It's not just a bell cutter...

I've had this bell cutter for many years now. And guess what? I've never made a bell cookie with it until this year! But don't let that fool you- it's one of my ABSOULTE FAVORITE CUTTERS. I'm not lying. It's one of those cutters that never finds it's way back into my "Christmas" cutter bin because I always come back to it over and over again. And if I put it in my Christmas bin, I would have to get on a step stool to get it all the time. And that's too much work. And chances are, something would fall on me as I tried to bring down my Christmas bin box. So for safety's sake, I keep it out. Always.

I find cutters all over the place in store and online, but this treasured bell shape can only be found in ONE location during the Christmas season: DOLLAR TREE. It will come in a bundle like this:

Here are the other cutters in the bundle. The other cutters are nothing to write home about, in my opinion. But that bell! Swoon.

You might be wondering why this shape is my favorite? Let me show you!
Note: For all of these designs, the cookie cutout is left as-is, or I trimmed the small hanger part prior to baking.

This bell is my go-to for heads and faces- especially if the person is wearing a HAT, like these heroes in uniform:

Or maybe some friends at Thanksgiving:

Corn in the summer, or the fall:

Backbones for a chiropractor, or pirates for a swashbuckling party:

A worm on a fishing hook for an angler cookie set.

And, of course, the intended use of the cutter:
​A BELL!

Moral of the story?
Look outside the BELL when designing your cookies!