I Have Found My People...and They Are Cookiers!!!

There is nothing so delightful as being surrounded by about 500 other people who like the very same thing you like.  That they are warm, caring, welcoming, and incredibly talented and creative...well, that's just icing on ...the cookie.

Yes, I'm back from CookieCon and I have no words.  The adjectives and the superlatives have all been used.  Wonderful classes, break-out sessions, speakers, the sugar art show...jam-packed into 3 exciting days of cookie joy.  My friend, Diana, and I had the time of our lives.

Diana and I enjoyed taking in the Salt Lake City and surrounding area sites.  We played tourist on Sunday before heading home on Monday.  We went to The Great Salt Lake, to Park City Ski Resort, Temple Square in downtown SLC...and my bucket list item, hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

 

 

I felt my Mom's presence with me - we both loved this choir.

I found I didn't take all that many photos in the classes.  I spent time making pages of notes (which I will need to go over repeatedly) where I documented all but the last class of the day...by that time I had a hand cramp!  I learned many new things and a different way to do old things.  It was really beyond wonderful.

The spotlight of the event, however, was definitely seeing the incredible work of so many cookie artists in one place, in real life!  Since I can't really post hundreds of photos, I decided to put together a little slide show.  I know there are some cookies I may have missed, but I think I got the vast majority of them.  I bow to the advanced cookiers...their work is incredible.  I bow to the beginners who had the guts to put their work on display.  I bow to the intermediate talents who can see how far they've come and how far they want to go.  There was a place for every level of artist in the Sugar Art Show.

Enjoy the video and I'd love any comments you might care to make.  I am avidly waiting to learn when the NEXT CookieCon will be!

Bon Appetit, my cookie friends!

Where Has the Time Gone???

A celtic knot work in progress

I just realized I had not posted anything on my blog for an entire MONTH.  I don't know where the time has gone.  A lot has been going on in my life...and I've only baked things that I've already posted about or that didn't turn out well and weren't deserving of a post.  (hanging head after a big sigh)

I am in the process of baking and decorating some pieces for the CookieCon 2014 Sugar Art Show.  Since I'm a hobby decorator, I'm shaking in my flip flops.  All those professionals and artists...oh, the anxiety! 

I am also finishing up a sparse few cookies for St. Patrick's Day because my son is looking at me with sad puppy dog eyes, asking "can I eat any of these" when I had a couple of art show cookies drying.  I snapped NO and then realized how snappish I sounded.  I told him I'd make some St. Paddy's Day cookies and he could eat all of them...as soon as I photographed them.  Then, I caved and gave him two, my husband one, and I ate one to ensure quality control (yeah, I'll keep telling myself that).

My house looks like something blew up in it.  My youngest son is finally going to take a leap from the nest and will be moving into a dorm...we are taking that opportunity to repaint and declutter his room...so he is packing stuff for storage and stuff to take with him.  It is all scattered over the entire house.  I'd take a picture, but I'm afraid it would look like an unpleasant Hoarder's episode.  I've done 15 loads of laundry in the past week.  Washing new clothes, washing clothes that haven't seen the light of day in a while (you'd be surprised how many lost socks turned up)  It looks all blowed up, but it's actually been quite organized.  We broke it down into daily tasks...we're only 3 days behind on the list.  It's been a 3-week long endeavor and he moves on Monday.  Oh double yikes...that's just 2 1/2 days away....breathe, breathe.  We can do this!

On Wednesday I fly off to CookieCon with my friend, Diana.  We are both so excited we can hardly stand it.  450 cookie artists, with associated vendors, speakers, and instructors will descend upon Salt Lake City for the 2014 Cookie Art Convention and Show.  I'm truly giddy with excitement.

I'll be gone for a week, so if I get the St. Patrick's Day cookies finished and photographed, I'll try to do another post.  In the meantime, all I have for you is a peek of some things I'm working on.  The one at the top and the one at the bottom (nothing is finished yet, did I mention anxiety?).

Ta ta for now!

I piped hundreds of dots on a cookie and then I dropped
the lid off a piping tip right in the middle.  I nearly cried!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!