My husband and I planted nearly 400 tulip and daffodil bulbs last fall, and, with temperatures in the fifties for the last few days, the first of them are beginning to emerge! (Proof below.) I'm so excited for spring to arrive, I could almost sing about it! On second thought...
Wow, what fickle people we cookiers are! A couple of days ago, even before Valentine's Day had passed, chicks and spring flowers were beginning to lure us away from hearts, Cupids, and other love-themed sets. Or maybe it was just the sudden cold snap that turned us on to warmer, springier motifs? (It was 6°F here yesterday! Yikes!)...
I’ve always had a love of blue and white china. The patterns are classically beautiful but with a striking contrast that makes me want to look closer. Recently, I came across this blue and white dinner plate. With its large-scale flowers, it felt like a...
Hi, all! I'm fresh off a flight from Maine, where I was checking on my two-plus-year-long home renovation (yikes!), so I will keep this Spotlight very brief out of necessity for sleep...
Cookie Connection old-timers may recall that, back in April 2016, I announced the founding of Cookie Connection's Milestone Awards program, designed to honor the incredible volunteers who have stood the test of time by serving this community with outstanding content for more than one year. Since that time, I've awarded only a handful of such awards - all to...
The idea for this project was sparked by an ad on Instagram promoting stamps to make real wax seals. I initially wanted to make an entire wax seal cookie, but I instead ended up using royal icing to make seal transfers to go on larger envelope cookies. For the envelope design, I...
With the frenzied prep for my next video shoot (next weekend) coming to a close, it's nice to finally be able to relax for more than a sec and to really savor what's on this week's hot list. And savor I have - this week's roundup is...
Hi, all! I wanted to take a moment to specially thank our Gold Sponsors who stepped up to the highest of levels to support Julia M. Usher's Cookie Art Competition™ at That Takes the Cake Show in Austin, February 22-23, 2020...
Do you have some extra time on your hands? Are you a perfectionist with the patience of a saint? Do your friends marvel at your love of tedious projects?...
Here I am slugging it out, prepping cookies for my next video shoot and wondering if I'll have enough new material to fill two days of shooting time. And here you are...
From time to time, it's healthy to suspend all disbelief and immerse yourself in your own private fantasy land. Everyone needs occasional respite from the work-a-day world, to replenish energy and to feed the soul. Not so sure? Well, I'm...
Happy New Year! Perhaps (wink, wink), your New Year's resolutions include improving your cookie game by entering more Practice Bakes Perfect Challenges in 2020. In fact, on the Cookie Connection calendar, I believe 2020 is the Year of the Healthy Risk!...
Happy Saturday, everyone! Well, what can I say . . . it's full-on Valentine's Day here! Almost everywhere you look on this site, including this Saturday Spotlight, you'll see hearts, hearts, and more hearts! You name the heart, this hot list has it...
Thank you all for participating in the most recent questionnaire in my Sugar Dot Surveys series. In this survey, I asked you questions about how you use social media to share your cookie decorating business or hobby. I was curious about...
Happy 2020, Cookie Connection members! We've most certainly had an auspicious start to the new year, judging from the caliber of cookies hitting this week's hot list. Naturally, we see some...
