Hi, all! If you've been keeping an eye on the schedule for the 2022 virtual edition of Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™, you've probably been waiting with bated breath for the finalist reveal originally slated for today, November 18. If so, read on, as I have an important update for you related to the determination and announcement of winners...
Scandinavian-style Christmas trees! I’m back with another early Christmas gift – my third stencil-cutter-video kit in my new Kitchen Club Collection, designed in partnership with Confection Couture Stencils! I dare say that this kit might just be my favorite so far. It’s super easy to stencil; the stencils look great with a minimum of colors; and...
I've had weeks and weeks of change and uncertainty, which show limited signs of abating. On Thursday, after months of preparation, my mom moved out of our family home of 50-plus years and across the country to live closer to me. While she was readying her 1790s house for sale on her end (read: correcting lots of deferred maintenance), I was...
When I was younger, my sister and I used to scramble to grab the newspaper to read our horoscopes. I’m a Virgo. My horoscope was always predictably mundane - “Today you will clean the house . . .” or something equally boring. The symbol for my zodiac sign is a...
Boo! I'm back with a spooktacular Halloween-and-fall-centric Spotlight, with a few nods to Thanksgiving and other occasions tossed in! If you're looking for last-minute Halloween cookie inspiration, this post is...
This is the story of a cookie tutorial that was meant to be a 3-D pumpkin cookie project but ended up becoming a dimensional cookie composition that resembles a pumpkin. Three years ago I shared a tutorial featuring royal icing place cards. They were royal icing plaque transfers decorated with three different kinds of...
Hi, everyone! For this challenge, I have a special guest, someone you know very well. She comes from Italy, and she has been one of the most active members of Cookie Connection for years...
Hi, competitors! As you know, the 2022 virtual edition of Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ closed for entries yesterday, October 15. First and foremost, congrats to all of the registrants who successfully delivered entries to the virtual judging “table”! Seeing an idea through to fruition is 90% of any competition! I am pleased to report that...
My second kit is out, and well in advance of the holiday for which it's intended, so you'll have plenty of time to play with it! Yay! (For a reminder of how my new Kitchen Club came about, please refer to my club debut post from September.) This kit is particularly enchanting because it allows you to...
Hi, everyone, I am taking over this Saturday Spotlight with the recap of Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #51, featuring Julia M. Usher on the subject of shaping and covering 3-D cookies. Many thanks to each one of you who participated. This challenge wasn’t easy, even if...
Hi, competitors! As you know, we’re entering the last week of entry prep for Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ (how exciting!), so I wanted to leave you with a few reminders to ensure that the entry process goes smoothly for you...
I may have missed the Saturday Spotlight, but I promise you this Sunday Spotlight is just as good and sure to impress! (I was traveling yesterday and got to my destination much later than planned, so I needed a little recovery time before settling into writing this post.) Congrats to all...
When my kids were little, every Halloween we would make ghost decorations from cheesecloth and laundry starch. The process was simple: soak cheesecloth in the starchy liquid, drape it over a rough form of compacted aluminum foil, and allow it to dry. The gauzy cheesecloth would harden, creating spooky, semi-transparent specters. In this project, naturally-starchy rice paper stands in for cheesecloth to make an edible version of this Halloween craft.
It may be very late on Saturday (or maybe it's Sunday already?), but I'm baaaacck, nearly on time, with another wonderful hot list full of festive fall vibes. (Say that three times fast!) As with last week, tonight's roundup features everything autumn...
Hey, gang! This week, we've got a great assortment of top-trending fall cookies as well as Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #51 entries in our Spotlight. Speaking of the challenge...
