 Back in 2013, I had a request for baby diaper cookies. I didn't have a diaper cutter, so I hand cut every single diaper cookie for that set. I was very early in my "cookie career", and didn't watermark my cookie pictures at that point. My friend, a contributor to Babycenter.com, wrote an article about my small cookie enterprise and included a picture of those diaper cookies. Although the article is no longer available, the photograph of those diaper cookies was pinned on Pinterest and has been re-pinned many times! You might recognize it from your own search!
 Have you ever been stuck with something? Being stuck with the dishes after a big family meal. Being stuck with walking the dog when it's pouring rain. Maybe it's a literal stuck, like insisting on grabbing a live cactus at Lowe's even though your parents warned you not to touch it (ahem... youngest Clough child).
 It's amazing how the human mind works, and how certain smells can immediately transport you to a time and place of your past. The scent created by lily of the valley flowers is one of those hooks for me. It used to grow in the shade below my parent's bedroom room in the house where I grew up. Whenever I smell (or even see) lily of the valley flowers, I can picture them below that window. I'm transported back in time. These lily of the valley cookies are simple to make, and they're perfect for spring cookie collections for Easter or Mother's Day.
 One of my tricks in creating new, cartoony designs is to exaggerate one or more qualities of the character. Big nose, little eyes, tiny body, big head- all of these characteristics can make your design cute and whimsy. Plus, it takes away some of the pressure to make proportions just right. You might just recognize the cutter I used to make this little chick! It's the round potted cactus from Sweet Sugarbelle! It makes the perfect fat chick in a little nest. Maybe they live down by the river? Sorry- I saw a Chris Farley clip the other day 😂.
 First, let me get this clear- I AM NOT ALTERING MY CUTTERS IN THIS POST. NO CUTTERS HAVE BEEN HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THESE COOKIES :) Of course I've been known to stretch/alter a cutter now and again, but this post takes a different spin on making your cutters work for you. A little back story, if you will...
 Cookiers have been using cupcake and ice cream cone cookie cutters since the dawn of royal icing to make all sorts of hat-wearing characters, from snowmen to scarecrows. I certainly do not take credit for the "leprechaun from an ice cream cone" concept, but I wanted to share with you MY version of this popular idea using a new favorite ice cream cone cutter from Sweet Sugarbelle!
 My family tries to go camping in early spring, before the 'ordinary' trees, like maples and oaks, become full-leafed. There's just something about the glowing white or pink of a blossoming dogwood tree amidst the wakening hardwood trees. Along with daffodil flowers, dogwood blossoms are a sure sign that spring is here!
This tutorial is great for those cookie people are are new to painting on cookies (or who are shy and not-so-confident like me)! It's hopefully a *hard to mess up* kind of thing!
 FODDER SHOCK. What an unusual word!
Doesn't it sound like an expletive in another language? Just imagine the following scenarios: 1. Mumbling "oh fodder shock" as you're walking through magic doors at Target because you realized that the lengthy grocery list is still on the fridge at home. 2. In a moment of pain, you exclaim "OUCH! FODDER SHOCK!" after you stubbed your toe on the dining room chair leg. 3. You exclaim "FODDERRRR SHOCKKKK" as a full carton of eggs slips out of your hands and crashes to the floor.  Royal icing transfers are a great way to use up extra icing, and can be stored indefinitely for future use. I like having these mini ruffled ribbon roses on hand because they can be quickly added to a cookie, speeding up the decorating process. And they're pretty, too! I used a PME 56R for these tiny blossoms. They can be made with a bigger tip, but keep in mind that a bigger tip makes them not only wider but taller, too.
 I have a confession. I've never actually been to a tropical beach. Sure, I've been to the beach- I live a little over an hour away from the Atlantic Ocean. The thought of visiting a real tropical beach- like in the Caribbean- is really, really appealing. Hot sun, a cool fruity drink, soothing sound of the waves. But then the reality sets in. I get sunburned in about 2 seconds, flat. I don't actually swim in the ocean- I'm more of a stand-in-the-surf, let's-go-find-seashells kind of girl.
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AuthorI'm Amy. Wife, Mom, former science teacher- and now full time cookie baker on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Pull up a chair and we'll create! I'll bring the coffee- maybe Mike (The Cookie Widower) will make it for us. Categories
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