Happy Halloween!

Even if I don't have any orders...

I just can't seem to let a holiday go by without making some cookies.

My "littles" that I watch during the day are always happy to be my taste testers!

Snack-time rolls around and even the littlest ones will say, "Cookie?!?"

They've come to expect Ms. Melody's cookies, LOL!

I didn't go all out fancy with this batch.

I knew they weren't for an order, so there weren't any "expectations".

I just had fun and added lots of sanding sugar, jimmies, and sprinkles.

The "littles" prefer FUN over FANCY anyway!
And although I do have an appreciation for cookie art...when I'm EATING a cookie, the good old fashioned frosted ones with sprinkles are by far my favorite!

Halloween Candy!

 These have to be some of my favorite cookies to make!

CANDY CORN and CANDY PIECES!

The colors themselves just POP and scream autumn, don't ya think?

 I added a touch of sanding sugar to the edges of the candy corn.

I just love the look and also the bit of "crunch" sanding sugar adds to sugar cookies!

 These candy pieces were fun to make too.

I added some sprinkles to the center because...

SPRINKLES MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER!

 Aren't they festive?

I'll be squeezing in a few more Halloween goodies before the holiday.

Be watching for more goodies to come!

 



Belated Halloween Cookies...

Better late than never!

That has become my motto with blogging lately.

Oh well, it's true!

Here are a few Halloween cookies I pumped out this season!

It's getting tougher and tougher to practice, because my three guys aren't big sugar cookie fans!

So who do I push off lovingly give my sugar cookies to when I practice?

Hehe!

My daycare kiddos LOVE my cookies!

And I LOVE to bake for them!

But...as we all know...one can't give too much sugar to little ones.

They tend to get a little hyper...

And not eat their healthy lunch...

So I have to watch how often I hand them out, LOL!

These I actually made specifically for them as Halloween treats.

We had a Halloween party with the daycare kiddos and I sent goodie bags home with each of them.

Instead of filling bags with candy, I sent a bag with 5 decorated cookies, Halloween pencils, rings, toys, glow bracelets, etc.

I think they were pretty happy.

And when I'm able to give away decorated cookies...

It spreads the word...about my baking...which is good for business!
Woohoo!

The Last Of Halloween 2011...And A New Beginning For Me!

These ghost cookies turned out to be, probably some of the best cookies I've made since I started cake and cookie decorating.

But they represent much more than that.

I volunteered to make these cookies for my youngest son's Halloween party.

Little did I realize what they would do for me!

I had fun making them, and that was really all it started out to be.

I was pleased with the outcome, as I said, they are some of my favorites and best to date.

However...

As I walked into the school door, all the moms and teachers in the hallway started pointing at them and saying how cute they were!

Yay!

That was a nice feeling.

Then, I got into my son's classroom and his teacher just GUSHED over them!

Another mom said to her son, "Ryan, you didn't get one of those ghost cookies!  Go get one of those adorable ghost cookies!"

Too funny.  That made my day.

Several moms came over and asked if "I" was the one who made the ghost cookies.

I had a neighbor come up to me in the hall and tell me that her son was assigned treats for the Valentine's Day party and she asked if she could pay me to make them for her!

I went home feeling pretty good.

But it didn't stop there.

I got to the bus stop with my son the day after Halloween and another mom of a girl in my son's class said to me, "Did you make the ghost cookies?  My daughter couldn't stop talking about how cute the ghost cookies were!  She wouldn't even eat it until she brought it home to show everyone in the family how cute it was!"

As this mom talked to me, another mom next to us said, "Do you have pamphlets, or business cards?  How about a website?"

Well...at that time, I didn't.

I told them I had a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a blog set up, but I hadn't really taken any orders yet.

They encouraged me to do so!

So...

I did just that!

I came home, I promptly ordered some business cards...

And I'm in the middle of creating my website!

Fun times!

I will mostly be taking orders from friends and family, I assume.

But it's still encouraging for now!

This is what I've dreamed of.

What I've hoped for.

What I've prayed for.

Even if it's just a little side business, to bring me joy and a little extra cash...

Hey...it's MORE than I ever dreamed of!

I'm so excited and encouraged!

Who'd have thought a couple little ghost cookies could bring so much positive attention to my baking?!?

I ((((((heart)))))) Halloween!

I am worse than a kid in a candy shop.

I will admit it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE HALLOWEEN!

I guess maybe I never grew up.

I love dressing up (in costume)!

I love digging out all my Halloween shirts and jewelry!

I love pulling out all my decorations for my home and yard!

I love baking and cooking for Halloween!

Next to Christmas and Easter...it's my favorite time of year!

I got some new cookie cutters a couple weeks ago and tried them out this week.

The witches and cauldron were some of my favorites!

As were the bats and black cats!

My youngest son was particularly fond of "Frank" (enstein)...

I didn't do much with these little haunted houses, as I don't really have much experience yet with "detailing" cookies.

But I loved the grave-stone and bats!

I wasn't real thrilled with the jack-o-lanterns either, but my son loved them...so that's all that matters in my book, LOL!

The candy corns were A LOT of fun!

Though they did turn out nearly flourescent!  LOL!

I'm hoping to do another "round" of Halloween cookies soon...

Planning to make some for my son's class party and also my daycare kiddos!

More pics to come soon!

A Few More Halloween Cookies...

I decorated a few more Halloween cookies.

Still having issues with my Royal Icing.

Although...

I'm wondering if I've discovered a link to the runny icing and what just may be the cause!

My Kitchen Aid Mixer is on the same counter just above where my dishwasher is.

I have had my dishwasher running numerous times when baking/decorating.

Well, let me tell you...my dishwasher puts out an ENORMOUS amount of heat and steam when operating.

I'm wondering...just maybe...if all that moisture/humidity seaping out was the cause to my runny icing?

Who knows.

One can never tell with Royal Icing.

But hey, it's worth placing the blame somewhere, right?

LOL!

These were a few simple spiders I did.

My youngest son loved them.

Their bodies are actually made from some pre-made "flower centers" that I had made a while back and frozen.

I planned on using them for flower centers.

But...

When I saw I had purple, I thought they'd coordinate nicely with the Halloween color scheme.

Plus, my youngest LOVES purple!

Teehee!

They're simple...but we like them!

Halloween Cookies...just a bit early!

I thought I'd get a jump and start practicing some Halloween cookies.

Well, as it turns out...it's a good thing I started practicing early!

It was another BAD day for Royal Icing.

I am still, to this day, trying to figure out why some days, it turns out with shear perfection!

Then there are other days, it is a gooey, non-drying mess!

They still tasted good, none the less.

But if you have any ideas, suggestions, or tips...

PLEASE leave them in the comment section!  LOL!

I'd love the advice!

I had better luck when I first started nearly a year ago!

I'm hoping maybe it was just the humidity/weather.

But who knows.

I'd love to hear your experiences with Royal Icing!