Remember the Alamo!... Cookies

This past week was a big one for Texas!  First, Texas celebrated its 178th birthday on March 2nd!  Then, the historic Battle of the Alamo ended on March 6th.  This had me feeling very Texan-proud and I thought it was the perfect time to share these Texas cookies I made back in the fall.  

My mother-in-law had some friends visiting from New Zealand and she wanted to give them some Texas themed cookies to welcome them in their first visit to our Lone Star state.  She didn't give me any parameters on the cookies and said to just make them something special that would represent Texas well.

I know to outsiders, Texas is a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls, so I had to include some boots.  Rather than make them traditional boots, I thought putting a paisley print on them would make a cute touch.  I knew I had to include a Texas cookie and chose to use the Texas flag design.  Finally, since they were visiting San Antonio, I wanted to include our most iconic landmark: the Alamo.  To make add a little more Texas culture to the cookies, I decided it would be the Alamo in the spring and added bluebonnets to the base of the building.

The texture on the Alamo was a happy mistake.  One of the Alamo cookies cracked down the middle and I had to perform "cookie surgery" and use icing to piece it back together.  This worked, but then there was a very visible seam down the center of the cookie.  My husband Kevin suggested adding another layer of thin icing on top to hid it.  In the process, I used a spatula to place on icing and scrap it off and I loved the effect.

"Texas, our Texas, all hail the mighty state!"

Merry Christmas!: Christmas Present Cookies

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Christmas is by far my favorite holiday and, in my humble opinion, the most wonderful time of the year.  I made these Christmas gift cookies as a birthday gift for a very special lady turning 92.

 

 

I used "wet-on-wet" technique for all of the gift cookies, and the holly present ended up being my favorite.

 Enjoy the time with your friends and family this Christmas!

Housewarming Cookies

I am a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason."  When we officially decided to move to San Antonio, we were given two realtors' names by Kevin's work.  After talking to Melanie on the phone, I immediately knew she was the right choice.  Fast forward to us living here almost two years, and I am so blessed that she is still a part of my life now as a friend. 

 

Melanie continues to work as a thriving realtor (she seriously is the best realtor so if you are in SA and need someone, definitely check her out!), and she wanted to give cookies to one of her clients after they purchased a lot to build their dream home.  Melanie had the idea for the "Coming Soon" cookies and then I just threw in some pattern cookies to complement the houses.  Melanie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much, Melanie, not only for the order, but for being such a bright spot in our relocation to San Antonio!

Baby Shower Cookies: Gold Nest and Herringbone Cookies

If I told you to guess who ordered the following cookies, who would you say?  If you guessed my wonderful friend Kim, you're right!  If you're new to the blog, this is Kim's third time to order.  You can see the previous cookies she ordered here and here.

She hosted a baby shower this past weekend and wanted me to make cookies to coordinate with the shower invitations.  I decided to use this opportunity to try out a new technique: rubber stamping.  It definitely took some trial and error, but I finally perfected it and love the chic, vintage feel of the nest cookies.  

To coordinate, Kim asked for a herringbone pattern.  I scoured the internet and the only herringbone cookies I found were these pretty ones by Haniela's.  While I loved the cookies she did, I wanted to create something that looked more like a true herringbone textile.  I decided to go with a wet-on-wet technique to get the feel I wanted.

Also, lucky for me, Lila Loa is hosting another one of her monthly challenges and this month is "Add Something Extra."  I used luster dust to create the gold color for the nest and border.

Thank you again, Kim, for being not only one of my most loyal and supportive customers, but also friend!

Happy Birthday, Krista - Part Two: Brush Embroidery & Chevron

I know you must have been so anxious to see part two of Krista's birthday cookies!  Well, have no fear, you can see them below.  (Intended to be read with sarcasm for those of you who don't know me too well, and if you thought that was sincere because it applied to you, then ignore the part about sarcasm and hooray!)

As I already told you in Part One of this cookie set, Krista gave me complete artistic freedom to do absolutely whatever I wanted.  When I was thinking about what to do, I knew I wanted something elegant and classy, because I wanted the cookies to give off the same sophisticated vibe that Krista has.  Don't get me wrong, Krista isn't a stiff and no fun, she just is always so put together and lovely.  I decided to go with a trendy, yet classic print, chevron, and then push myself to try a new technique, brush embroidery.

I'm pretty in love with the brush embroidery and am thrilled with how it turned out.  I cannot wait to use this technique again soon.

Again, the beautiful, artistic shots below are by the birthday girl herself.  If you haven't already, you should go like her Facebook page for her event planning business, Event Identity!

 

She also did these gorgeous shots of the whole set.

Krista, you are such a beautiful person, inside and out.  It was such a pleasure and honor to make cookies for your special day.  I LOVE you!

Bachelorette Cookies: Krystal's Last Rodeo - Part One

I am so happy to announce that I have another returning customer!  You may remember Jessica from the Winnie the Pooh cookies she ordered for her niece's birthday.  Jessica's best friend Krystal is getting married and Jessica wanted to throw her the best bachelorette weekend ever!  I was excited that she wanted to use my cookies in the celebration!

 

Krystal is a Texas girl through-and-through and Jessica wanted to highlight that in the cookies.  The theme for the weekend was "Krystal's Last Rodeo," so she send me some ideas for inspiration and then trusted me to run with it. We went with three different patterns and used them on Texas shaped cookies and squares.

 

 

Congratulations, Krystal, and thank you so much, Jessica, for being such a loyal customer and friend!  Stayed tuned for Part Two of the cookies!

Baby Shower Cookies: Farm Theme Cookies

Before this new adventure into cookiedom (yes, I just made up a word), I was a high school teacher at a private school down in Houston.  I had wonderful colleagues, and one of those was Rachel.  She recently received the wonderful blessing of being an aunt and wanted to get cookies for her family to celebrate the special occasion. 

 

Her nephew's nursery is a farm theme, so she originally sent me an idea of farm animals with a farmer and barn.  The cookies were adorable, but for some reason the idea of doing traditional baby cookies but with a farm theme twist hit me.  I immediately sketched out the onesies with overalls since I just had practice making overalls with my If You Give a Mouse a Cookie mouse cookies, and I thought it looked pretty darn cute.  Then, the cow print on rattles and bibs just came naturally.

 

 

 

Congratulations on your new nephew, Rachel!  Being an aunt is the best!

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month and I wanted to make some cookies to help raise awareness.  From the Autism Society website:

"In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, the Autism Society has been celebrating National Autism Awareness Month since the 1970's.  The United States recognizes April as a special opportunity for everyone to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community."

The most recognized symbol for Autism is the puzzle ribbon, and that's where I found my inspiration for these cookies. That and, since I'm new at this, the help from the ever so talented Sweet Sugarbelle.

 

Visit the Autism Society website, to see how you can help raise awareness and make a difference this month!

Easter Egg Cookies

I'm not crazy about hard-boiled eggs.  Love dying them and decorating them for Easter, but eating them afterwards? No thanks.  My mom usually makes deviled eggs out of them, but that just takes something I'm not fond of, hard-boiled eggs, and adding two things to it that I hate, mayonnaise and mustard.  Because of this, I found it necessary to create some Easter eggs that I would actually enjoy eating! 

It was also the perfect opportunity to test out a new chocolate cut-out cookie recipe.  I fortunately unfortunately messed one up, so I was able to try it and it passed with flying colors.  My official taste testers, AKA my family, will let me know what they think tomorrow.  Although, my dad willingly ate my Easy Bake oven concoctions when I was a little girl, so I think it is safe to say he doesn't have the most discerning palate when it comes to sweets. :)

 

The whole collection

That grubby little hand belongs to my sweet son, James.  Making and photographing cookies with a 13-month old around is not the easiest task.  He is like a vulture!

I think it is safe to say I will enjoy eating these Easter eggs significantly more than the deviled eggs that will come from our dyed ones- sorry, Mom!