CookieCrazie Chatter...... Friday, December 13, 2013

It's back!
Cookie Con 2014 is coming soon.
You don't want to miss this....

I'd LOVE to see you there!

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CookieCrazie will be at Cookie'sCool in Genoa, Italy May 1-3, 2014

To check out the information:
Cookie'sCool Website
Cookie'sCool Facebook page

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CookieCrazie's Week in Review

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Personal Side

Still sick.....but much closer to being well.
Sadly my voice is still very weak.....and our Christmas musical is Sunday.
I still don't have any of the upper range of my voice,
so it will be a "partial singing" for me. ;)

I got all those cookies for the order done this week.
I started a new set that I affectionately call "rectangle buddies".
I guess the name gives away the cookie shape. haha
I can't wait to share all the buddies with you. :)

Christmas is now less than two weeks away.
I'm fairly ready.
Next week I'll tie all the loose ends up.
Then the whirlwind starts.
Travel......
Work the holiday at the hospital......
and then finally, the weekend after....my family will be together to celebrate. :)

I'm off to photograph a boatload of cookies......

Instagram photos for this week:

I attempted to take a photo to show how cool the "glass" effect worked out. :)

Happy little guys this frosty morning. :)

Lots of fun with numbers....
New Years Cookies are the hardest to fit in.
There's only a week between the busiest time of year
(after which you're exhausted) and the new year.
Here's an early start for my blog. :)

 Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow......

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Last CookieCrazie Chatter....

CookieCrazie Chatter...... December 6, 2013

CookieCrazie Chatter...... Friday, December 6, 2013

It's back!
Cookie Con 2014 is coming soon.
You don't want to miss this....

I'd LOVE to see you there!

_____________________________

CookieCrazie will be at Cookie'sCool in Genoa, Italy May 1-3, 2014

To check out the information:
Cookie'sCool Website
Cookie'sCool Facebook page

_________________________________________________________

CookieCrazie's Week in Review

_________________________________________________

Personal Side

Winter sickness......it stinks!
I've been sick with an upper respiratory infection for more than a week.
Sadly.....it's been all through the Thanksgiving holiday and beyond.
I want my normal energy and body strength back!
Even cookie decorating is hard when you just don't feel strong. : /

Thankfully I'm slowly getting better.
And some how.....the cookies got done this week. :)

I  haveworked on winter and New Year cookies the last few days.
Once again.....I'm trying to get ahead with all the busyness of the holidays.

Next week I have a big Christmas cookie order to fulfill.
I've saved up a bunch of fun ideas to use for that order.
It's one of those clients that let's you use original creativity.
LOVE those kind.

We're supposed to get a tiny bit of snow today.
THIS puts a smile on my face. =)

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season.

Instagram photos for this week:

I'm anxious to show lots of Christmas cookies....

Happy First Monday of December!

Yesterday was a good day.....the effect I was going for worked.
Don't you love those kind of days?

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Last CookieCrazie Chatter....

CookieCrazie Chatter...... November 29, 2013

Christmas Tree Cookie Platter (Tutorial)

In previous posts.....we've been preparing to create a Christmas tree cookie platter
by making ornaments and stringed lights.

It's time to make the tree trunk and tree branches.

Use a long rectangle to make the tree branches.
I used a 5" by 2" rectangle I ordered from Ecrandal,
but you could use a different rectangle or even hand cut these cookies.
Since they're the trunk of the tree.....they certainly don't have to be exact.

Measure your platter to know how many trunk cookies you'll need.
My platter accommodated three trunk cookies.

Outline and flood the rectangles with brown 10-second glaze.
Immediately add wood grain lines using a lighter tan glaze and the wet-on-wet technique.

For the branches, use Christmas tree cutters.

You'll need longer branches on the bottom layer and shorter branches for the middle layer.

I used this cutter (5" x 3-1/2") and this cutter (3 1/8" x 2").

Add wood branch lines on the cookies with brown 10-second glaze.

After they have dried for at least 30 minutes, add the green tree needles all over the branches.

This is the most time consuming part......but well worth the outcome.

Allow the cookies to dry overnight.

Gather your ornament cookies and stringed-lights cookies with the trunk and branch cookies......

and assemble the platter.

Line up the trunk cookies down the middle of the platter.

Next layer the branch cookies.....larger ones on bottom.....along the trunk.

Arrange the stringed lights, ornaments and star topper as desired.

Enjoy a wonderful Christmas season.....filled with lots of

gorgeous sights......

enticing smells......

yummy tastes.....

and

beautiful sounds......

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas Tree Cookie Platter

Christmas Ornament Cookies (Tutorial)
String-a-Long Christmas Cookie Light Bulbs (Tutorial) 
Christmas Tree Cookie Platter (Tutorial)

Christmas Ornament Cookies (Tutorial)

In preparation for making a Christmas tree cookie platter,
I need to make cookie ornaments to "place on the tree".

I happen to choose two fairly "classic" ornament shapes, a snowflake, and a star......
but there is unlimited possibilities of ornament cookies you could create.

For the snowflake, outline and flood it with white 10-second glaze and allow to dry overnight.

Once it is completely dry, add any detailing in white glaze on the flake.....

and then cover it in white sanding sugar or white sugar crystals and shake off the excess.

(I used white sugar crystals on these snowflakes.)

For the gold "fancy ornaments",
use the bottom portion of a much larger ornament cutter to make smaller cookies.
Here's the cutter used.
Outline and flood with gold 10-second glaze and dry overnight.

Using a mixture of almond extract and super gold petal dust,

paint on a beautiful gold sheen.

For the classic round ornament, no need for a specific cutter.
Just cut a round cookie and make the glaze circle a bit smaller to
make room for the golden ring at the top.

Outline and flood the circle in your color of choice and
immediately cover in a coordinating sanding sugar color.

After it has dried about an hour, add the gold rim at the top (see photo below).

Allow the cookie to dry overnight.

As with the fancy gold ornament, paint gold pearl dust onto the gold rim of the ornament.

For the star topper, use a cutter like this one.
Make a mixture of sanding sugars (white and gold) and gold crystals.

Outline and flood the star with gold 10-second glaze,

and then cover in the mixture mentioned above.

Shake off the excess.

Even though this is a rather dull set of cookies at the moment......

soon you will be seeing them in a much more beautiful setting. :)

Christmas Tree Cookie Platter

Christmas Ornament Cookies (Tutorial)
String-a-Long Christmas Cookie Light Bulbs (Tutorial) 
Christmas Tree Cookie Platter (Tutorial)

Christmas Cookies! ahhh.....at last

It was a relief of sorts to get my first Christmas cookies of the season done last week. I'd been longing to make some.....and once they came together, it just made me so happy. :)

Here's my first Christmas collection of this year.

Shew.....now I can relax. lol