Marauder's Map

One day I had a little extra dough, some random icing and decided to recreate the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter. I did two but this one is by far the best one. it is freehand drawn on dry icing that I watercolor painted with food colors.

Paint Your Own Cookie

I wanted to try paint your own cookies. This is what I came up with.

Marilyn Birmingham of Montreal Confections came up with a paint your own cookie concept and it has really taken off. I got this stencil from Cookie Countess and then created the crayon palate to go with it. I did make a cookie cutter to mimic the shape of the stencil. I got the cookie box at Hobby Lobby and the tiny paint brush is from Michaels in the model car section. They make a nice little kit for a back to school kid.

I made a small label to seal it shut and put an instruction label on the back.

Star Wars, Gold, Kylo Ren and a Three year old...

This little beauty turned 3 on the 3rd of June. Golden birthday. She wanted this cake. Gold with Kylo Ren on it and P.O.P.P.Y. (she spelled it out for me)

I thought Kylo Ren could at least hold a candle for her!

She loved it. Actually so did her dad...

Monogram Barn Wedding Cookies

Clear back last winter my friend asked me if I would help with her son's rehearsal dinner and the desserts. I said I could do that. Of course I had no way of knowing that we would lose Letti and life would cease to be as it was, but I wanted to hold to that promise. The wedding was being held in a barn and  I wanted to make the cookies rustic and simple so I rough frosted them to hopefully look like peeling paint then used a plastic tool to cut lines into the semi dry icing.

Then I dotted on my nails,

made the lettering look like branches,

added a few leaves around, 

piped on a pink blob for a flower,

put little yellow dots on for small flowers, and piped a swirl onto the pink flower to look like a rose of sorts. 

Josh and Victoria loved them and that is all that mattered in this case. 

Retirement Cake Travel Theme

Bryan's AA was retiring and thankfully I had the cake done before Letti was born or it never would have gotten done.

This cake isn't perfect by any means but it is all done with buttercream. No fondant. I wanted to try making decorations from very stiff buttercream. It worked fairly well.

The lace is Sugarveil lace. I really like it but I need to practice with it as I seem to have trouble getting it to dry correctly and not get brittle.

Ultimately, a cake is going to be eaten and should taste really good and I am told this one did taste great. 

Jaguars for a Prince and his Queen and Princess...

Our friend Prince left the Giants for the Jacksonville Jaguars and when they came to dinner in April I made him some cookies to celebrate his new job. Best of luck, Prince!!

Of course I needed a picture of his beautiful wife, Pilar

And their darling little girl Paisley. 

Always so good to see them.

Before I continue...

As my last post April 2 was about our expected granddaughter I feel like I need to just fill in some details. On her birthdate (April 23) Letti Marie entered the world already in the arms of Jesus due to a placental abruption the day before. Our hearts were and are broken and grieved. She is missed everyday and although we know we will meet her in Heaven someday it is a painful path that we still have to walk. She was perfect and beautiful and we have no answers for all our questions but we know God grieves with us and is in control. 

I made cookies for her memorial service shaped like pink balloons because we released balloons in honor of her. Lots of people did. If you search #lettisrainbow you will see all the pictures of people around the country and the world releasing balloons to honor Letti and her parents, Bobbi and Travis.

This picture of Hudson with his cookies paints a thousand words.

There was a spectacular rainbow the next day and we all called it Letti's Rainbow. I needed to make a thank you so I made these cupcakes for that.

Life keeps moving on and some days it is like climbing uphill with a heavy pack but we keep putting one foot in front of the other and holding on to Jesus. "Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me..." Psalm 23