Another great challenge!!! I'd like to thank Tammy Holmes for the idea for this month's challenge - cookies based on a single inspiration photo. I asked her to pick the photo, and she picked this picture of a gorgeous fancy lilac powder room! I loved seeing all of the interpretations from the image, and think I saw more than a few tips of the hat to Tammy's smart and feminine signature style as well!! Thank you, Tammy!
Our prize this month is a $25 gift certificate donated by The Creative Cookier!!! This is extra exciting because they've just come out with a great new invention, the Stencil Genie, which will solve many an airbrushing problem - and you'll still have money left to get a cutter or two. Or whatever great cookie supplies you want, of course! Our lucky, lucky winner this month is La Vie en Cookies!!!
Purple Cookies by La Vie en Cookies
I love the handpainted flowers on these cookies, and the gorgeous gilded details - gorgeous cookies and a lucky cookier!!
For the spotlight this month, we had our usual panel, and I asked Tammy to give her two cents as well. So many great cookies to choose from, but we narrowed it down to these great ten to shine the light on this month!
Quilled Wafer Paper and Royal Icing Cookie Bathroom by Evelindecora
One panelist contends that this cookie is on the top of anyone's list ever - so who am I to argue? What a tremendous amount of work to get this cookie-scape together! All of the tiny details are so sweet - the perfect plants, the little dessert on the table, and my personal favorite, the gorgeous marble tile pattern on the floor. We all want to be that girl in the bath! Seriously? Amazing.
Jeweled and Gilded by Cadillac Cookies
We saw a lot of marble renditions, but Laura's was a real standout! The use of isomalt (her first!!) is perfect for capturing the glittering crystals from the photos, and transforming them into the cookie realm. That chandelier is perfection, and we all loved the cookie branch and jewel combination as well.
Diamond Tiles by mintlemonade
Although each cookie is relatively simple in its design, they are executed perfectly. They all go together without matching and are representative of the picture. Very nice details - the butterfly wings are exquisite.
Crazy Door Cookies by Kelly Made That
From a simple starting point - the open door - we get an eclectic and fun set of cookies. Love the variety of doors made out of common cutters that we all have in our collections, and the different textures, colors, and patterns pulled from the photo and applied to one element. A really innovative idea - not just the architectural influence from the photo, but the "nested" way in which the cookies are made.
Glamorous Bathroom by Manchester Ovens
That blue!! Let's face it, there was a lot of lilac in that photo, and what I love about these cookies is that blue. Doesn't it make the whole set POP? And of course, the lilac shade is perfect too. They are all wonderful interpretations. I love seeing the marbled edge on that butterfly, and the gold and lilac bar cookie in the middle back is a standout as well.
Fall into Lilac by Dany's Cakes
Texture. Dany always does great texture! The shade of purple that she used is utter soft glamour, and the use of wafer paper adds great dimension to the set! What a wonderful collection incorporating all of the bathroom elements into bite-sized yummy designs!
Gilded by Fernwood Cookie
With Kerri of Fernwood's interpretation, we were really feeling the elegant and pretty vibe. The tail feathers and applied flowers have a wonderful glassy effect, and the marbling is great. The framed silhouettes are a fabulous take on the overall feel of the challenge photo.
Marbled and Painted Cookies by Dolcimaterieprime
As soon as I saw the inspiration photo, I thought of Dolcimaterieprime's great use of fondant to make marbled patterns. I even attempted it myself. So I'm erasing that memory by feasting my eyes on these pretties! Love the tactile look of these; you just want to admire them for many minutes, then pop them in your mouth!
Mixed Media Gnome by Sugar Pearls Cakes and Bakes
So funny - this meta-cookie gave us all a chuckle. Any time you want to combine multiple challenges, we will always give it a thumbs-up. [EDITOR'S NOTE: For the uninitiated, the gnome was a required shape in a previous challenge.] And of course, we love the texture and how she make it "her own". It is very prettily done!!
Majestic Stag by Sweetiedoodle
This take took the elements of the photo and turned them into something very original with the introduction of the stag (one of several great entries with deer)! We loved this interpretation's clever incorporation of the crystal sconce and leaf shapes into the stag's antlers!
All photos shown here are the courtesy (and copyright) of the designers listed.
Rebecca Weld came to cookie decorating from gingerbread house making. As a "real" architect, busy business owner, and mom of two small kids, Rebecca discovered that gingerbread houses had a way of getting out of hand, and that cookie baking offered her a more manageable artistic outlet. Always eager to be a part of the cookie conversation, Rebecca maintains an active Facebook page as The Cookie Architect, as well as Pinterest and Instagram presences. She makes cookies to inspire herself and others, to feed those needs that art fills in all artists: expression, sharing, stretching yourself.
Photo credit: Rebecca Weld
Note: Practice Bakes Perfect is a monthly Cookie Connection blog feature written by Rebecca Weld that poses inspiration or challenges to get you to stretch as a cookie artist - for practice, for prizes, and for fun! Its content expresses the views of the author and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. Catch up on all of Rebecca's past Cookie Connection posts here.
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