even more cookie-ing

ever since i discovered a ton of awesome cookiers through their blogs, i've been obsessed with practicing my design skills on these edible canvases.  of course, with everything else going on in my life, there's just never enough time to do it all.

last week, i managed to carve out a little time to mix up some sugar cookie dough, roll it, and cut and bake some fun new shapes.  i wanted to play with some ideas i had bouncing around in my head (i even made a list, how lame am i?), and was dying to give them a shot.

except that this came up, and that had to be done, and more of this was first priority, and so on and so forth.  so i had the cookies all cut out and sitting in an airtight container, just begging to be decorated.  i've learned that the part i love the least about this process is making up all of the different colors and consistencies of icing required to achieve my cookie fantasies.  and so it took a whole day for me to find time to make a batch of the stuff, divide it into a bunch of little tubs, and color it all.  ugh.

the red was the biggest pain in the ass.  i was using the all-natural food coloring gel i'd bought, to test it out and see how bright it could get.  and it took a lot of freaking product to get it this color.  bah!

i also needed to make brown, but couldn't seem to get it dark enough with the dye (again, using the natural stuff).  i ended up dumping a little cocoa powder in it to help it along, which actually made it smell and taste wonderful.

with just enough time to do some outlining and flooding, i got to work.  first, some super fun ones that were really easy to do:

i love these.  is it a donut?  is it a cookie?  i just can't decide.  heh.  the bean enjoyed it:

and then on to these:

see that crazy marbling in the pink hearts?  yeah, it's not supposed to look like that.  it just means i didn't quite mix the color in as thoroughly as it needed to be.  such an impatient mofo, i am.  and then i got a little overzealous with this one.  when i tweeted a picture of it, my friend lilcee said "ew, it looks like it's bleeding."

borrowing an idea from those gross candy conversation hearts that we're always bombarded with at valentine's day, i made these:

and let me tell you, i thought of doing these anti-valentine's/emo/angry cookies while bored at work, and couldn't stop giggling at the thought.  i was seriously cracking up as i made a list of stuff to write.

i bet you somebody out there has somebody they'd like to give those to.  right?

the girls on twitter have been aflutter over this palette of pretty, neutral eyeshadows by urban decay - oh-so-sexily named "naked."  i'd resisted the temptation for a long time (not to mention, the thing was so popular it was sold out everywhere for a long time), but when one of the girls mentioned having an extra one, i jumped at the chance to buy it from her.

and where am i going with this?  well, it took a ridiculous amount of mixing tiny dabs of frosting to make this:

and it's so not even perfect.  the "mirror" is all blobby and uneven and full of little air bubbles, the "naked" looks like a two-year-old wrote it, i don't even have the right number of "shadows," my "eyeliner" is the wrong color because i dumped the black icing before i thought of it, and some of the colors are wacked out because the frosting was either too runny or too thick.  oh, well.  i still got a kick out of it.

this last one was actually inspired by the cupcake boxes at work.  i wanted to make a replica of the shop's logo and add it on, but i ran out of patience.  and besides, i really dig how cute the multicolor dots look against the dark brown base.  they actually remind me of the chocolate chip ball i'm helping to coordinate with my junior league sisters.

i made a volleyball, too, but i guess i didn't take a picture of it.  i want to make a bunch and hand them out after the teen's last game.  actually, i likely didn't take a picture of it because i screwed up one of the lines with my black icing and it looked a little wonky.  but other than that one stupid little line, it was pretty darn cute.  heh.

practice makes perfect, right?  and with my last day at dots coming up in a little over a week, i'm thinking that the wan house is always going to have little frosted tidbits at hand.  some will be cute, some might not be, but at least they'll be scrumptious.

the veronawan blog sale

so, i'm still doing the stella & dot thing.  i'm not as active as i wanted to be, but i'm really kind of an awful salesperson.  sort of.  i think i do a good job of talking up the products and helping to show off the cute stuff we have to offer, but i'm just not a great closer.  and i'm probably not as...well, how to put this?...pushy as i should be.  that's the last thing i want to be, but you get what i mean, right?

anyway, they revamp the line twice a year - spring and fall.  it seems like i just bought some of the new fall line to display at trunk shows, and all of a sudden the spring line is out already.  crap.  so i picked out some of the pieces i liked best and ordered some of the new catalogs, but i find myself with a number of pieces that aren't available anymore.  i can't show them anymore because they're out of stock, and i can't even wear all of the jewelry i have as it is.  i only have one neck, can only wear one pair of earrings at a time, and i don't even really get out all that much anyway.  plus, i never really learned how to style it as well as the other stella girls do - i still suck at it.  heh.

plus, with my upcoming FUN-employed status, i can't be spending any more money on sample jewels (as much as i want to, because i didn't get to order nearly as many of the fabulous new pieces as i would've liked).  so i'm just throwing this out there, in case anyone's interested - a blog sample sale, if you will.  don't smack me.  i've been putting this off for ages, but i got to thinking that the last blog sale i did went over pretty well, and i figure maybe some of you might like to scoop up some fun stuff.  these pieces are marked more than 50% off, have hardly (if ever) been worn, and i still have all of the original packaging, too.

this is the piece i wore most often at the trunk shows i did last spring/summer.  it's the "sayulita statement necklace," and it originally retailed for $178.  still in perfect condition, and perfect with a simple tank and jeans, or a pretty white dress.

price:  $60  SOLD!

the "byblos crystal chandelier necklace."  i literally wore this once - at our annual wan family photo shoot.  original retail $148, currently available on last-chance clearance for $111.

price:  $75

sorry that this is a supersmall picture, but because it's no longer available on the site, it's the best i got.  it's the "delia triple strand necklace," with glass pearls and smoky glass beads.  it's really pretty, and it was originally $98.


price:  $40  RESERVED!

this one is a super fun color - the "palm necklace with starfish brooch."  those are chartreuse glass beads on a turquoise silk thread, with a detachable pavé crystal brooch.  original retail $98, and was never worn.


price:  $40  SOLD!

i actually really liked this piece - the "cortez bib necklace."  it's made of chocolate-brown suede with hand-knotted glass beads, and ties in the back. i always got compliments when i wore it, and it really dresses up a plain tee or tank.  original retail $148.


price:  $50  SOLD!
  

this one is really similar to the sayulita necklace - the "st. tropez statement necklace."  silk-wrapped and hand-knotted beads attached to an ivory grosgrain ribbon adorned with swarovski crystals.  originally $178.


price:  $50  SOLD!

the "adele cuff" bracelet was super popular and was often on backorder.  original price $64.


price:  $25  RESERVED!

the "lily" ring is adjustable and fits ring sizes 5-9.  14K gold-plated band, originally $44.


price:  $15  RESERVED!

the "starfish earrings" are silver plated with surgical steel posts.  they go perfectly with the palm necklace, or any of the turquoise-y pieces in the line.  originally $34.


price:  $10  SOLD!

these are the "bloom flower charms" - a set of three hand-painted flower charms that would fit on any charm bracelet.  never worn, original retail $39.


price:  $10

the "sofia cluster ring (smoky)" is adjustable and fits ring sizes 5-9.  freshwater pearls and smoky glass beads, it goes perfectly with the delia triple stand necklace.


price:  $10  RESERVED!

the "uma silk wrap necklace" is a really pretty piece in my most favoritest color.  it's made of silk-covered beads and goes from light pink to hot pink.  originally $49, available on the site as a last-chance clearance item for $40.


price:  $15  SOLD!

the "uma flower" is a double-duty piece.  it's got both a pin and a hair clip on the back, and you can wear it as an accent to the uma necklace.  slightly frayed on the edges for a vintage-y look.  original price $39.


price:  $10  SOLD!




if you're interested in any of it, leave me a comment with your e-mail address or just drop me a note directly.  none of the prices i've listed are set in stone - i'd really love for someone to rock it instead of having it sitting around in my jewelry box. 


and if you'd like one of the new spring line catalogs, let me know.  you can always check out all of the goods on my website, and hey, if you want, order online too.  heh.


this concludes my completely selfish post created purely for personal gain.  thank you, g'night.


edited to add:  wow, you guys are on it.  if i'd have known you'd go crazy over this stuff, i'd have listed it weeks ago!  i'll post again soon as i'm finding other pieces available to sell.  yay!

beer macarons. yeah, i went there

it actually wasn't my idea.  a friend of a friend threw it out there as she was asking me to make some valentine's day cookies for her.  she said her husband was a huge belgian beer fan and she was wondering if i thought i could incorporate it into a macaron somehow.

i'm not typically all about making my own recipes.  i like using tried-and-true ones, and hoping that my stab at it turns out well.  but i was feeling up to a challenge, and there had to be someone who'd already tried it - or so i thought.

i googled and googled, and - nothing.  but then i got to thinking:  what if i just boiled that beer down into a syrup?  reduce the crap out of it until it's thickened and the flavor is really concentrated, and then stir it into a thick buttercream as the filling?

i decided to give it a shot.  she'd also asked if i could use natural food coloring as they were trying to avoid artificial dyes for their family, and so i found it online.  this was the first time i got to try it out - i wondered if it would be as vibrant as the regular gel colorings i typically use.

i mixed up the macaron batter easily, going by memory on the measurements.  and the color looked pretty good, yes?

while i let them sit out to dry, i got started on that beer syrup.

when the hour was up, the beer was still reducing and the house smelled really...funky.  i popped the macarons into the oven and got busy working on other stuff as they baked.  they looked good, and i was happy to have them done.

except that they...weren't.  they were so sticky that i couldn't get them off of the parchment paper in one piece, and i got so frustrated i just tossed both sheets right into the trash and decided to start again the next day.  gah!

the beer had dwindled down to just a few tablespoons' worth, but was still rather thin.  i tossed some brown sugar into it and it thickened up nicely.

the next day, i redid the macarons.  somehow, they turned out just like the first batch.  i think i'm baking them at the wrong temperature.  WTF did i do differently from a couple of weeks ago?  ugh.  but i didn't have time to play around, so i used the few usable shells i had and filled them with the buttercream i'd made.  i did a simple butter and sugar mixture and then used some of the leftover beer in place of the liquid.  i folded in about a tablespoonful of that beer syrup, and while it was a little...odd, i figured it was because i 1. hate beer and 2. wasn't used to the smell of the dark belgian stuff.

i force-fed one to the hub, who reluctantly admitted that it was pretty good, and MIL said she thought it tasted a little butterscotch-y.  the teen thought it was good too, and so all that feedback was good enough for me.

at my junior league meeting (where i test out a lot of my experiments lately), they went over pretty well.  i brought about ten macarons, and there was half of one left by the time the meeting adjourned.  all in all, i think the friend-of-a-friend will be happy with them.

at least, i hope so.  we'll see in a week and a half!

irritated

had to dump an entire batch of macaron shells because they were a complete FAIL.

no time to finish icing some practice sugar cookies because i started so late after making dinner (which was not a fail, thank goodness).  there are some really fun designs in there, too.

my hair is awful.  i hate it and i want to chop it, but i don't know what i want to do with it.  i'm torn between giving in and chopping, or sucking it up so it's long-ish for my cousin R's wedding.  in may.

i'm so sick of driving in traffic.

but, on the flip side:

the teen passed her online driver's ed course!  the certificate is being mailed and her appointment at the DMV is coming up to get her learner's permit.  i'm excited to have her drive me around while she practices.  "home, james!"

hello kitty pajamas.  'nuff said.

the weather is beautiful.  sunny, but cold.  well, cold for us.  my thoughts are with all of you who are dealing with REAL cold right now.

i'm helping plan R's bachelorette and bridal shower.  i've missed this kind of party planning!

finally picked up a book that might help me with my issues.

found a couple more interesting ones - one that i'd really like, the other was just fun to giggle through.

and lastly, this.

of course, we've taught her not to do this on the regular.  what kind of parents do you think we ARE?

lemony goodness...and a winner!

wow, so many entries for the cookie giveaway!  i was excited as i read every comment and re-tweet.  you guys all have some wonderful things happening in your lives right now!  made me extra glad to use random.org to pick a winner - because i would never have been able to choose someone myself.  babies, houses, weddings, birthdays, so much awesomeness!  i want to make cookies for all of you.  heh.

but of course, there could be just one winner...this time.  drumroll please:

yay for cara!  drop me an e-mail and we'll coordinate what and when.  thanks, everyone, for entering!  i may very well do this again soon.  i'm having way too much fun making these cookies, and unfortunately for me i love the taste of them.  a lot.  ha!

in other news, i was trying to think of how i could possibly save at least some of the citrusy bounty in the back yard.  we have so many lemons and oranges back there, and i hate the idea of it going to waste.

so after consulting my friend google for freezing tips, i decided that the best way to handle it would be to zest a bunch of fruit, freeze the aromatic bits in thick ziploc bags, juice them and freeze it in ice cube trays.

and then i mixed up a bit of zest with some water and vodka to make my own lemon extract to use in cookies and frostings and stuff.  that stuff is pricey at the grocery store, and if i'd known how easy (and cheap!) it was to do, i'd have done it ages ago.

the bean played in the back yard while i picked oranges.

and then she watched as i zested and juiced them.

i sure know how to have a good time, huh?

by the way...if you have great recipes using lemons or oranges, send 'em my way!  i'd love to try some new stuff.  might as well make the most of what i've got.