Project bird

I had birds on my mind (does that make me a bird brain?) and a couple of projects I wanted to try out.

  My first endevour was repurposing a dead weeping pussy willow tree to hang bird cookies from.

Not only was this fun, but everything went according to plan.  Next project:  create bird baths out of cookies.  Sounds interesting, right? 

This is my cat Ya Ya sunning himself in the birdbath in the center of my herb garden.  He likes birds too...

Now, back to the cookie project.  The first step was to create a double layer base.  The bottom base was cut with a large scalloped circle that would eventually be iced green to represent grass.  A slightly smaller circle was then made which would sit on top of the grass layer.  In the center of this cookie I cut out a small circle in which I would insert the pedestal component.

After the cookies had baked but before they cooled, I inserted two Stella D'oro Margherite cookies as the pedestal.

It took me no less than six attempts to make the basin.  Clearly I am either persistent, or stupid, or both.  Instead of ditching the project (as was suggested by my children), I grouchily forged on until I had a semi-wonky cookie basin.  The best method I found was to bake a sugar cookie and while it is still warm, flip it onto an upside down tart mold that was well greased.

Much advil was consumed this week.  The next part of the ordeal project, was to cover all pieces (with the exception of the very bottom grass piece) with fondant.  I made my own fondant, and it is messy but very easy.

Melt 8 oz. of mini marshmallows with 2 tbsp. of water.  Add 1 lb. of powdered sugar, mixing as much in with a spoon as you can.  Grease your hands and knead until smooth.  I loved doing this, because it goes from horrific mess to beautiful smooth fondant very quickly.  De-stickify your hands and roll fondant out on a board well dusted with powdered sugar.  I simply cut out pieces to cover all of the cookie pieces, applied it, and used a wooden skewer to make details.  Remember the little tart molds I used earlier?  I pressed one into the basin to make an indentation for the blue water.

Now for putting it all together.  For this I made royal icing cement.  It doesn't taste the greatest, but for a project like this you need serious adhesive.  The recipe I used is from a very old Betty Crocker cookie book.

Beat 2 egg whites with 1/2 tsp. water till stiff.  I used the whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer.  Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat for 10 minutes.  Gradually add another 1 cup of sugar and beat another 10 minutes.  This is serious cement.  Cover any unused portions with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to protect it from hardening. 

"Glue" the pedestal to the base and the basin to the pedestal.

Outline and flood the grass cookie with green icing.

After the glueing was done, I made the water for the basin.  Using light blue lollypops from the Dollar Tree, I smashed the candy and melted it in a small saucepan.  I sprayed the inside of a tart mold with cooking spray and spooned the melted blue candy in.  When they harden it is easy to pop them out and it fits nicely into the basin.

Its time to decorate!  I made a green vine climbing up the base and pedestal.  I had some left over dried royal icing flowers from my edible topiaries that I also added.  Glue the whole enchilada onto the green grass cookies and you're done.  Easy right??? (insert nervous, semi-hysterical laugh).

And so after four days, countless trips to the grocery store, and a vow to stop swearing under my breath in the kitchen, it was time to take these babies outside and have some fun.

The gorgeous quilt was made by my great grandmother.

I rolled up vintage white napkins and tied them with yellow ribbon and scotch broom stems from my garden.

Birds and nests to eat - the nest was made of croissants and the bird was tarragon chicken salad with green apple.  Colorful peppers, spinach dip in phyllo shells, strawberries, and lemonade rounded out the menu.

Big hugs to my darling daughter Isabelle for helping with the setup - I couldn't have done it without her!  And now my bird week is over, and my cupcake project is about to begin.

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A sneek peek of bird tablescape

Just a couple of quick pictures to let you know what I have been up to the past couple of days.  My finch cookies are baked and decorated. 

The eastern finch is the state bird of Iowa (native Iowan here!) and I love watching them at my bird feeder because I adore their bright yellow color. 

I also turned a sad situation into something fun. 

A weeping pussy willow that I planted last year didn't survive.  Last summers extreme heat and drought really took a toll.  As I watched my husband dig it out and prepare to throw it on the lawn waste pile, I had an idea.  All it took was a saw and a can of nickel colored paint from Walmart.  Add some bright callibrachoa, and here is what I got.

My birdies are going to take flight in this darling centerpiece, but stay tuned because there are going to be some surprises!

More vintage jewelry cookies

Most of my vintage jewelry collection comes from my grandmother and great aunt.  Above are a few of my favorite pieces with some cookies and candy thrown in.  At a glance it is difficult to tell which is which.  The idea of candy "jewels" has intrigued me for some time now, but I really couldn't figure out a way to make them.  A trip to the grocery store candy isle led me to rock candy on a stick.

Armed with dragees, luster dust, rock candy, and a mallet, I proceeded to make to make jewelry.  The cameos are pretty straightforward, using a chocolate mold and pearl dragees.

The "aquamarine" ring and earrings were made with blue rock candy, a life saver painted with silver luster dust, and little cookies.

The brooch and earrings were also cookies with dragees and pink rock candy.

If you think I am exaggerating the size of vintage earrings, check these out.

If you ever want to get cranky in a hurry, wear a pair of these medieval torture devices earrings with a pair of tight jeans.  Anyway, here is another look at my edible jewelry.

And another look at some of my real jewelry, just because its pretty and fun.

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Gerbera daisy cookies

I used to work in plant merchandising, and mother's day meant one thing - gerbera daisies.

Hundreds and hundreds of them brought by the truckload.  I love their vibrant color.  They aren't the easiest flower to keep in bloom, but they certainly pack quite a punch when freshly planted.  A lot of them will be sold today as mother's day gifts, and they will brighten the day of many deserving moms.  Since I appreciate their color, but don't love their blooming habit, I guess I'll have to eat mine.  Happy mother's day!

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Crystal chandelier cookies

Sometimes inspiration comes to me in the strangest ways.  Like these magnetic colored crystals that I found at Hobby Lobby. 

I love being able to change out the look of my chandelier with the seasons.  I'm not sure how my brain made the jump to cookies, but it did.

And if I'm being honest, I will have to admit to some accidents and missteps along the way.  I meant to have this posted yesterday, and midway through I almost gave up and tossed the idea out.  I'm glad I didn't.

The camera really doesn't do them justice - they are gorgeous in person with the light shining through them. 

I began by finding the shape of a crystal I liked from an online lighting store.  I was able to enlarge it by clicking on the enlarge image area.  Then I traced it again with the smaller version.

I cut this out of paper and then used it to make  templates out of cardboard. 

 I rolled out my sugar cookie dough and cut the shapes out with a knife.  I then used the smaller template to cut an opening in the cookie.  Be sure you also make a hole in the top so they can be hung.

I wanted pastel colored hard candy for the center and I had no idea how difficult it was going to be to find some.  Lifesavers are great for this kind of project, but the colors just weren't cutting it for me.  At long last I found pastel lollypops at the Dollar Tree.  I LOVE the Dollar Tree.  Smash the hard candy in a food saver bag.  This helped me deal with my frustrations of the day.

Now just sprinkle the crushed candy in the holes and bake - note:  I had to bump my baking temperature up from 350 to 375.  Watch them like a hawk because they go from unmelted to burnt in a hurry (not that it happened to me or anything...).  After they come out of the oven, they look like this.

Let them cool completely, then decorate.  I initially used fishing line to string them, but that didn't work well (as in cookie dropping to table and breaking).  A fine craft wire worked wonderfully.  I just made a small loop out of wire and then used tulle to tie the cookies to the chandelier.  Ahhhh, I am finally happy.

Wouldn't these be darling as party favors?  Decorate a little pair of scissors with tulle and let guests snip a cookie down on their way out. 

It is a gorgeous day here and I couldn't resist taking some outside and hanging them in my flowering crabapple tree.

It was breezy, so getting them photographed wasn't the easiest.

I really love the little yellow ones.

I probably shouldn't mention this (it will spoil the mood), but if you did this on a hot humid day they would act like fly strips.  Just sayin.  Anyway, today was lovely and the cookie crystals on the chandelier and in the tree were just right.  At last.

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Edible topiaries for mother's day

The inspiration for this project came to me while sitting in my garden.  The idea - beautiful rose topiary that is completely edible (with the exception of the tiny terra cotta pot and shish kabob skewer), that would look beautiful on a mother's day table. 

Making these tiny topiaries is fairly simple.  What you need to start are:
small terra cotta pots - easily found at most craft stores
shish kabob skewers
cling wrap
recipe of rice krispie treats - I used coco krispies to look more like potting mix
donut holes
royal icing roses - you can either make your own or buy them
royal icing in two shades of green

Begin by lining the terra cotta pots with cling wrap.

Now pack the krispie treat down inside firmly.  It needs to hold up the topiaries, so make sure it is very solid.  Trim away the excess cling wrap.

Insert skewers into pots.

Push donut holes onto skewers.  You can do one, two, or three if your pot is larger.  Here is one I did using a larger pot and three donuts.

Now apply green royal icing.  I used a darker green with a leaf tip, and a yellow green with a star tip to give it more depth and interest. 

Just attach hard icing roses and you are done.

This next picture is very special to me.  It is from a shadow box I made some years ago with photos and hand written recipes from the three most influential women in my life - my mother, grandmother, and great aunt.  There is something so precious about seeing handwriting, especially from my grandmother and great aunt who are no longer with us. 
You can even see the stains on the recipe cards from years of love and use.

Happy mother's day.

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