Sunday, April 14, 2013

You are my Sunshine Cookies for a Special Girl!

A dear friend at the office asked if I might be interested in creating happy
sunshine cookies for her daughter's first birthday... Of course, I said Yes!
After all, this wasn't just any first birthday... This was a miracle
first birthday for a precious baby girl who came into the world
twelve weeks early - Weighing only one tiny pound, plus 9 ounces!
In the beginning, there were too many anxious moments to count!
But today, our little Sunshine couldn't be more perfect
and, all of us that know her, couldn't be any more thankful!
As the mother of a preemie born at thirty-three
weeks who went on to become all of this...
I always believed we would be celebrating this first birthday!
And, how lucky am I to be able to share in this joy?
Pretty darn lucky, for sure!
Normally, I'd use my Sweet Dani B squeeze bottles but decorating
one hundred and two sunshine cookies calls for larger squeeze bottles;
and, these eight-ounce bottles from CopperGifts.com are perfect!
I matched the color of my icing with the colors on the party invitation!
Electric Pink and Lemon Yellow AmeriColor gel
paste food coloring spells happy sunshine all day long!
When birthday girl's mom first showed me the inspiration photo
for these cookies I panicked a little because I wasn't sure where I'd
find a ten-point flower cookie cutter. However, all I had to do was
take a peek into my baking pantry because I already owned one!
These cutters aren't as easy to find as they used to be. But if
you'd like one you can still find a couple here. After those sell
out, you can contact my friends at CopperGifts.com because
they'll happily create a custom sunflower cutter just for you!
I enjoyed creating these cookies... Not only because they were going
to be part of a very special birthday celebration, but I got to sing too!
Because there was no way to decorate these happy cookies
without getting the song, You are my Sunshine stuck in my head!
By the way... the best way... No, the only way to draw on iced cookies
is with AmeriColor's edible ink food writers! I bought a couple
of packages a few years ago but always chickened out of using them...
Rather, I spent lots of extra time piping faces on my cookies, fearing that
writing on my cookies would either damage the icing or the ink would
bleed into my icing colors. But after chatting with Dani about how
she fearlessly doodles on her cookies all the time, I was inspired...
To give it a try - And, it worked perfectly. All 102 times! The
most important thing to remember is to allow your royal
icing to dry completely. For me, that was overnight!
Packaged in a box with color-coordinating crinkle and a tag I designed
especially for the sweet birthday girl... My cookies were ready to party!
It was fun to see them placed at each seat for guests to take home!
The party was planned by the incomparable, Tammy Mutter of
Meghily's Party In Style. To see more photos of the sunny décor
Tammy created or to coordinate your own party with her, click here!
The party was attended by so many friends, her family and many
members of the incredible hospital staff that cared for Olivia and
her parents for the months before she finally got to come home!
Happy Birthday Olivia Grace... You are my Sunshine!

8 comments:

  1. those cookies are adorable and I love the packaging! You're so talented!! I also love "Your are my sunshine" my husband and I sing it to each other all the time haha

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  2. Your cookies definitely conjure up sunshine! They are adorable!

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  3. Both the story and the cookies are filled with sunshine. What a sweetie!

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  4. So thrilled to see how far she's come! I remember when she was born. What a year! Happy Birthday Olivia Grace...and Janet, great job. I love your cookies and the packaging is so beautiful. You make each cookie a beautiful gift in itself.

    xoxo

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  5. Hi Janet - I know what you mean about having a song stuck in your head . . . the other day I was baking some cookies to decorate as pirate faces and all I could think was "yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!" I have to decorate them tomorrow so I'm sure the song will constantly re-play in my brain! Love your sunshine cookies. I made some just like them 2 years ago but instead of pink icing, I used orange. You can't help but smile when you look at them!

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  6. How precious!!!

    I too had preemies...my first born were identical twin boys just shy of 32 weeks at 3lbs 8ounces and 4lbs 12ounces. Now they are 14, but their first years were hard. It's interesting how we all relate to the "You are my sunshine" theme. I used to sing it to them and I would change the words to you are my sunshines, one of my sunshines...please don't ever take my "Trever" or "Tanner" away!

    Such a nice job on the packaging too! I am sure they were a huge hit!

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  7. Your cookies and the wonderful story of little Olivia Grace make me happy.

    All the best to a very special little lady.

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  8. Oh Janet,
    Just loved your story about Olivia Grace! As a retired NICU Nurse, I can truly appreciate the journey she has traveled to get to her first Birthday! She is absolutely an adorable ray of Sunshine!

    Your beautiful Sun cookies were the perfect way to celebrate sweet Olivia's special day! Just loved the faces drawn with the edible writing pens!

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