Hello, everyone! It's time for a new Julia's Kitchen Club kit - or I should say, "new kits" (plural) since there are essentially three of them this month. Though they were initially designed with Valentine's Day in mind, the projects possible with these kits are so wonderfully universal that they can work throughout the year for anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, bridal showers, Mother's Day, and other special celebrations.
But universality isn't the only thing that makes this Kitchen Club release unique. It's got über-versatility going for it too! Unlike the past three releases that included brand-new Dynamic Duos™ stencils sets and cutters, this release centers around my new nine-piece Classic Heart cookie cutter set that allows you to make 2-D cookies of many sizes (nine, to be exact, LOL!) as well as 3-D heart box cookies, again in many sizes. I've then gone further and created two different floral heart box kits (Parisian Rose and Magnificent Mum) to show you how to put these cutters to 3-D use. Each of these kits pairs five cutters from the larger set with carefully curated stencils that were previously released, demonstrating just how easy it is to change up the look of these cutters by using different stencils on them. And vice versa! Stencils can take on a completely unique appearance depending on the shape of the cookie to which they're applied.
Not convinced? Well, just check out the following photo where a couple of Magnificent Mum boxes are shown on the right and two Parisian Rose boxes (along with mini boxes) are on the left:
Granted, the Parisian Rose box is a bit smaller (5 inches wide versus 5 1/2 inches for the other), but the cutters are the exact same shape. And, I don't think you'll argue: the looks are decidedly different. Parisian Rose is rather subtle and romantic, whereas the other is more flashy and flirty! Perhaps the former is better suited for a longstanding SO, and the other for a new love interest? 
(Aside: Gawd, I hate how this platform compresses my vertical images! Arrggh! The images above are actually quite sharp in real life!)
Back to the bit about über-versatility. If you want to make the mini boxes shown above, you can do that too, but only if you purchase the entire nine-piece heart cutter set. Below you'll see a closer view of these sweet little (3 1/2-inch) boxes that fit cookies cut with the smallest (1 15/16-inch) cutter inside. I've styled them with the stencils in the Parisian Rose Heart Box kit, but you could use any of my stencils, or just pipe icing on them for that matter.
In the next view, you can see all three box sizes together, just to help underscore the difference in scale:
We've talked about versatility as it relates to size - but it also relates to styling! With the combination of stencils in each kit, you can make a near-infinite number of box-top designs. For purposes of this blog post, I made two lids in the Parisian Rose style - one with blue and brown quatrefoil on top, and another with the Eiffel Tower and swallows. You've seen the quatrefoil style fairly close already, so let's zoom in on the other:
Likewise, I made two lid styles using the Magnificent Mum set - one with pink and blue quatrefoil (shown directly below), and (under that) another arguably bolder one in white, brown, and deep antique blue:
If you don't want to take the time* to make 3-D boxes, then 2-D hearts ranging from 5 1/2 inches (wide) to 1 15/16 inches can be made with the nine cutters in the Classic Heart cookie cutter set. You'll see several such 2-D hearts scattered around and in the 3-D boxes pictured above and in the brief style reel directly below. So as not to detract from my elaborate boxes, I kept my smaller 2-D hearts quite plain, only stenciled here and there with messages from the message/frame stencil set in each box kit. Of course, you can style them however you want.
*Note: These 3-D boxes use a very simple sandwiched construction for the sides, which basically involves stacking two or more 2-D cookies with windows cut in their centers. That being said, each box is really only as time-consuming as cutting and baking five or six 2-D cookies and icing about two of them.
For more styling options for both the 3-D boxes and smaller 2-D cookies, I again refer you to this style reel:
Not sure the above verbiage gives you enough info to make these projects? No worries! As always, my Kitchen Club release is accompanied by an optional instructional video. It provides directions for styling both the Parisian Rose and Magnificent Mum boxes, and covers 11-plus decorating and construction techniques as previewed in the video below:
And, now, even more on the subject of flexibility . . . You can buy my kits like this one on occasion, or you can opt into my club to get great savings on my kits and other products on confectioncouturestencils.com, my partner's site, as long as you continue purchasing kits. Joining my club is super simple as well: just purchase any kit on confectioncouturestencils.com, and your membership begins immediately. For more details about my Kitchen Club and its benefits, skip to the bottom of this post. You can also unbundle the kits further if you only want a subset of the items in them. For instance, the stencils and cutters can be bought separately on my partner’s site, and the instructional video (COMING SOON) can also be bought under the "VIDEO TUTORIALS” section of my site.
Again, you can buy my kits as often as you want, but if you remain an active purchaser (and thereby club member), you'll get all of the perks listed in the next section.
Club Membership and Benefits
- To opt into Julia's Kitchen Club and become an active member, simply purchase any kit bundle offered at the time of each release. (Releases will come five times per year.) Purchasing a kit enrolls you in the club’s active member list and gives you all of the associated membership benefits listed directly below.
- As an active club member, you will automatically be notified of upcoming kit releases and be able to pre-order future kits at an exclusive discount prior to anyone else! If you decide to pass on a kit selection, you will still have a chance to buy future kits and rejoin the club, but you will not get the pre-order option or the exclusive pre-order discount until you rejoin.
- Active club members will also receive a 15% discount on any stencil or cookie cutter on Confection Couture Stencils' site, not just my products.
- You will remain an active club member until you pass on a kit offering. At the time of each release, it's your choice as to whether you would like to stay active or opt out.
Where to Sign Up and Shop
Eager to dive in? I hope so! Here are all of the key links you'll need to become a club member and/or to get started with my latest heart box kits:
- JOIN MY CLUB FOR SAVINGS ON ALL KITS
- PURCHASE CLASSIC HEART COOKIE CUTTER SET
- PURCHASE PARISIAN ROSE HEART BOX KIT
- PURCHASE MAGNIFICENT MUM HEART BOX KIT
- PURCHASE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO ONLY (COMING SOON; covers both box kits)
Please note that my partner Confection Couture Stencils handles all order fulfillment for my stencils, cutters, and kits, so all such questions should be directed to them at service@confectioncouturestencils.com.
I hope you'll fall head over heels for these projects and that you'll soon be making an abundance of sweet hearts for your sweethearts! Sorry, I love the (more than) occasional play on words!
Comments (9)