Adventures in Cookies

*Please excuse the poor picture quality in this post*

A few months ago, I tried my hand at making iced sugar cookies for the first time.  *Cute, themed cookies...not just icing and sprinkles*  It all started with the request for Minnie Mouse cookies for Lily's 3rd Birthday Party.

They were far from perfect.  HOWEVER, I was fairly impressed with the results of my first adventure in this type of cookie decorating.  AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS. :)  Great party favors for Lily's friends.

The first step in this  endeavor was finding the perfect sugar cookie recipe.  Well, that part was pretty easy...and lead to my obsession with the blog I found the recipe on.  -  Recipe for the Best Sugar Cookies EVER
Please look around this talented lady's blog for a few minutes.  I'm willing to bet that you are impressed with her in no time.  It is cookie art.  I will only ever dream of being as good at decorated cookies as Sweet Sugarbelle.  Instead, I will simply continue to draw inspiration from her posts.

After making semi-pretty cookies once, somehow, word spread.   This past week, a very sweet friend asked if I could make some cookies for a baby shower she was hosting.  I must admit, I was very nervous about making something for somebody outside of the family. *My family HAS to continue loving me and thinking I'm awesome.  They are the guinea pigs.*  Despite my anxiety, I agreed to take on baby cookies.

I had a bit of a practice session while my sister was over one evening.  So, the next picture of cookies is not to be taken very seriously.  ESPECIALLY the one that I am so "proudly" holding up for display.  It was the only picture I took of the practice session, and as you can tell, it was meant to be sent to Jeff  *my wonderful boyfriend* as a bit of a joke.  The Jeff cookie is totally ugly, but look around at the cookies in the background.  It's so much fun to experiment and see what you can do with them!

I fell in love with the two patterns just behind the Jeff cookie.  I even tried my hand at a houndstooth print!!  It was cute, but I would need some serious practice before actually making them for anybody.

A few days later, it was time for the real deal.  *Again, these are not high quality pictures, but they are what I have*

I had so much fun making these!  My friend was so pleased with the finished product.

Hopefully, I will only get better with a bit more experience.  Practice makes perfect!!

Time for a BIG GIRL bed!

The thing about kids...they grow REALLY fast.  Every time I see my niece, Lily, I can't help but notice how tall she looks or how long her hair is!  This means, she is ready to move out of her first bed and into a BIG GIRL BED.  Her mom told me that she has asked for a pink bed. *Because pink is her FAVORITE color.  Just ask her.*

Lily's mom has been on the lookout for the perfect new bedding for the big girl bed.  We searched through IKEA...looked at quilts...talked about making quilts....you name it.  Finally, she found EXACTLY what she was looking for.

This tutorial for a twin size duvet cover is so great!  You can also alter it to standard measurements for a full, queen, or even king size cover.  I'm including the link for the tutorial, just in case you want to give it a try.
http://sew4home.com/projects/bed-linens/357-stylish-baby-nursery-twin-bed-duvet-cover

Lily's mom didn't want to go with such bold colors for the big girl room, so off to the fabric store she went.  You should also know that she took my Interior Designer sister along to help make choices.

I'm not gonna lie, when they showed me the fabric they picked, I got SO excited!

Do you love it as much as I do?  I think it is completely precious and oh so stylish.  I've been working on it over the past couple of days and think I will be finishing up very soon!
I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished product.


In a mostly unrelated note....Have you met Margo?!  My second, sweet little niece was born September 29!  She was 7 lbs and 2 oz. and such a healthy baby.  She is beautiful and I can't help but just stare at her when I hold her.

I could just eat her up!  Maybe someday I'll get to make her big girl bedding, too!