Spain/Spain's Flag Cookies

Bryan and I are going to Spain with a group of 30 people in June. We are going to work at Springs of Life Camp in Malaga, Spain. I am excited. The Missions Committee is having a bake sale on April 6 to help raise money for that trip. I decided to make some cookies in the shape of Spain, decorated like the flag of Spain. As usual I drew out the design and then realized I had no cookie cutter that would work for the shape so I got out my trusty cookie cutter metal and created one around the drawing I had done. Always fun and always worth the work! 

Very happy with the result. Next I mixed up some icing with color flow powder instead of meriingue powder because when I make a "candy" decoration to place on a cookie it just works much better. I colored my black outline piping and piped all the black lines in the little emblem that goes in the yellow part of the flag. Then I made flood consistency out of red, yellow and light blue and filled in all the parts.

Also a tiny bit of pink since Spain has this cute little pink dragon/lion looking thing on the light blue square.

After the black was dry (I really didn't need to wait but I ran out of time the night before) I piped in the colors and designs. 

I wasn't super concerned about having each little detail perfect. I just wanted to give the general idea. 

But I actually think they will look amazing on the cookies. They measure about 1&3/4 inches square. Amazingly enough, once dry they are very sturdy and able to be picked up easily. I just love making decorations ahead that make the cookies look super detailed!

Now on to the cookies...

The cutter worked so well! 

Today was decorating day so I had taken the cookies out of the freezer last night to thaw.

First I did the red parts.

Then the yellow after the red had dried for about 30 minutes or so.

Then the yellow and while it was still very wet I placed one of my pre-made emblems on with an angle tweezers. Held very gently they won't break.

And just like that! Finished product.

I made 15 but actually making the emblem ahead made these about a 3 minutes per cookie decorating time. Not bad for a very detailed looking cookie.

Sweet Southwest Stencil

My stenciled bear cookies to go with the jewelry ones. 

Sweet Southwest

When we went to Durango, CO in October I found a bear cookie cutter that looked like so many of the jewelery pieces we saw. So of course I bought it. But it has taken me this long to finally use it. I drew up an idea based on looking at some silver jewelery on the internet.

As you will see I didn't follow these exactly but it helped to have a guide of sorts.

I wanted to be able to use the leftover colors for some Easter cookies so kept the colors on the more pastel side.

These really were very easy and I just free handed the designs.

First I outlined the whole bear.

Next I just started drawing in the inside dividing lines with my black piping icing.

First I filled in all the turquoise spaces, then I went to purple. (I forgot to take a turquoise only picture)

Next came the yellow spaces.

Then my red (which I tried to keep more coral colored but it is turning very red but that is fine)

Then the lime green color.

And last, the orange. I love how they turned out. I did do some of the bears in solid colors and plan to stencil a black design onto them. I will post them when they are done. 

Now I just need someone to give these to...

The Lego Movie

If you think that these cookies are for a children's party and going to the movie, you would be wrong.

I have wanted to see this movie ever since I saw the trailer. The fact that it gets great reviews only makes me more excited to see it. So I decided to get a party together to go with me. It's a party of 8 grown women, the youngest having just turned 20 today. We are going on Saturday. Two moms and their 6 grown girls! I decided t make us some cookie treats to take along. Here are my resulting cookies. I used a pair of plyers to revamp a skull cookie cutter that I never used. I used mini M&Ms on the rectangular cookies. Super easy and I had all the colors already made from something else so things went quite quickly.

I patterned them off the main character's face. 

Can't wait to see this movie and eat these cookies.

As usual I got to looking at the cookies and decided they needed dimension so I added to the hard hat. Much better.

When you have hearts and need footballs...

I had made a bunch of hearts for Bryan to take to Dr. Meckel on Tuesday. I didn't need them all but I wanted to make cookies for Sunday and the Super Bowl. So I came up with these. A way to use up some of the hearts. Thankfully the Broncos and Seahawks both have blue as one of their colors. I think they turned out cute. 

Jayme says we can eat the side that loses first. Good plan.

Thanking Dr. Oakes

Tomorrow we go for Bryan's 2 week check-up after his heart surgery. He wanted to take a thank you gift. I suggested cookies.

Here's what I did. I made the word thanks out of my William's Sonoma Letter cutters. I found them at an antique/flea market store. LOVE them. Not to mention they came in a cute lunch box tin. But I digress.

I patterned the hearts off of Bryan's pillow that they give heart patients so they remember to hug it to their chest when getting out of a chair, coughing or any activity that may stress their chest.

Poor guy I made him pose for me. He's a good sport. 

I did the arrangement and then decided that I really wanted each one individually wrapped. So I took it all apart and bagged the cookie pops up and put it all back together. 

Also made a tag out of a cookie. 

Cookies for neighbors who are kind.

With Bryan healing from open heart surgery it is impossible for him to clear our driveway. The other day we got about 3" of snow and I looked out late in the evening and our neighbor was clearing our drive. So kind. Bryan asked me to make a plate of cookies to thank them. OH alright! haha I love it when I need to make cookies.

Then I made a plate for Ashley to take to work.

When I was making Frosty (upside down Frankenstein cutter) I thought what a hassle to make a small amount of orange for the carrot and black for the coal. SO I made more than I needed and piped out a bunch of carrots, pipes and coal pieces onto parchment (do not use wax paper it sticks, use parchment!!) paper and let them dry over night. Now I have a little jar of snowman pieces when I want to make snowman cookies again! Love doing that. It really speeds up the decorating process when I need it. 

And a jar of little ones for some friends.

When I was at TJMaxx the other day I found that "Home Made" cookie press and am just loving that. I decided to make one cookie like that to put with each batch of cookies I make.