Skip to main content

Hi there!

I am a French archaeologist and discovered cookie decorating very recently, less than a month ago. I actually wanted to bake a thematic cake for my best friend's PhD defense, and while looking up designs online, found some incredible buttercream piping. I really wanted to try my hand at it, but I HATE buttercream with a passion, so I looked up alternatives and found cookie decorating, which I had literally never heard of before. A look at one of Julia's videos, and the revelation that I did not need ANY special material to begin (hurray for parchment cones!), and I've been obsessed ever since.

As I am a true beginner - and possess hardly any equipment - my designs are still a little clumsy. I am therefore a bit shy about posting them here amidst the professionnally-decorated cookies, but I also would like to have a portfolio to track my progression. Is there a way to set up a portfolio on the site without everyone getting an alert for my ugly cookies? 

Cheers !

Annelise

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Hi @Annelise (Le bois meslé) ! We all started somewhere and I can so relate with everything you have said (and especially for Julia’s parchment cones!). It took me half a hour to post my first cookie here, two years ago, and I immediately received the support of this amazing cookie community. This is the place to post decorated cookies, no matter the level, because it is always a learning experience and you will soon make many connections. Welcome😊

Welcome Anneliese. This is a kind group of people. You'll feel comfortable here and will learn TONS. I'm glad that you found Cookie Connection and I'm looking forward to seeing your work.         Pip

 

Last edited by pip

Hi, @Annelise (Le bois meslé)! Welcome! It's me for real this time. (My first post was automated.) What an interesting background! I have always wanted to be an archeologist, and I may indeed still try to pursue it one day. You may find me reaching out to learn more about that! 

Regarding posting images privately here, there's no way to do that. But I do concur with @Manu biscotti decorati@pip and @Econlady . . . though it might seem intimidating to post, the group here is really supportive and comprised of all skill levels. One of the best ways to learn fast is to post stuff and ask others for tips on what to improve. Again, I know that takes courage to do publicly, but you can also reach out to people privately via our "private message" function (under your member avatar).

Also, read all the tutorials here. @Manu biscotti decorati is one of our very amazing tutorialists (site contributors), and she is always willing to share.

Have fun, and don't hesitate to ask me questions at any time. I may take a while to respond, but I try to get to every message that I see. (Tagging helps alert me!)

Julia M. Usher posted:

Hi, @Annelise (Le bois meslé)! Welcome! It's me for real this time. (My first post was automated.) What an interesting background! I have always wanted to be an archeologist, and I may indeed still try to pursue it one day. You may find me reaching out to learn more about that! 

Regarding posting images privately here, there's no way to do that. But I do concur with @Manu biscotti decorati@pip and @Econlady . . . though it might seem intimidating to post, the group here is really supportive and comprised of all skill levels. One of the best ways to learn fast is to post stuff and ask others for tips on what to improve. Again, I know that takes courage to do publicly, but you can also reach out to people privately via our "private message" function (under your member avatar).

Also, read all the tutorials here. @Manu biscotti decorati is one of our very amazing tutorialists (site contributors), and she is always willing to share.

Have fun, and don't hesitate to ask me questions at any time. I may take a while to respond, but I try to get to every message that I see. (Tagging helps alert me!)

Thank You @Julia M. Usher, two years ago I surely couldn’t have imagined to become a contributor and to write tutorials for the site! 

@Annelise (Le bois meslé), as Julia said, ask others for tips. If there are some cookies posted here that you like particularly and you would like to know about a technique just ask in the comments to that clip. Very often what you are looking for it is already written in the comments. Go explore the site, it is a treasure box of amazing cookies and informations.

As Julia said read all the tutorials here. At the moment you will find mines and those by @Laegwen and @Aproned Artist, but take the time to read also the past tutorials by the awsome cookiers that left their contribution here before us: @Dolce Sentire - Aixa Zunino@Lucy (Honeycat Cookies)@Yankee Girl Yummies or @Former Member. 

Participate to the bimonthly challenges hosted by Christine Donnelly @Bakerloo Station, which are about making a cookie or a set of cookies focusing on a certain technique, or material. During the past two years I’ve learned to pipe roses, use edible lace, molds, stencils, combine colors, I made connections and found cookie friends in the collaboration challenges... and I also learned to “think outside the box” to cite her. You will find the banner in the home page. 

Read also the Toolbox talk, by @Liesbet to learn about ingredients and cookie tools all over the world.

You find all this material and more under Blog/Collection.

There are also interesting live chats, Cookier Close-up, and you will find a lot of informations in the forum as Julia build this site to cover everything cookie related, and on top of that she also takes the time to feature 10 cookies every week and reward them with the Cookie Connection badge recognition.

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

Annelise posted:

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

LOL!  Sounds like a great cake!

Annelise posted:

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

Annelise, I'll show you mine of you show me yours

What was your PhD about? I trained as a medieval field archaeologist in Belgium and then I worked on stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in South Africa. Now I am more in contract archaeology.

2013 06 07 Archaeological cake 2

Attachments

Images (1)
  • Archaeological cake - 2013: When 2 passions meet

Great job! I love the tiny details!

I'm a zooarchaeologist, specializing in animal paleopathology, and studied for my PhD livestock epizootics and mass mortalities in France and England from the Roman to the Post-medieval period. I believe we actually have a lot in common!

Anyhow, here is my cake!IMG_0471DSC_1875 - Version 2

Attachments

Images (2)
  • Epizootic cake 1
  • Epizootic cake 2
Annelise posted:

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

Yay, I loved your inaugural cookie post. That cake is fun too!

Annelise posted:

Great job! I love the tiny details!

I'm a zooarchaeologist, specializing in animal paleopathology, and studied for my PhD livestock epizootics and mass mortalities in France and England from the Roman to the Post-medieval period. I believe we actually have a lot in common!

Anyhow, here is my cake!IMG_0471DSC_1875 - Version 2

Wow, this is all Greek to me. I may have to re-think the archeology track!

Liesbet posted:
Annelise posted:

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

Annelise, I'll show you mine of you show me yours

What was your PhD about? I trained as a medieval field archaeologist in Belgium and then I worked on stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in South Africa. Now I am more in contract archaeology.

2013 06 07 Archaeological cake 2

You two have an uncanny amount in common - professions, hobbies, cakes! 

Annelise posted:

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

It looks like there are at least three of us archaeologists on here! I have only baked one archaeology cake so far, but I made it in a hotel room in a toaster oven, so it's not my best work.

The Archaeologist Bakes posted:
Annelise posted:

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

It looks like there are at least three of us archaeologists on here! I have only baked one archaeology cake so far, but I made it in a hotel room in a toaster oven, so it's not my best work.

yay!!!!

is it the detailed work we like?  

Liesbet posted:
The Archaeologist Bakes posted:
Annelise posted:

Wow, thanks @Julia M. Usher@Manu biscotti decorati@pip @Econlady and @Liesbet, you really are a welcoming bunch! 

Liesbet, I can't believe we are two archaeologists in this community - it's not such a common job! I did, in fact, bake a stratigraphic cake for my own defense last June - complete with medieval peasants burying heaps of dead sheep. Yup, we archaeologists have strange interests...  And Julia, feel free to ask me about my background anytime.

So I'm going to follow everyone's advice, post a cookie or two, ask for advice and look up all the tutorials I can find - and maybe try an entry to this month's challenge, we'll see. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Cheers everyone!

It looks like there are at least three of us archaeologists on here! I have only baked one archaeology cake so far, but I made it in a hotel room in a toaster oven, so it's not my best work.

yay!!!!

is it the detailed work we like?  

I never thought of it that way, but you may be on to something!

@The Archaeologist Bakes@Liesbet - how fun to meet fellow archaeologists in such an unusual way ! We could on occasion each bake and share together an archaeologically-themed cookie set? 

In any case, you might see some in the following months : yet another friend is defending his PhD in early April, and I have foolishly promised Terra Sigillata (Samian) cookies... We'll see how that goes!

Annelise posted:

@The Archaeologist Bakes@Liesbet - how fun to meet fellow archaeologists in such an unusual way ! We could on occasion each bake and share together an archaeologically-themed cookie set? 

In any case, you might see some in the following months : yet another friend is defending his PhD in early April, and I have foolishly promised Terra Sigillata (Samian) cookies... We'll see how that goes!

now you make me curious!!!

Add Reply

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×