20 Years, Really?

Well, well, well...those 20 years went by quickly!  

This past weekend was my 20 year high school reunion.  My husband (who was a few years ahead of me at the same school) and I enjoyed a great night of fun, laughter and a little bit of dancing to some of the great classics of the early 90s.

My tiny contribution to the evening was some cookies featuring the South Lakes High School logo.  The cookies were gifts for prizes for some "superlative" winners, committee members and faculty.

Long-time friends from SLHS Class of 1992...we haven't changed a bit, right?

Already looking forward to celebrating 25!

Guess the party...Gift Certificate Contest!

No licensed character cookies, no problem!

I frequently receive requests for cookies to coordinate with a licensed character theme party.  Because I am a small business and obtaining license to use someone else's creative property can be expensive and require quite a bit of time and paperwork, I simply do not make cookies in likenesses of licensed characters.  However, this doesn't mean there can't be themed cookies to coordinate with your party of choice!

These adorable spaceship cookies were used for an "Angry Birds Space" birthday party.  Using the space "theme" and colors inspired by the paper products being used for the party, we were able to create a perfectly coordinated party favor!

 Ready for the contest?

These two sets of cookies were done recently to coordinate with two "character" parties.

Guess the themes of the parties in a comment below and you will be entered to win a $20 gift certificate!  Want to earn another chance to win?  Just share this blog post on your FaceBook or Twitter account or link back from your blog.  Leave a separate comment below for a second entry.

Winning entry will be drawn Friday, October 12th at 10am.

Birthday Set #1 - Purple/Green/White

Birthday Set #2 - Yellow/Red/White/Black

Pssst...You don't have to be right to win, you just have to enter!  And, I'll give you a hint...these kiddie-friendly characters have been beloved (and sometimes even parodied) for several decades.  Happy Guessing!

New Flavors...New Possibilities!

Anyone who knows me knows that, at heart, I am and always will be, a Chocolate Girl.  So, when the incomparable Meghan Streit of Shindig Wedings & Events suggested expanding my business to include additional varieties of cookies for what she terms a "Cookie Bar" I jumped at the chance to develop some new recipes!

Several months ago, just when the holiday sugar rush was coming to an end, I stocked up on some baking goodies (you should have seen the look on the grocery store cashier's face when she saw what was on the belt!) and set to work to develop 5-7 new varieties of cookies.  Two days in the kitchen and untold pounds of chocolate later, I had recipes ready for taste-testing.  15 kind ~ and fabulously honest ~ friends graciously tested all nine recipes.  Some even enlisted spouses and children! And now...

One Creative Cookie proudly debuts nine new varieties of cookies!

 Espresso ~ Triple Chocolate ~ Midnight ~ Triple Chip ~ Toffee Pecan Chaos

Key Lime White Chocolate ~ Molassas ~ Snickerdoodle ~ Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut

Chocolates

Modern Classics

About that bride and groom who wanted a cookie bar in lieu of a cake...Chelsea and Evan were married on May 12th!  I provided over 300 cookies for their guests to enjoy and in record time, not a crumb was left.  I can't wait to see the photographs from the wedding and I promise to share!  In the meantime, you can be dreaming of the occasion for which *you* might like to have a cookie bar!

In case you missed the photos of the Cookie Bar Meghan & I collaborated on in the fall (I did the library stamp edible image cookies in the middle of the table), follow this link: Cramer Photo - Annie + Walt.

 

~~ Finally, a huge Thank You! to Jen Maton of If So Inklined Calligraphy & Illustration for the beautiful tags for the cookies!  Her work is simply stunning!  And it's not just for weddings...she has some beautiful gift ideas, too! ~~

Silver Rattle Baby Shower

I love a shower...particularly a baby shower.

There is just something so warm and happy about welcoming a new little one.  Even, or maybe especially, for second or third (or fourth) babies.  When you have one or more blessings at home, sometimes the anticipation and excitement of preparing for a new baby can sort of get lost in the hustle of daily life.  It's easy to focus on the blessings already in hand and overlook the wonderful months leading up to a new baby joining the family.  A shower gives time for friends and family to gather in honor of the new baby and time for Mom to get a little special treatment, too.

When my {almost unfairly} beautiful and talented friend Gretchen shared the news that Baby No. 2 was on his or her way, the first words out of my mouth were to offer to host a get-together in her honor.  She kindly indulged my enthusiasm and we set a date for a breakfast shower.

The next order of business was to contact the equally {almost unfairly} lovely and talented Louisa of Weehah! Greeting Cards & Invitations.  For nearly 10 years now, I have had a constant stash of Weehah! treasures at the ready for whatever occasion comes up.  I was so in love with the birth announcements Louisa hand-crafted when my youngest was born, that I asked her to use a similar design for Gretchen's shower invitations.  I started with the theme of a silver rattle and Louisa went to town from there.  When they arrived I literally squealed with delight as I took them out of the tissue.  Sadly, I don't have a photo straight on of the invitations, but you can catch a glimpse here.

Finally, I set the menu.  When you cook for a culinary genius {did I mention Gretchen is a Gluten-Free Registered Dietitian, the author of the awe-inspiring Kumquat blog & author of Fast and Simple Gluten-Free:  30 Minutes or Less to Fresh and Classic Favorites?} it could be daunting...fortunately, Gretchen is also kind and modest and most appreciative of any efforts made on her behalf!  It was a simple breakfast of Southwestern Breakfast Casserole, Potatoes, Gluten-Free Cream Biscuits and fruit.  Unfortunately, the most exciting part of the menu, and the only item not gluten-free, was the party-favor rattle cookie. At least Baby Kiddo No. 1 got to enjoy one!

It was a treat to spend the morning with Gretchen and some of her lovely friends, to celebrate Baby No. 2's pending arrival and of course, to bake!

Blueprint for Success - Daily Progress Article

About a month ago, I did some fun cookies for a program at The University of Virginia called the Super Temp Program.  They wanted a festive cookie to reflect the UVA colors and their Super Temp logo.  Here's what we came up with...

Custom Cookies for the UVA Super Temps Program

Luckily for me, there was a reporter for the Daily Progress at the party where the cookies were served and he became interested in tracking down the story behind these locally-made treats.  Nate Delesline contacted me and asked if he could come chat and take a picture or two.  Imagine my surprise and delight when the article ended up being a wonderful half-page article with a full-color picture!  The online version of the article can be found here.  Here is the photo Nate took for the article...

Credit: The Daily Progress/Nate Delesline

Mistletoe Market 2011

On Sunday, Laura Futty, my good friend and the very talented creative mind and hands behind Sweet Tea for Kids joined me at my booth at the Junior League of Charlottesville's 2011 Mistletoe Market.  Aside from generally having a good time hanging out with Laura and my sister, Kristen, the Market was a great opportunity to share One Creative Cookie with friends - old & new!  It was inspirational to rub elbows with some of Charlottesville's most creative and energetic people including Kate Bennis of Redbud Gifts, Jennifer Carroll of Jennifer Carroll Designs, and Stephanie Garcia of The Fete Blog.

Sadly, I didn't have my good camera with me, so these iPhone snapshots will have to do.  I hope they give you a little preview of what's coming for the holidays!

New this year are the reindeer (and reindeer food, seen in the tubes to the right!), the penguin, the candy cane and the red & white star.  I added silver bells to the white and blue winter themed cookie plate this year.  Traditional shapes like trees and snowmen were mixed with modern lightbulbs and adorable hats and mittens.  Did you see the galvanized bucket with winter themed cookies?  It's my new holiday favorite!

The Thanksgiving line-up included the ever-popular turkey gift basket and DIY Turkey Cookie Kits (these sold out in less than 90 minutes!).  As a sweet treat for hostesses and other special folks, a mason jar filled with cookies in seasonal colors and adorned with coordinating ribbon were new and popular.  Of course, Tom Turkey got lots of oohs & ahhs with his bright feathers - Tom comes individually bagged or "planted" in a terra cotta pot and wrapped as a great place card or party favor.

And, if you've got little ones, both boys and girls will love a Christmas tree DIY kit to make cookies for Santa and sprinkling a little Reindeer food on the lawn before donning super cute and comfy Sweet Tea PJs and settling in for the night!  

If you aren't part of our mailing list, please follow this link to join our list - there will be a great holiday special coming out Monday, December 5th!

Why I Love My Job...

Kelly,

Thank you again for creating the most awesome wedding favors ever for us to celebrate our day! We luckily had a few leftover that we enjoyed daily while on our honeymoon in Switzerland.  I wanted to pass along a few pictures from Jen Fariello of your beautiful work!

Thanks again!

Lauren

Thank you, Lauren & Andrew for asking me to be a part of your big day!

And, for taking the time to email me to let me know you enjoyed the cookies at the wedding and beyond!

Thanks also to the infinitely talented Jen Fariello for sharing her gorgeous photographs!

Cheers!

Redbud Gifts..Local Online Gift Giving

I love to shop locally, supporting the "Mom & Pop" shops of Charlottesville that maintain the small-town character of this unique place.  However, occasionally I find that I can't manage another stop in my day or need to shop in the middle of the night.  Enter Redbud Gifts.  In Redbud's own words...

Redbud Gifts is an online gift store for local goods and experiences. Everything sold on the web site originates within 100 miles of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Redbud Gifts features hand-made goods such as jewelry, ceramics, baked goods and toys crafted by local artisans.  Redbud Gifts offers experiences such as dinner delivery, massage, language and music classes.  Redbud Gifts also has a “Big Gift” category featuring gifts of over 1,000.00 for purchase by an individual or a group.  “Big Gifts” includes filmmaking, party bands, organic local catered parties, and backyard structures like gazebos and chicken coops.  Redbud Gifts also provides a way to give donations as gifts.  All items and packages on the site are exclusive to Redbud Gifts.

Redbud Gifts went live last week and I was thrilled to be able to participate in the Opening Party {in cookies if not in person}!  Here is a little taste of the arrangement and Cookie Coins that I provided for the party.

Want to learn more?  Want to see the One Creative Cookie exclusives? 

Check out Redbud Gifts online boutique...www.RedbudGifts.com 

Happy Gifting!



Edible Image Cookies...6 Examples, Endless Possibilities!

As much as I love hand-piping details and logos and watching a multi-layered design come to life, there is just something so amazing about being able to reproduce just about anything onto a cookie...

if it can be printed, I can put it on a cookie! 

So just how does this work?  Simply put it is a very thin sheet of icing onto which images are printed with food coloring "inks".  The images are then applied to the cookies with a delicious layer of our signature icing.

A thank you gift from the amazing Dr. Jennifer Dixon to a colleague.

These photo cookies were a party favor ordered as a
surprise by thoughtful husband for his wife's birthday.

This was just a little something I was playing around with.

And finally, utilizing the logos created to celebrate two weddings.

Do you have a drawing your children made?  A "vintage" school photo?  A fun way to share a photo of the newest addition to your family?  The possibilities are endless!  What will be your signature cookie?

To see more cookies using the edible image technique view our
"Logo" Gallery...http://www.onecreativecookie.com/