.

I realize my little flower pots are nothing like hers, but I think given my intention (to give away) and my love of decorating, I am quite happy with the result.

These "May" flowers are super easy to make. Actually, I didn't do a tutorial on them because Sugarbelle already did, but you simply stack round cookies and stick a cookie-on-a-stick in the middle. For my creation, I used cookie-crumbs for dirt.

(Mandatory Top View)

Well, my camping trip this year got cancelled. CRY! But that means I have more time to get cookies done. I have about 3 unposted things to go up... if only I weren't lazy. The truth is, getting the house done is a lot of work. I've not said much about it recently because there's been little to talk about. A lot of decisions, but no real work has gone up. I guess my contractor is a little behind already! That's okay... it gives us more time to pick out fixtures and colours.

Ah well... I'm off to go swimming again (gone every day this week)

Splish, Splosh!

Princess and Pirate Party

I hope everyone had a great little vacation. I know I did! I think it's been a week since I did any baking! I did do a lot of cooking, making Red-Pepper Squash soup, and Cinnamon Buns. Last week, I made cookies for a very special little girl named Piper. For her special birthday, she decided she wanted to be a princess, but the problem is that she is quite the tom-boy, and had a lot of boys (who are friends) attending. What to do? Well, as inspired by many Party Moms out there, her mom decided that the best way to approach the problem would be to amalgamate the boyish and girlish into one great party! Princess-Pirate Party ahoy!


On a whim, she had asked me if I would be willing to make some cookies-on-a-stick for the party bags. How could I say no, especially when she and her husband have been so kind as to invite me to watch UFC - Ultimate Fighter Championships - at their house on various occasions. (Yes, I actually got a taste of MMA - mixed martial arts - and have become a fan. It's like a dirty secret!)

The colours of the crowns are exactly similar to the party invites she had - safe for the heart being at the bottom rather than the middle. If you'll remember my last crown post, you'll remember that these cookies (the crowns at least) were made using a cottage cut out and I just sliced and diced to get the right shape. I like the unique shape, and owning one less cookie cutter is always a bonus in my home!


Now, wrap these babies up in a little cello and they are good as gold! A sweet and cheery way to enjoy a party's end.

Now, I have to go laugh my buns off while Tony Horton helps me to work out. For anyone who has ever done the P90X or the 10-Minute Solutions videos, you'll know what I mean. Lets just say, he was not that great of a comedian, but he's pretty.

Until Next Time!

Batty Batty Batty Bat!

Halloween Time again! Happy Halloween all!

As a kid, I remember going to my neighbor's house to get a special treat on Halloween night. Henry would pack us a few goodies, a spooky plastic ring, and a small token he made. We (my siblings and I) would look forward to our little treat, tearing open the bag as soon as we got home. I think I pass that tradition on even now, as I make small treats for my neighbors' children. This year, I made special cookies: Bats on-a-stick.


Now, I remember a time when Home-made gifts and treats given at Halloween was a-okay! I used to get candy apples and cookies from the people on my block... then came the apple with the razor blade... then the stories of poisonings, and soon enough, treats were packaged, and rules about not eating anything open were standard fare. Sad though - cookies were better than a bag of chips or a candy bar (or even a BB Bat! - do they even make those anymore?).

With a simple bat cutter, I decided to play with some designs, looking for the cookie decoration that I liked best. Here's what I came up with:

This one is my favorite of all - Sprinkle, the Bat!

Batty, the bat has a big smile for all!

While my hubbie is happy to have cookies, he didn't feel the need to have sticks - these Swirly bats are for his consumption - He really liked their wings. This design was his favorite!

Now, the How-To part... People have a lot of questions about making cookies on a stick, and it's fairly easy, all you need is dough, cutters, and some sticks (I get Wilton long sucker sticks).

Steps to make Cookies on-a-Stick

Step 1 is to roll out he dough thick, then to cut out a shape. I cut each piece about 1 inch thick. You will need enough room to bury the stick in the center.

Step 2: Taking the stick between your fingers, poke the stick into the middle of the dough and twist/roll the stick between the fingers are you slowly push it in. Make sure you don't go all the way though. I find it helpful to put my hand on top of the cookie as I do this to feel where the stick is and to make sure the cookie does not bulge.

Step 3: Slowly and carefully place the cookie on the baking sheet. Make sure there is enough room for the stick to lay flat. The way it bends is the way it will set. As always, Thicker cookies will take longer to bake, so make sure it is cooked all the way though.

Decorate and enjoy. Icing that dries hard (like Royal Icing), are best because they add extra stability to the cookie thus supporting it.

NOW MY FAVORITE PART!
COSTUMES!

My question to you is what were/are you dressing up as this year?

Me?

Well, I'm stupidly fond of zombies. Maybe it is because I'm actually afraid of them. That's right, Zombie movies freak me out! Hubbie and I like to joke around this time of the year about the houses that would be zombie proof should there actually be a zombie apocalypse. I think we take the zombie thing too far sometimes (or at least my mother-in-law thinks so ♥)

My costume this year: Zombie made out of an $8 dollar kit from K-Mart, some ripped cloths and a lot of shuffle.

I actually shuffled around the school all day (not walking - it hurt my back but it was worth it). I moaned, grunted, and actually made some of the kids scream (HIGH SCHOOL - not grade school). It was amazing! I totally had a blast. By the end of the day my hair was jammed into the makeup, I had skin bits in my necklace, and my leg was sore from draggingg it behind all day. The makeup took forever to get off, but I got a lot of compliments. Very Spooky!

Hope you all have a scary, happy and safe Halloween!

Lord of the Flies

Today was the last day of school for high school kids here in Fort. So, my class went out with a bang! I had treats all around. The first, for my Grade 10 English class - who has just completed the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding; I made Pigs head-cookies-on-a-Stick.

Some of the pigs had facial blood, but most just had the little bit at the bottom of the stick. I didn't want to freak the kids out. Strangely enough, the kids actually preferred more blood... I should have seen that coming!

Needless to say, they were a big hit. Who doesn't like cookies? As we munched on the LotF, we watched the movie - the 1960s version is so much better than that made in the 90s. Here's some of my fearless kids now, facing the beast...

Liz, Kimika, and Nathan! Thanks guys for helping me get something more than a cookie shot! Oh, the action! As for what I did for my other classes? Well, I'll be posing that soon!

Until then!

Blooming by the window

I love flowers. Living in an apartment does not give you much room to grow big plants, so I keep happy with a, rather large now, Pothos, an Ivy, and a polka-dot plant (in PINK♥). One might even go as far as to say I do have a green thumb. When I lived with my parents, I redid their entire front yard, fixed the thatch on their lawn, and cleaned up and re-planted their garden. It looked amazing. So, now I've taken a fancy to the colours in my house. Enter my newest cookie creation:


This little pot I did right before mother's day. It was supposed to be a surprise, so I didn't post it up right away. I chose to do it in the favorite colours: Pink, Purple, and Yellow. My mom went nuts! She took some of the cookies with her to the park, and accidentally broke them in her purse. It turned out all right though, Abby, my niece, got to eat some cookie pieces; she was pleased!



So, on the sill they sit with... my oops I forgot ... spider plant. I don't think these cookies need any sun though.

Until next time!

Blooming again

It was such a wonderful day her in the North-West. We finally got some decent temperatures! In truth, though, we really need rain for the flowers to bloom!

But I digress from what I really want to show you!


When I did the VALA event, Kim, one of the event coordinators, went nuts over the Tulip Cookies I made. She LOVES all things tulips, especially those Blue and Yellow tulips. Her request: A bouquet of Tulip cookies for her daughter (who recently won a Skating competition! YAY! Congratulations)


In the end, I placed one dozen of these cookies into a pot, added bows, and sent them off (they looked a lot nicer than this picture makes them out to be. I shifted them so you could see the green bows). I am in LOVE with Cookies-on-a-Stick. It brings me back to the State Fair days, when you could get Key-Lime-Pie-on-a-Stick ♥.


I took a few pictures of me holding the cookies (which did not have a background because I was afraid that they would be too heavy, and fall off of the stick.) I think they turned out well!

Me being silly. (My Hubbie is holding the camera!)

Next up, Wedding cookies for Liz and Jeff, and some Lady Bugs (which seem to be popular at this time!)