A Special Delivery of Chestnut Hill Coffee from Heritage Home!

Last night I shared an incredible cranberry bread mix with you, which by the

way also included a giveaway. However, that was only half the story...

Because I enjoyed that cranberry bread with a very special coffee sent

to me by none other than my friend, David! You see, after David and I

launched our on-line marketplaces, the first order of business was to

hand-select a few goodies from our respective inventories to exchange

so that each of us could experience the other's packaging and products!

In addition to sending me a set of his charming Bee & Hive copper

cookie cutters, David also gifted me two sacks of his locally roasted

Chestnut Hill Coffee! However, what David didn't know, is that I

have not enjoyed a cup of coffee in more than thirty-five years!

As a child growing up in Germany, most weekends were spent with my Oma

and other members of my mother's family. We'd meet at Oma's for coffee and

pastries where the first order of business was to pick out a cup, saucer and plate

from her big china cabinet. I had two favorites and always made sure to beat

my brother and cousins to the cabinet to ensure I would get to them first!

Of course, the coffee we were served wasn't actually coffee, it was

Karo-Kaffee, a caffeine-free, roasted grain beverage widely used as a

coffee substitute. Manufactured by Nestlé and first introduced in West

Germany in 1954, Karo-Kafee was referred to as Kinder-Kaffee (children's

coffee) and I loved it! Of course, what actually ended up in my cup was more

cream and sugar than coffee, but it was great and something I'll always remember!

After the Captain retired, we left Germany and my Oma forever. Life in the states

was very different. No more Sunday afternoon coffees and I never saw Karo-Kaffee

again. I had no desire to replace it with real coffee as an adult and coffee in general

became like gasoline... I enjoy the smell but would never drink it! When my Oma

passed away, my mom asked me if there was anything I wanted her to bring me that

belonged to my Oma. I asked for whatever blanket my Oma last slept with and my

two coffee sets. Since 1990, these cherished pieces of Bavarian china have been mine!

And, David's lovely gift of Chestnut Hill coffees deserved to be enjoyed in

my beloved Oma's cups, along with a couple of slices of cranberry bread!

It was worth the thirty-five year wait! David has selected truly

spectacular coffee blends to share with you through his wonderful

on-line store, Heritage Home! Aromatic, rich, and incredibly

mellowlicious... Which is totally a real word to describe fine coffee!

You deserve Chestnut Hill Coffee so order some today!

Make your Cookies Sparkle with Sanding Sugar!

As a companion to my 24-piece Decorating Kit, I've put together

a 6-piece Sanding Sugar Kit to help you add that magical sparkle

to your cookies that only comes from beautifully colored sugars!

Using sanding sugar is one of my most favorite ways to decorate cookies!

It's exactly like working with Elmer's Glue and Glitter in kindergarten...

Except it's perfectly okay to eat this project when it's completed!

There are several ways to use sanding sugar; however, I mostly use the
flocking method. This technique of applying sanding sugar to wet royal
icing is referred to as Flocking because after the icing dries, the sugar
takes on the appearance of flocked velvet. Flocking not only adds a

tremendous amount of sparkle, it produces an interesting texture too!

I especially like the combination of allowing some elements of my
designs to dry smooth while flocking others - Such as I did with
this charming little ladybug above and the chubby pumpkin below!

Once the flocked area has dried a little, I use a soft pastry brush to

to remove any stray crystals from the unflocked areas of my cookie!

This little bit of clean-up helps my designs pop and ensures there won't

be any loose sugar to get in the way of my packaging later! Following are a

few of my latest projects featuring sanding sugars. First up, we have these

bugs I created using my vintage Martha by Mail Beautiful Bugs set. Yes, I

am aware that I should be knee deep in Christmas cookies but I couldn't

help it... Seeing the last few leaves drop has made me eager for Spring!

I know, I know... We must give Winter her due. And, to prove

that I will, I have these cookies to share with you. As you can see,

I used fine silver sanding sugar on the blades of these ice skates!

Because the holidays seem to pass as quickly as they arrive, I

selected sanding sugars for my kit in colors that will carry

you through Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day too!

And, just like my 24-piece Decorating Kit, my Sanding Sugars

Kit also comes packaged in this cute little bakery-style box!

To purchase these kits visit my store by clicking here

Just to prove that I am participating in the spirit of the winter

holidays, I have one more set of cookies to share with you...

I hope you've enjoyed seeing how sanding sugars can enhance the

appearance of decorated sugar cookies. Remember, I'm always here

if you have questions. In the meantime, from my kitchen to yours...

Want to see how my friend David put my decorating kit to work? Check out his amazing cookies here!

Recipes and Decorating Guide and Cookie Decorating Kit!

This morning I received the nicest e-mail from Gail, one of

my Oui, Sugar! store customers who wanted me to know that

because of my Recipe and Cookie Decorating Tips Guide, she finally

was able to achieve the perfect royal icing consistency for her cookies!

I'm so happy for her and, I'm so grateful for the positive feedback too!

If you would like my Recipes and Cookie Decorating Guide, you can find it here!

Gail also picked up my Cookie Decorating Kit and said she cannot get

over how much easier it is to decorate cookies with squeeze bottles! By

the way, I've also been told how much customers love my packaging and

how they didn't want to break the seal on the box. PLEASE! Break the

Seal!! Start putting those kit goodies to work decorating your cookies!

Seriously... I know I've said it before but I'm happy to say it

again, Thank You for all of your warm and positive responses!

And... Remember, whether you visit my store or not,

I'm happy to help. So if you have questions, just ask!

Welcome to the Oui, Sugar! Marketplace!

Today I'm delighted to finally be able to announce the launch of my Oui, Sugar! marketplace. This on-line retail space serves as a compliment to the content shared with you through my blog since I began publishing in 2007 and... I Welcome You!

At the Oui, Sugar! marketplace you'll find many of the products I use and enjoy in my home, in the kitchen and in my gardens! Everything from collectible copper cookie cutters, cookie recipe and decorating guides and other tools necessary to create decorated sugar cookies your friends and family will insist are too pretty to eat, to charming, old-world and vintage accessories and... A bit of everything in-between. If you've ever wished to shop a personal collection of inspired treasures and collections... Now you can!

I'm beyond excited to also announce that my friend David has launched his on-line store, Heritage Home today. I hope you'll pop over for a peek at all the marvelous items he has personally selected just for you as well!

I owe great thanks to you, my readers for your support over the years... You've always been so wonderfully kind and generous with your input, compliments and questions - And, it is through this exchange of ideas between us that the Oui, Sugar! marketplace came to be!

Your visits to my blog not only delight me, they also benefit Wounded Warrior Project since all traffic revenue paid by BlogHer has always been donated to this cause. I'm pleased to say that profits generated by sales at Oui, Sugar! for the first six months will also be added to those donations. Therefore, I thank you in advance for your patronage!

I wish to also thank David for his continued friendship and encouragement as we collaborated on our respective stores over these past many months. And, to Michael Bonne goes my appreciation for his partnership to deliver new copper cookie cutter sets in the tradition of our old favorites.

I hope you will join me at the Oui, Sugar! marketplace and that you will continue to grace me with your valued readership, friendship and support.

xo

Oui, Sugar! Numbers Copper Cookie Cutter Set!

I finally had two minutes to myself this morning to decorate

those numbers I created with my Halloween cookies last week!

Can I just tell you how much I love these number cutters... I mean,

they are fantastic! They create perfect number cookies and unlike other

number cookie cutter sets, I designed a real number nine! None of that

turning the number six up-side-down for us... We deserve a proper #9!

My design, brought to life in gleaming copper by Michael Bonne...

Cookie cutters just don't get any better than that! If I do say so myself...

So this morning I mixed up my Royal Icing Recipe and got to work! By

the way, a reader asked me the other day how I load icing into my squeeze

bottles and, this is how! I transfer the icing into a large disposable decorating

bag first, then snip off the end and fill my bottles. It's the only way to go!

The plastic bag is air-tight, which keeps the icing from crusting between fills too!

So let's decorate some number cookies, shall we?

These numbers make perfect party favors as well as cake
toppers to celebrate milestone birthdays and anniversaries too!

You are going to love this cookie cutter set as much as I do... Promise!

My dear friend David and I are putting the finishing touches on our on-line stores and

expect to launch tomorrow. I hope you enjoy what we've put together to help make life a little sweeter for you!

Oui, Sugar! and Michael Bonne Numbers... Another new Copper Cookie Cutter Set!

You may remember that last week I revealed Cat and Mouse,

my first copper cookie cutter designs executed by Michael Bonne

for the Oui, Sugar! on-line store, which launches next week!

Well, this week I'm delighted to share with you the second

copper cookie cutter set I have been working on!

Yes! A full set of numbers designed specifically for use as party

favors and cake toppers! Inspired by my experience creating those

2nd birthday party cookies earlier this year, I decided it was

way past time for a set of numbers that incorporates the whimsy of

the Martha by Mail numbers set with the size necessary to deliver

decorated numbers suitable for party favors, gifts and cake toppers!

As you can see, I provided Michael with

several different ideas for the same numbers...

I asked for a little bend here, a little bend there... Maybe a circle cut out. Or

maybe an oval would be better... Believe me, poor Michael heard it all!

But in the end, he brought all my ideas to life in

beautiful, gleaming copper like only Michael Bonne can!

Just for me... And, just for you too!

It's such a thrill to see Michael Bonne's name on something I dreamed up!

Each cutter is nice and tall and proportioned to provide plenty of

decorating canvas for a variety of designs and writing. What do

you think? I think I see birthday and anniversary cake toppers!

I also think these number cookies are ready for icing!

Speaking of icing and decorating...

What if I told you that everything you need to immediately

begin decorating cookies like a professional is in this box?

Well, it is! Because I've put together a comprehensive cookie decorating kit containing the same high-quality decorating tools, supplies and sugar decorations I've used to create thousands of cookies over the years. 

Tools such as PME Supatube seamless stainless steel tips in three sizes that make piping icing a breeze and guarantee perfectly straight lines, a pair of tweezers, the 8 oz. squeeze bottle with coupler I'm never without and, Americolor soft gel paste in eight shades that deliver superior color and consistent results every time!

I've also included some of my favorite and most versatile sugar decorations and everything else you need to achieve cookie decorating success the first time and every time! Additionally, the kit will include my favorite cookie recipe and recipe for my very own perfect royal icing!  

Purchased separately, the items I've assembled in this 24-piece decorating kit retail for over $67.00. However, I'm passing my savings on to you to make it more affordable!

By the way... These projects, of designing cookie cutters, working with Michael Bonne and developing this decorating kit for you is all a labor of love... A way to answer all the questions I receive from readers about which tools to use to achieve the same cookie decorating results I do and share with you through my blog. 

Therefore, I've decided to add the profits from the sale of these decorating kits and my copper cookie cutters to the blog traffic revenue I receive from  by BlogHer, which I already donate to Wounded Warrior Project. 

For this reason, I hope you'll share the news of my blog and these products, (soon to be offered through the Oui, Sugar! on-line marketplace) with your friends!

To donate to Wounded Warrior Project, please click on the WWP button located on my side bar or click here.