Chunky Pineapple Business Cards Finished!

As I mentioned a while back, I asked Dingbat Press to design and print a small branding package for Chunky Pineapple a few months ago.  Aren't the business cards and gift tags beautiful?  Click on the caption to read the blogpost about the process from start to finish at The Dingbat's Agenda.

The Dingbat's Agenda

Baking Inspiration

About five years ago, I was in Chelsea Market in NYC and came across Eleni's, a bakery that makes the most beautifully decorated sugar cookies. 

These cookies are no joke - the details are amazing. 

From then on, I became a little obsessed with baking and decorating sugar cookies.  The three recipes that I started were the sugar cookie, orange & cream cookie, and royal icing recipes from Creative Cookies by Toba Garrett.  The recipes were easy to follow and in my opinion, the slight tang of the orange & cream recipe tastes better with the sweet royal icing.

You also need to find the cookie cutter shapes that you want.  I found a good number of them at Cincinnati Cake and Candy Supplies.  Crate and Barrel usually carries some decent holiday shapes and Fancy Flours also has a bunch and has inspiring photos and how-to tutorials.  I found that mini cookie cutters were great for practicing icing technique, because there is a smaller surface to decorate which makes it easier when it comes to working with the frosting and figuring out drying times.  Also, small cookies are also just really cute and you can just pop them in you mouth.

Spring cookie shapes

To add color to your royal icing, be sure to use gel food coloring rather than the watery kind that they sell at the supermarket.  The royal icing is very sensitive to water, so the gel adds intense color without watering down the icing too much.  A little gel color goes a long way.

Gel Food Color Kit

The results?

These were one of the first batches that I decorated.  The photos don't do them justice since my camera skills were not so hot 5 years ago.

More bad photos taken in a dark NYC apartment...I was going for girlie here.

 I liked how the herringbone design came out on these, but the colors were a little dull.

 

I've posted this photo before.  I baked this sparkly batch of mini scalloped edge cookies with royal icing and sugar sprinkles on top for my wedding favors two years ago.  I was really happy with how these turned out. 

I haven't decorated cookies in a long time.  I got a little burnt out after my sister, sister-in-law and I decorated about 300 mini cookies for my wedding.  Next time I bake a batch, I'll take photos as I go along so I can post a step-by-step.

Plans

Today, one of the Etsy treasuries featured a set of plans to build furniture.

PlanCanvas on Etsy

I'm not sure how comfortable that table and stools set would be, but apparently, apart from tools, all you need are 2 4'x8' pieces of plywood to make them. 

These side tables look very unique and modern.  According to the listing description, all you need to build them are one piece of 4' x 8' plywood, a few dowels, a jig saw, and drill. We have the tools, so all we'd need is some nice bamboo or veneer plywood.  Perhaps Mr. CP would like to make them over his Christmas break.  =)

Eames Style Side Tables by PlanCanvas

Friday Wishlist

I love baking, but making a decent looking pie is tricky for me.  I get so frustrated with the edges.  This Breville Pie Maker from Williams Sonoma looks like it makes perfectly pretty mini pies.  It definitely belongs on the holiday wishlist.  Mini apple pie a la mode anyone?