Spring bouquet

My sister's birthday is in February.  I wanted to do something special for her, and since we've had buckets of rain over the past several weeks, I especially was ready to think Spring!  So I explored our supply of flower cutters and decided on this tulip design.  My sis was the only one of the three of us daughters who was graced with (Irish) green eyes, so I had to add a shamrock to the mix.    A butterfly cookie placed in the back finished off the 'bouquet' and it was ready for potting!  

Happy Birthday from your Little Sister. . .   I hope you had a wonderful celebration!   xoxo, S.

Homage to Gramma

As promised, today was decorating day.  The stresses of the week disappear when I can immerse myself in any creative project.  Apparently my true spirit lives on the right side of my brain.  And my right brain has had a very good day!

Even more fun than decorating the cookies, was working on our future portfolio.  Taking pictures of our li'l creations all 'dressed up' for the day made me smile inside as I remembered my mom, and the dressed up holiday tables she loved to set.   She was a product of the depression, but as my mom told it, her mother always set a beautiful table with crystal, china and fine linens even in those hard times.  Having glass blowing artisans as family members, the appreciation for color, texture and patterns was not lost on the young girl. 

I am finding that the appreciation continues to meander through the blood lines.  As I explored the linen cabinets for fun colors and textures, Kimi went outside to pick some freshly rained upon camellias.  I couldn't help but imagine that my mom was somewhere watching and appreciating the efforts that were being made to dress the table in its Sunday best.   .... It's all in the details.  with xoxo, S.

Flour Power

Here it is. . . my virgin blog.  I must warn readers that typically, when I get gabby and I see my friends' eyes beginning to glaze over, or my son-in-law heading for the door, I excuse myself and blame my long-windedness on my Irish descent.  With all the other blood lines mixed in, I'm sure it's a misrepresentation.  I doubt anyone has ever accused the English of being quite as verbose about the minuscule things I manage to go on and on about!    Example . . . I've never managed to fit my feelings of appreciation onto one of those little store-bought note cards!  . . . I could be in serious trouble here.

Okay, so I am SO excited at the prospect of going forward with our cookie project!  We have been working on designs and techniques for the past couple of years and the more we do, the more fun we have.  Admittedly, it HAS been a great way for me to stay in contact with a busy daughter.  :-)

So let me share my weekend.  Inspired by a recent find of very affordable and yet quite fresh eggs from our very own Cal Poly Poultry Department, I set out to bake a batch of cookies.  Kimi and I wanted to try out some new design ideas, and with the purchase of 15 dozen eggs (you heard right!), it seemed like the thing to do.   Soon enough, my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer was groaning.  I imagined the electric meter outside spinning wildly as my oven diligently kept up with tray after tray of the sugary shapes being escorted in and out of it's stainless steel door.  My just-cleaned floors and my normally dark counter tops were white with flour and sifted sugar dust.   And we had every cookie cutter imaginable put to use.   Dozens of cookies later, we decided we'd rolled, cut and baked enough.   Thankfully, we had run out of butter.    We'll decorate next weekend!     ~ S.

Happy Valentines

"The life and love we create is the life and love we live." 

- Leo Buscaglia

Happy Valentine's Day!
(with xoxo's from K and S)

Welcome babies

We had such a great time making the little duck cookies for a twin baby shower. 

We wrapped two little duckies in each bag. One of our new favorite designs is the little pregnant mommy! A perfect way to show mom that she is also being celebrated. 

 

 

We made it!

XOXO cookies has decided to enter the blogging world and thanks to my talented husband, we have a template! My mom and I can make things taste good and look pretty, but we have learned very quickly to leave the technical things to the pros (or at least the ones who can decipher computer lingo).

Photos by Nicole Boughton

My very dear friend wanted to have a cupcake tree at her wedding and asked us to help. We decided they also needed a cake to cut to make the day complete. Her mom wanted to help out and bake the cupcakes and we would do the decorating, sounded great to us! After my dad constructed the perfect cupcake stand, we added some ribbon to each tier and started stacking. The cupcakes were a hit and since then the stand has made appearances at many other weddings and parties.   

~K