Category Archives: dessert table

Geek is the new Chic

Posted in celebration, cookies, custom cookies, decorated cookies, dessert, dessert table, food, fun, funny, geek, graduation, humor, Uncategorized by

I am so happy for Katherine- that she is graduating from high school and heading to Pitt to study neuroscience.  But, dang, she is the youngest of the swim kids with whom our children hung out! All this growing up is happening!  An era of chlorine is over (I mean, even Michael Phelps is retired now). Yikes!

In any case, it was one last graduation set to make.  I made two platters: one focused on the nerdy inclinations and the other on her future university, Pitt.

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For the Geek inside us all (okay, maybe not ALL of us), I focused on some biological responses.  #nerdsrule #chemistryiseverywhere  Those stamped clever/nerdy sayings came from pencils I bought from Newton and the Apple.

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But my favorite was the Myelin sheath dress.  (I try to come up with my own clever creations whenever possible.  I think this is another Mama Mayer original.)

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Lastly, here are a couple of close ups for the Pitt cookies. I have a thing for puffy cookies….

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All that Jazz

Posted in celebration, cookies, custom cookies, cut out cookies, decorated cookies, dessert table, food by

The occasion was a jazz brunch for the ladies.  A New Orleans vibe with all the ‘instrumentation’ of their music was requested.  With a nod to the piano and the color theme of white, black, and mint, I stamped, stenciled and gold highlighted my way to these cookies.

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Minnie but Mighty

Posted in birthday, cookies, custom cookies, cut out cookies, decorated cookies, dessert table, food by

Bellah turned One in style.  Her party was a Minnie Mouse theme in the colors of pink, white and black.  I added some gold because who doesn’t like gold with pink, black, and white? Last fall I listened to a legal discussion about trademarked characters and so (hopefully) I tap danced my way around any infringement.  Yep, it really is something you have to be careful about.  The things you never think about.  Those unintended consequences.

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University of the South

Posted in celebration, cookies, custom cookies, decorated cookies, dessert, dessert table, food by

Okay.  I am devoted to the Rainbow Dust double sided professional food pens.  I’ve used them for years, highlighting hand painted cookies, outlining where royal icing designs should go on blank cookies, stamping letters for message cookies, and for little itty bitty lines as needed on these cookies.

For this gathering, the seal for the University of the South was requested. I wanted a festive and pretty way to display them so I used the seal as a flower petal with a simple rose for the center- using the university colors, of course.  The order was for 40 seals but I made 42 (so I could have the correct number of petals for 6 “flowers”).  Advanced planning and thought is incredibly important for a successful cookie presentation.  Don’t forget to consider this planning and prep time if you are either the buyer (it’s a lot of work!) or the seller of fancy decorated cookies. The devil is in the details.U of South 3.jpgDSC_0173

One Smart Cookie

Posted in celebration, custom cookies, decorated cookies, dessert table, graduation, humor by

I have had the pleasure of meeting a LOT of bright and clever people over the years.  This young graduate is no exception.  Lauren has interned in a hospital already…and that’s before she heads off to a pre-med program at university!  Although her biology and chemistry acumen takes a major role of her life,  I threw in a few other interests that keep her busy (swimming, being from Buffalo, and graduating) as well.  Luckily, Lauren has a kind disposition and is forgiving of my love for word play….

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But first, COFFEE!

Posted in coffee, cookies, custom cookies, decorated cookies, dessert, dessert table, food, fun, humor by

Um.  Essential to life.  Right?  What’s not to love about coffee?  As I paid homage to tea, I felt it necessary to compliment my other hot beverage of choice.  The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch koffie, borrowed from the Turkish kahve, in turn borrowed from the Arabic qahwa, a truncation of qahhwat al-bun ‘wine of the bean’.

Here’s how the cookies for my caffeine-addicted friend turned out.

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Not all cookies make the grade. To prove the point, here are some ideas that I played around with that did not turn out as I had hoped.  Whomp whomp.  Please try to remember only the ones that made the grade. 🙂

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New Year Resolutions

Posted in celebration, cookies, custom cookies, decorated cookies, dessert table, holiday, New Year, New Years Eve by

I belong to a couple of fitness clubs, as I have exercise ADD and adore this instructor over here and that type of class over there… Over the holidays I bring in cookies, including a a bakers box of cookies to one large group. The incredible fitness instructor for this group, April, motivates you to work hard while finding balance and humor in the daily grind; thus, she has a HUGE following.  These exercisers, however, may or may not eat cookies on a regular basis.  So I like to bring in a lot of cookies that are only a bite or two each.  I kinda missed getting it done before Christmas this year so I went for a New Year theme.

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Do you make a resolution for the start of a new year?  If so, do you quantify it (try 3 vegetables you never had before), make them broad and fuzzy (be more patient), or keep it short and sweet (dance in a puddle)? No matter; I just hope you find something in 2015 that puts the fire in your belly to make something positive happen.

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Have a Holly Jolly

Posted in Christmas, cookies, custom cookies, decorated cookies, dessert, dessert table, food by

Hope your Christmas is splendid.  This platter of trees was made to serve many people little bites (because there were lots and lots of different cookies on that dessert table!).  Inspiration was from the 2013 post by Melissa Joy’s Cookies.  Melissa’s creative juices flow in abundance; she is a playful and brilliant cookier!

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Diamond in the Rough

Posted in bridal shower, cookies, custom cookies, decorated cookies, dessert table, favors, food, wedding by

The country club/golf fund raiser theme was “diamond in the rough.”  The client’s only instructions were ‘we want a diamond…’  I asked ‘diamond?’ …not “rough” like a fairway rough or a diamond sitting in a fairway rough?  ‘Nope, a diamond.  And put it in a bag with a ribbon…100 bags.’  Okay.  What could I do with quick efficiency and (because I am who I am) in a design that  I had not seen before?  Here are the resulting cookies:

(PS: These cookies would also be great for an engagement party or bridal shower!)

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I started with a simple superman “s” shaped cookie cutter and flooded them with white royal icing.  That dried overnight before I added the blue.ish accents (which only had to dry a short time…like an hour or so) before I free-hand/penned in the diamond outline.  I used an Americolor black pen.  Here’s a quick pic of the general steps I took to get it done.

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Diamonds were my new best friend.

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Perfect size for the setting, eh?

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