Tuesday, April 21, 2009

New Header!

I have finally started to personalize this boring website a little more! Special thanks to my boyfriend, Nick... that talented little graphic designer. He made me that logo at the top of the page that is also featured on my flyers. Yay!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

My Easter/Spring Batch

I decided to hone my craft this year and create some springy Easter cookies to give to family rather than buy cards or flowers. There were four shapes, two being Easter-themed and two others being more springtime-themed. There were Easter eggs (which were large!), chicks hatching out of eggs, butterflies, and flowers.



I was able to make each egg different, which pleased me.



The chicks were definitely the plainest of all the cookies, but I just had to include them since I was lacking an Easter bunny. At the time, I had wished that I could have given them black eyes rather than white ones, but because these cookies were done for free, I didn't have it in me to make another batch of icing just for a few black dots. They were cute, anyway!


I'm disappointed with how small these became once I put them all together into one picture, but you can see the detail well enough. There were two butterflies of each color, and I was able to pipe different designs on each one. I picked my favorite of each color to show as an example =) I thought they were so ornate! These, along with the flowers, were the most difficult. Creating symmetrical designs with piping icing is a hard thing to master!


And the flowers wrap up my Easter cookies. My next batch is going to be in three weeks for a 17 year old's birthday party. She has requested that the color scheme be light pink, hot pink, and black. Should look amazing!

Wedding Shower Cookies

I made these cookies for a bridal shower in late March. The bride did not know that these cookies were being created, so I had the freedom to decorate them however I pleased. I decided to go with blue and white to represent the color of the wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses. The flowers in the wedding are various shades of pink, but I figured the cookies would look more elegant with as simple a color scheme as possible. My apologies for the less-than-stellar photography... I make good cookies, I don't take good pictures!



In the assortment there were wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, wedding cakes, wedding bells, and little parisols. I tried my hardest to make each one different, but with 40-some cookies to make, I wound up making a few repeats of my favorites.




While some of the cookies were basic icing-on-icing, other cookies featured little accessories like non pariel sprinkles, edible pearls, and coarse sanding sugar. When you have this many cookies to make, it's the little things that make a difference!

All About Katy's Cookies

Welcome to my cookie site! I have recently discovered my talent for baking and decorating sugar cookies, so I've taken the advice of all who have seen and tasted them and have begun advertising. This first post will be dedicated to answering all of the potential questions that you cookie skeptics may be asking yourselves.
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Why on earth would I need these cookies
when I can just as easily run to the grocery store?
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Valid question. In short: those cookies lack personality. My cookies are baked from scratch and are guaranteed to be fresh and delicious upon consumption. Not only are they freshly baked, but I meticulously decorate each and every one of them, piping bag in hand. They are unique and beautiful, and far more impressive than anything a grocery store could ever offer you =)
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How much do they cost? What am I getting for the money?
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The sugar cookies are selling for $30 per one dozen, and $35 if you would like chocolate, gingerbread, or the nutty variety. While that may sound like a steep price, you need to understand what you are getting for the money. As stated in the question above, these cookies are not mass-produced in a factory somewhere. They are each one-of-a-kind and are far more beautiful than anything you would come across in an average store. Each batch is baked and decorated by myself, and a dozen cookies takes about three hours from start to finish (even longer depending on how complex the decorations are). All of the cookies are at least three inches in diameter and half an inch thick, and if the cookies you desire are any smaller than that the price could be adjusted accordingly.
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Also, these cookies are fully-customizable by you. I can decorate according to any color scheme and they can be in virtually any shape you desire. If your order were to include shapes that I do not already have cookie cutters for, I will not charge you any extra (it seems a little silly to charge you an extra dollar for a cutter I will be keeping, doesn't it?). You are allowed to be specific in the colors and shapes of your order, but granting me creative license will not disappoint =) Also, if you happens to want a dozen cookies that are on the small side, I will be willing to lower the price to $24/dozen for the regular sugar cookie recipe. It just doesn't seem fair to charge the same price for a dozen gigantic cookies and a dozen small cookies.
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What sorts of occasions could I order these for?
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These cookies are extremely versatile. I can create fun, colorful cookies for a birthday party or more muted, elegant cookies for a baby or bridal shower. Some suggestions as to possible occasions include (but are most definitely not limited to):
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  • Graduations
  • Anniversaries
  • Any holiday party (Halloween, 4th of July, Christmas...)
  • Birthday parties
  • Baby showers
  • Bridal showers
  • Wedding favors
  • Housewarming gifts
  • 'Get Well Soon' gifts
  • Mothers' Day or Fathers' Day
  • Seasonal ('spring' or 'autumn'-themed cookies)

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The possibilities really are endless!

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What about packaging? How will I get the cookies?

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Another valid question =) The packaging will be just as pretty as the cookies themselves (ok, maybe not quite as pretty as the cookies themselves...). They will be carefully displayed in a cookie box or tin, usually surrounded by paper in a corresponding color.

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As a fledgling business, I can only assume that most of my customers will be relatively local. I am located in Shepherdstown, WV. I would suggest that you come to me to pick up the cookies, the same way that you would if you were picking them up from a bakery. If that is not possible, I can ship them to you (but, of course, that will cost extra). Ideally, you heard about my cookies through a mutual friend that you see fairly often. I can always get the cookies to you through them!

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What about payment?

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Payment upon placing the order is preferred, but you may pay me anytime between ordering and receiving your cookies. I will accept cash or money order, because as much as I would love to trust your checks, that is just not realistic =( Unless I know you personally, checks won't be accepted.

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* So, that's pretty much the cut and dry of it. I will be posting pictures of all my little assignments so you can see some examples of what I can deliver. As one last little note: I do ask that you give me ample notice when placing an order just in case I need to order cookie cutters for it. If you want a batch of cookies shaped like race cars by tomorrow and I do not have a race car cutter, I won't be able to do that. Thus, I ask that you notify me within two weeks of needing the cookies. Thank you! I hope to be hearing from all of you cookie-lovers soon. See my profile on the right-hand side of the site for the email address you can order through.