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Rainbow Tie-dye Cookies

St. Patrick's Day bit me with the rainbow bug! They are everywhere...pancakes, waffles, Rice Krispie treats, Jello...and STILL, I am not tired of seeing all of the pretty colors. So, I decided to make
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These simple cookies are very beautiful AND what's even better is that they are easy to make!

The hardest part is gathering all of the supplies. Be prepared to spend an half an hour or so mixing icing.

This is what you will need...

I always match the outline to the first color I plan on using in the sequence. In this case is was red.

Once this part is complete, begin filling in your cookie with each color.

Then, drag the tip of your boo boo stick through the icing. Be sure to alternate sides as you drag to keep the design even.

Just in case that was a little hard to follow, I also drew a little diagram. Notice that you can drag the tip either way...I suppose if you want your tie-dye to be accurate, you should begin in the middle of the cookie and drag outwardly to the edge.

Truthfully, I'd never even thought about it until I wrote the paragraph above this one, and now that I realized I did it backward {maybe because I was taking pictures of myself doing this}, it's going to bug the CRUDDY out of me, BUT, I AM NOT REDOING THIS TUTORIAL =) So, learn from my goof.

You might also be wonderin' why you should wipe the stick after every swipe.

Another observation after the fact. Dragging in hides a lot of the purple. Dragging out would have created a pretty starburst shape and shown more of the color. And looked like real tye-dye. Arrrrrgh.

They are still pretty though, right? Even before they dry.

If this little how-to has caught you a little late for St. Patrick's Day, there are plenty of other places tie-dyed cookies {or reverse tie-dye in this case} come in handy.

Have I ever mentioned I get hung up on the small details? I'm still grumbling about doing them backward, BUT STILL, aren't they pretty?

If you need boo boo sticks, AKA cookie scrapers, or icing bottles, check out Karen's Cookies. She has both, and she will get them to you very quickly!

· Cookie, decorating, tie dye, Tutorial

Making Itty Bitty Oscar Cookies {Tutorial}

I love making itty bitties. Everything is cuter in mini. Believe it or not, it's actually much easier to make minis than a full size cookie. I can decorate them quickly and they leave me a little more room for error.

Making these is an all day project but not an all day job, if that makes sense. All it takes is a little planning and patience .

When I make minis, I decorate in 10 to 20 minute spurts and let each step dry between layers. Then it's business as usual {cleaning, laundry, chasing little people} until the next step. All together, I would say it takes me no more than an hour to an hour and a half to complete.

I thought I was going to pull a fast one on everyone with my cutter choices, but y'all totally caught me.

For these I only use one consistency of icing, which you can learn about {here}

These are not serious enough to make a big mess over =) They really are TINY!

For the first step, fill in the ballgowns, the ends of the bowtie, and the top part of Mr. Oscar...Then, wash dishes or take your kids to the park while this layer dries.

Next I add a sash to the ballgown, an undershirt to the tux, and a base to the Oscar.

Once again, I let this layer dry while I prepare lunch.

At this point, the ballgown and the Oscar statue are basically complete. All that's left to do is add buttons and the middle of the tie to the tux...

Most normal people would stop here, and that would be perfectly fine. But I am a little obsessed, and I would much rather decorate cookies than do housework, so I go a step further and add a rosette to the ballgown, a lapel and boutonniere to the tuxedo, and I used old gold luster dust to paint my Oscar a shimmery gold.

But, like I said, I am a little bit crazy =)

If you need a little help learning how to apply luster dust, Bridget tells you all you need to know! Just head on over to University of Cookie to watch her video.

These are perfect for cookie gifts, or just as little cookie hors d'oeuvres at an Accademy Awards party.

I hope everyone tries them!

Good luck and happy baking=)

· academy awards, Cookie, Minatures, oscar

"SOLE" Mates

My friend Mique and I had so much fun making cookie Valentine's last week, we thought we would do it again! I couldn't wait to make her newest printables into cookies!

Believe it or not, I don't have a small shoe sole cutter, so I had to make one.

*A flip-flop would work, but the one I have is too large for the design I wanted to do

It was easy and inexpensive. All I needed was an extra dog bone cutter from my collection.

Inexpensive cutters work best for this kind of project because they bend easily and they are easily replaceable. Remember to be careful though, they CAN break. My hulk of a husband has snapped more than his fair share.

To make double soles cut out twice the number of cookies you are planning to bake. Then, arrange them side by side {flip one so they make right and left feet} on the cookie sheet, making sure they are pushed together so they fuse while baking. Each two cookies will make one.

After they cool, it's time to decorate. First outline, and then fill. It's important to outline the cookie in sections and fill as pictured below. After the first sections have dried for thirty minutes or more, go back and fill the rest. Filling in this manner creates dimension without layering.

Let the cookies dry completely {about eight hours} then complete the steps below. If you have trouble piping, use my video on perfect writing without a kopykake.

Now for the fun part! To get these cute printables, head on over to Mique's blog, Thirty Handmade Days and grab her free "SOLE MATE" printables! Now you have all you need to re-create these cuties for Valentine's Day.

And just in case you aren't in the mood to make a new cutter, a simple high heel, sneaker, or single flip-flop would work fine too!

All of these cutters can but purchased from Off The Beaten Path, click on the pictures to get yours!

· Cookie, cookie crafts, printables, shoe, Valentine's Day cookies

On Vacation!

It's visiting week! Today I am hanging out over at my friend Marian's blog, Sweetopia, so come on by and join the fun! I made some fun camoflauge cookies in her signature colors and a tutorial so you can do the same!

· camouflage, Cookie, pink, Sweetopia, Tutorial

That Guy Bern Dogg

Who's Bern Dogg, you ask? Well, that's my husband. A friend of his gave him the name a long time ago and it stuck. I can be three feet away from him and yell: Babe, Bernie, fire, help, RAPE...no response, but if I even whisper, "Bern Dogg," and I have his immediate and undivided attention. Sometimes I will catch myself calling him from another room and think, " I am close-to-30 mom of three, married to a man who responds to a name humorously close to Snoop Dogg. Oh, well, I like ol' Snoop pretty well, and I love my Bern Dogg to death.

This blogging stuff is taking me a while to get used to. It's hard for me to open up. Revealing little things, such as my husband's name is a big step for me. I don't know what the rules on those things are. I was one of those kids who grew up in the "INTERNET PREDATORS CAN STEAL YOUR SOUL" era and it's ingrained...but now, calling him by name is getting to the point of necessity. It's very hard to talk about my baking adventures without mentioning Bern Dogg.

My Bern Dogg is a funny guy. A good combination of all the necessary traits. An ESPN junkie, neat freak, class clown, funnyman...that's my guy! Since this cookie obsession took over my body, he puts up with a lot.

Actually, "a lot" is an understatement.

Maybe I should say *A LOT*

Cereal dinners, being put to work as soon as he gets home from his "real" job, being Mr. Mom, a laundry champion, AND a baker on my busy days (as long as he can see ESPN from the mixer). Keep in mind, this is only a little of what he goes thorough so I can express myself.

SOOOOOOO, I decided he deserved some cookies of his own. And none of those ugly boo-boo cookies I usually feed him, but real life, thoughtful custom Bern Dogg cookies.

This is what I came up with for my LONGHORN loving extraordinaire...