pirouettes-a-plenty

Christmas 2011 was a busy baking season for me. So much so that I actually had to downsize my baking list because I was mixing, baking or frosting each day for almost a week, which isn't bad, but can become tiresome for the baker and perhaps the baker's hubby who was ousted from the kitchen for far longer than I was planning.

One of the cookies that I was nixed from my list was a recipe for pirouettes that I found in Ladies Home Journal a few months back. The original recipe called for white frosting and shredded coconut to be sprinkled on top but I am no coconut fan so I opted for green frosting (hey Xmas!) and white sprinkles. I even threw in some Xmas sprinkles for good measure.

This recipe almost got the best of me but I wasn't going to give up that easy. I had enough ingredients to make 2 more batches so after the first was so-so I went for a double batch and got it better. The hardest part? Rolling hot cookies into a cylinder before it gets stiff. So I came up with a plan.... I let the cookies get stiff then popped one into the toaster oven to soften and then rolled. Tedious? Yes. But it worked for me and they came out looking very cute and Christmas-y.... for late January.

wine and cowboys please

My best friend has twin boys who I adore. Both myself and my husband are only children so I will never have a real opportunity to be an auntie so I have made her boys my nephews and thankfully she doesn't argue.

I'm a pretty good Tia (Spanish for aunt) so when the boys were invited to a cowboy themed birthday party and my BF wanted to make outfits she called on me. Partly because she has no clue how to sew and... ok that was the main reason. She "helped" while I fashioned a mock pattern and by helping she amused the boys, poured me a glass of red and bought me dinner.

A few hours later two vests and two pairs of chaps were complete.

It was a project that was definitely easier done than said...

I'm a Disco Queen

Recipe:

2 coats Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Disco Ball

1 coat Avon pink chrome via the scotch tape tip how-to on the Chloe's Nails blog

1 coat Nutra Nail top coat

1 coat Sally Hansen dry kwik

Paper Stencil

The success of my first cookie paper stencil is due to the most awesome of blog posts by Sweet Sugar Belle on making a paper cookie stencil. I'm a big admirer of SSB and I've learned alot from her site. More stenciling to come tomorrow.

Fist Pumping to No End

So.... I have a secret well to my friends it's no secret but I am HUGE Jersey Shore fan. I love it! It's entertaining to no end and if you threw the word sitcom in front of it no one would be complaining. So with that I took my cookie decorating skills up a notch and tried my hand at making a paper stencil.

I found two nifty fist pump pics online and then took an exacto knife to them. If I had more time I would've outlined and filled in white on my sugar cookie and then took a stencil to it but I quite excited to try this so I just went for it. I lightly went over the stencil with a food writer then went back over it with some leftover royal icing I had in the fridge. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

New Year... MORE Crafts

Get ready... because 2012 is the year of the crafts, for me anyway. My craft area maybe small but its full of stuff I can use to make some awesome things.

My 2012 Cookie.

 

 2011 ended with alot more crafts and baked yumminess then I thought. I decided baking for days would be better than scouring the malls for gifts so I made cookies for all my family.

Snowmen and Xmas Trees

Cookie pops

Glitter shoes for my Grandma

Advent pillows. I made 3.