Holiday Cookies~

I've recently started working with a local cookie cutter company, R & M International Corp.

They supply me with the cutters, and I get down to business. In this case it's prepping for Christmas and the fun holiday season...

{Okay, these are from my own cookie cutter collection, but I thought they turned out so cute, I had to add them.}

My cookies even appear on the box of their new cookie press! If you've never used a cookie press before, I'd highly recommend it. This one was so simple, no rolling or cutters involved. When you're baking for large crowds, and don't have a lot of time, this thing will be your best friend. 

My First Cookie Decorating Workshop!

 I recently taught my very first cookie decorating workshop, and lOvEd it!!!
Maybe it was the adorable group of ladies, or my awesome hostess, Jess, but we all had a blast!!

The class was held at The Craftery; local friends- crafty or not, if you like fun times...or even if you're super boring and need something to get you off the sofa at night, The Craftery is it!!!

 

My cookie-loving students learned 3 different techniques to decorate their one dozen heart-shaped cookies...

 

We used royal icing with sanding sugars (quick and easy peasy).

Some were made to look like chalkboards:

 

Others were stamped with sweet sentiments, then filled in with food coloring... this is by far my favorite look for customizing cookies!

 

               ...and just like that, a plain 'ol cookie is turned into a gift:

Keep your eyes peeled for more Frog prince cake &; cookie design workshops coming up this summer...follow me on Instagram at frprince for updates and my latest creations. xo

                (that's Jess's adorable daughter).

Jess is the owner of The Craftery...

Established in Fall of 2014, The Craftery is the first of it's kind in Bucks County, blending the party-like atmosphere of a Girl's Night with creative crafts and DIY projects that will impress even the toughest critics! The Craftery also offers workshops for creatives that will take basic crafting skills to the next level.  So whether you're looking to perfect your craft or rock a night out with your gal pals, The Craftery is the place to be!  

Jessica Jackson started her love affair of design and crafting when she bought her first house. Luckily, she had a best friend, Monica, who was just as into home decor as she was. On a whim, they started the blog, East Coast Creative which rapidly grew into a successful site with thousands of readers. That blog is still going strong under the direction of Monica- you should totally check it out! It has tons of amazing, attainable DIY ideas for your home.

Knock it Off ~ TV Premiere Party

Hey, guys!  So do you remember the kitchen/dining room makeover that I told you we had done? It was televised and SO much fun... I can't think of anything I didn't love about the experience.  One of the best parts, besides my awesome new work space, was meeting local bloggers and TV hosts, Monica and Jess.  Their blog, East Coast Creative is the inspiration for their new TV show, Knock it Off!  On the show they take what seems like a hopeless cause-of-a-room (ie; my kitchen) and transform it using their amazing and affordable DIY techniques. 

 

While filming my episode we were casually discussing the show's premiere party when I realized that they were planning the entire event themselves...between juggling a TV show, a blog and their families?!! That's when I stepped in...

               Welcome to The Knock it Off Premiere Party!

 Up until this point I had only styled small, family parties.  This party had over 200 guests!!!  It was a collaborative effort by so many amazing businesses. Check it out...

Monica and Jess greeted their guests at the door.  It was a great way to make sure they could meet everyone who came to their party without missing anyone.  These amazing, huge tassel balloons by Tara from One Stylish Party adorned the entrance.  The tassels reflect the color scheme that ran throughout the party... orange, turquoise, and lime green are the colors from the show's logo.  I threw in the tan/craft paper to represent the DIY aspect of the show.

See the red carpet and backdrop in the background?  Guests felt like VIP's as they posed for photos...
Lauren, the amazing talent behind ten23Designs created the vinyl logos for this step and repeat backdrop. So glam...

       even Monica and Jess got in on the action!! (How cute is Jess's baby bump!!)

 

And what's a premiere without a marquee sign?  (I made this sign for less than $30!!)

Here's a great tutorial.

 

 

 Don't you love this pinwheel banner by Jaclyn of Peckled?  You can make a big statement with a banner, and pinwheels like these are really popular party decorations right now.

 We had a huge space to decorate so I used pinwheels several different ways.  These sparkly, logo pinwheels made by Valerie of Greyson Design were hanging from the ceiling.  They added such a fun pop of color.

 

            How SWEET is this custom chalkboard sign?!! Nikki from Nikki, In Stitches is the most creative person I've ever met! (she's even been on Craft Wars on TLC!!) She made all of the chalkboard signs for the party: food, drinks, and sweets.

 

We went through LOTS of cupcakes! I made vanilla, chocolate, and oreo mini cupcake bites, sugar cookies, and chocolate-dipped marshmallows.  The signs were so much fun to make and practically free to do.  I just hand stamped paint stirrers from the paint store...

 

 

I made the table runner using a roll of dollar store craft paper and this beautiful, ruffle garland made by Jenny from Craft That Party.  Jenny also made these precious peg dolls of Monica and Jess...

 

 

Here's a cool side by side:

 

 

After the guests had a chance to mingle and eat it was time to watch the premiere!!  Everyone grabbed some kettle corn and settled in for the show...which is amazing by the way!! 

 

 

I found these cute, scalloped popcorn containers at Oriental trading.

 Another inexpensive...well...free way to decorate is to cut up paint samples in coordinating colors and string them on twine to use as bunting. 

The popcorn "table" is actually a door that I painted to mimic the one in the show's logo...

 

  

 These lollies and mini tool key chains (that actually work!) were take home favors for the guests.  To make the centerpieces, I filled these little, clear paint buckets from Oriental Trading with floral foam, crepe paper, and glow lights, so they would glow in the dark.  Then I popped in delicious, custom lollipops with the show's logo on them.  They were made by Cheryl of Vintage Confections.  She creates edible works of art and has been featured in Brides Magazine as well as Martha Stewart Living.  I used double stick tape to add these adorable, glittery logo flowers by Valerie of Greyson Design to tie it all together.

                 Knock it off!!!  These are so cute!!!

                         Hope you liked it!!  We did!! xo

 

 

 Helpers~ I chose these shops because each is professional, has the highest standards in the quality of their work and an amazing eye for detail.

Find their shops here:

Photographer ~ Nicole of Expressions by Nicole Marie
                                                  Me and Nicole :)

Peckled~ pinwheel decorations and sign
Nikki, In Stitches~ chalkboard signs
Greyson Design~ logo pinwheels, centerpiece logo flowers, mini bunting, water bottle labels
Vintage Confections~ custom logo lollipops
Craft That Party~ custom peg dolls, crepe paper ruffles
One Stylish Party~ huge tassel balloons
ten23Designs~ custom vinyl logos
Oriental Trading~ red carpet, glow sticks, scalloped popcorn containers, small paint cans, mini tool key rings, turquoise napkins

Oriental Trading provided products for this event.  All opinions are my own.
.

 

 

 

Fondant, Favor Cookies {A Tutorial!}

Have you ever decorated sugar cookies? 

  Some cookiers {is that even a word?} prefer decorating their cookies with royal icing, ya know the stuff you use on gingerbread houses.  It goes on wet and dries very hard.  It's great for creating tiny details and intricate designs but in my opinion is not always user friendly.  I like to use fondant to decorate my sugar cookies.  I like the way it tastes (some brands are much better than others), and most of all I love the 3D effects you can achieve without a tremendous amount of effort. 
A friend of mine who makes delicious, gluten free cookies asked me to do a fondant tutorial for her.  So D, this is for you!! {check out her blog, it's very cool!!)

I made these cookies to be used as favors for a bridal shower and think they are something that anyone from a beginner to a professional can and will want to try.  

Once you find a cookie recipe you like, bake your cookies and let them cool completely before you start decorating.  Fondant is temperature sensitive and I can testify that it will melt if it isn't used AND kept at room temperature.  (Sadly, the air conditioning in my car went out just in time for my sister, Carrie's 50th birthday party on a 90+ degree, August day.  What she ended up with for a cake was...let's just say, messy but delicious!!)
  Back to the cookies~

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
cookies to decorate
fondant
food coloring (2 different colors)
powdered sugar (for rolling out your fondant)
fondant rolling pin (if you don't have one a regular rolling pin should work too)
corn syrup
water
small and large paint brushes
patterned stamp (mine is from Michaels craft store)
letter stamps (also from Michaels~clay section)
royal icing (you can buy a mix or make your own)
edible glitter

I find it's easiest to use corn syrup in a squeeze bottle.  You can squeeze out as much or as little as you'd like.  The other option would be to paint it on with a small paint brush used only for this purpose.

 

 I was asked to make cookies to match these pretty, bridal shower invitations.  I started my search for the perfect stamp to use to mimic the filigree and was SO happy when I found the one below at a local craft store!

I added the food coloring little by little until I had a perfect match to the invitation.  Using a little powdered sugar sprinkled on a piece of parchment, I rolled the fondant pretty thin. (around 1/16th of an inch)  You want is as thin as possible because you're going to be using 2 layers of fondant for this design and fondant is very sweet!

Place your stamp down and roll over it with your rolling pin. (pressing firmly but not too hard or the fondant will stick to the stamp.  Adding a little powdered sugar to the top of the fondant should keep it from sticking).

 

 Cut out a circle with your large cutter and press it onto the corn syrup-covered cookie.

 

Follow the same steps for the smaller inside circle.  I recommend stamping your monogram first, then cutting it out.  Add a dab of water to the back of your small circle and press it down to stick it to the larger circle.  Brush the entire cookie with edible glitter such as pearl dust, it makes the filagree POP!

*You could actually stop here, let your cookies sit out for a few hours until the fondant is firm then wrap them in cellophane bags and tie them with a coordinating ribbon.

 

OR...for the more experienced (or daring) decorators, use a pastry bag filled with royal icing and a #2 tip to pipe borders around both circles.  If you do this, I'd recommend letting the cookies sit out overnight before placing them in bags.

 

I hope this was easy to follow.  If not, I'd be happy to answer any questions....for a fee...just kidding!! . 

 

  

Here are some cupcakes and a cake  that I made that same weekend.  I just love the fall colors, don't you?!!

 

 

 

Happy FALL and Happy decorating!!!

xo

You can also find this tutorial on:

 

.

"Stayin' Cool in the Pool" Cupcake Tutorial {Featured in Bird's Party Magazine, Issue 5}

  It has been so warm here in Pennsylvania these past few days.  My girls and I are wishing the local pool my family belongs to would open but we still have over a month to wait!!!

In the meantime, these little cuties have already made it into the pool, AND into the newest issue of 
Bird's Party Magazine Spring/Summer 2012!!! YAY!!! 

  If you've visited my blog before, you know all about Bird's Party.  If  not, you NEED to get over there and check out all of the party inspiration, printables, tutorials, even freebies!  Bird is one of the most genuinely kind, party girls out there and her almost 13,000 Facebook fans can't be wrong...She is IT when it comes to planning your next party.  I am honored and humbled to be included as a member of her magazine's editorial team.  You can buy a paper copy of the Spring/Summer Magazine HERE!

 Though it isn't quite summer yet in Pennsylvania, I'm sure many of you out there are donning your bathing suits as we speak.  (yes, I'm jealous!!)  Impress your guests, the next time you entertain, by whipping up a batch of these EASY cupcakes... You can view a full tutorial {FREE} in the ezine!  (pgs. 122-123).

Don't forget to check out the rest of the magazine.  The talent within the pages left me breathless!! ♥

 A special THANKS to~

Nicole Francisco,  Expressions by Nicole Marie

*Photographer

Emily Welch,  Magnolia Creative

*"Happy Summer" bunting

Laura Londergan,  Eye Candy Event Details

*Ad design