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Arabian Nights

posted Sunday May 12, 2013 at 04:52 PM by Anne Yorks — 3 comments

A few weeks ago, I took my little girl and her two best friends to see the local high school's production of Aladdin Jr. It was fantastic! The set, the costumes, the acting. I couldn't help but be impressed with the tremendous effort it took to put together the show. When we were driving home, my little girl said to me, "Mommy, I just had the best day of my life. I can't stop smiling!" Seriously. She is so cute!

So when the request came in for a set of cookies inspired by the show, I was very excited!! Everything was colorful, bright, sparkly and golden. And I tried to reflect that feel in the cookies.

 

I loved the font on the 'thank you' cookie. It's perfect for the theme! I airbrushed the sides of that pink cookie and gave it a little sprinkle of disco dust. The genie lamp reminded me of the Genie from the show. Watch out Robin Williams...you've got some real competition for the best Genie ever! 


The night sky on this Arabian Night cookie was created using my airbrush. The silhouette of the buildings fell in the perfect spot to capture the color blend.


I love a yellow and blue color combination, and the detail on this flower reminded me of the detail on the costumes, extravagant and gorgeous.


This tiara doesn't necessarily reflect the look of Jasmine's, but I had fun creating my own design using swirls and color dots as the gems. The decorative line of candy pearls at the bottom makes it feel quite regal, no?


My favorite cookie in the bunch was the magic carpet. And this photo cracks me up. Looks like it's really floating!!! Actually, the magic carpet was my favorite part of the show, too. The high schooler that played the carpet never spoke, but used facial expressions and physical comedy to make the part special and memorable. 

The background of this photo represents the Night Sky with golden minarets. I love the sleek shape of the minarets...they were created with Christmas ornament cutters that were trimmed a little here and there. :)



Special thanks to Topher for the photo taking. He takes them while I'm plugging away on new cookie orders!! And a special thanks to the cast of Aladdin Jr. for giving me a special night out with my daughter!

Have a sweet day, 

Anne

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Mr. Egghead Cookies

posted Wednesday Mar 27, 2013 at 04:53 PM by Anne Yorks — 1 comments

I had so much fun making and designing these silly Mr. Egghead cookies. I originally came up with the idea for my daughter's Easter basket, but then thought it might also be fun to offer at two local coffee shops. Mr. Egghead is available at the Village Eatinghouse (in Pleasant Gap, PA) and Callao Cafe and Market (in State College, PA). You can click on their names to visit their facebook pages for hours and locations!

Here's a fun little video to show how it works (it's only 30 seconds long)...

 

These are my favorite combinations:


Here is my original sketch. Can you guess what cutters I used to make the little parts?


I used a mini bat for the mustache, a trimmed 'BOO' cutter to make the glasses and eyes, a mini Easter egg is the pink nose, a squished heart makes the lips, and a squished circle makes the plan red nose. The bunny face and the carrot were cutters that I got with a bunny face set a long time ago. They were the perfect size to go with my jumbo egg! The bunny ears were trimmed from a bunny cutter from Wilton. It's funny how all those pieces can make so much fun!

And here they are all packed up for the coffee shop!!


Special thanks to Topher for making the fun video!


Also available this week at both shops are ...

Bunnies!!!

And Easter baskets!! 


Have a sweet day,

Anne


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If History Was Taught in Cookies (President's Day)

posted Saturday Feb 16, 2013 at 10:03 AM by Anne Yorks — 23 comments

Thanks to some very sweet cookie friends of mine, history can now be taught in cookies. So pull up a chair and grab your kids and enjoy this brief, colorful and very sweet U.S. history lesson!

How many presidents can you name? A list of President's is below along with each cookie decorator's name and facebook or blog page. Check out each of their pages for some 'extra credit' bonus cookies!! 



1) George Washington by Sarah of Sweet Surrender Cookie Co. 2) John Adams by Nicole of Life’s a Batch 3) Thomas Jefferson by Sarah of Songbird Sweets 4) James Madison by Georganne of LilaLoa  5) James Monroe by Anne of Flour Box Bakery 6) John Quincy Adams by Liz of Arty McGoo 7) Andrew Jackson by Tiffany of TheRedCooky 8) Martin Van Buren by Jill of Jill FCS – Funky Cookie Studio 9) William Henry Harrison by Christina of Sweet C’s Bake Shop 10) John Tyler by Kim of The Cookie Puzzle 11) James K. Polk by Debbie of D&T Designs 12) Zachery Taylor by Stephanie of Ellies Bites 13) Millard Fillmore by Melissa of Simply Sweets by Honeybee 14) Franklin Pierce by Kris of So Cute Cookies 15) James Buchanan by Lene of Not Your Everyday Cookie 16) Abraham Lincoln by Debbie of Sweet Creations by Debbie 17) Andrew Johnson by Liz of CookiesToGo 18) Ulysses S. Grant by Rebekah of Love at First Bite 19) Rutherford B. Hayes by Heather of Twins Plus One Goodies 20) James A. Garfield by Teresa of Sugar T's Cookies 21) Chester Arthur by Alyse of B.E. Sweet Treats 22) Grover Cleveland by Kimberly of Barefoot N Baking 23) Benjamin Harrison by Laurie of Cookie Bliss 24) Grover Cleveland by Kimberly of Barefoot N Baking 25) William McKinley by Susan of Sweet Williams Cookies 26) Theodore Roosevelt by Heather of SugarNosh Treats 27) William Howard Taft by Sarah of Sarah’s Sweet Shoppe 28) Woodrow Wilson by Cheryl of The Sugared Apron 29) Warren G. Harding by Shannon of Artfully Delicious Cookies 30) Calvin Coolidge by Stephanie of Ice My Biscuit 31) Herbert Hover by Fumie of A+Kake sweets 32) Franklin D. Roosevelt by Christine of Chris’ Creative Confections 33) Harry S Truman by Kim of Sugar Rush Custom Cookies 34) Dwight Eisenhower by Monica of Cookie Cowgirl 35) John F. Kennedy by CeCe of The Tactical Bakery 36) Lyndon B. Johnson by Jennifer of One Kookie Cookie 37) Richard Nixon by Jackie of iBakery 38) Gerald Ford by Georgeanne of LilaLoa 39) Jimmy Carter by Jennifer of One Kookie Cookie 40) Ronald Reagan by Melissa of The Baked Equation 41) George Bush Sr. by Penny of Lucky Penny Cookies 42) Bill Clinton by Laurie of Cookie Bliss 43) George W. Bush by Sarah of Sarah’s Sweet Shoppe 44) Barack Obama by Teresa of Sugar T's Cookies


DID YOU KNOW...


Now that you know who each of the presidents are, how about a few funny (and some serious) facts!!


1) George Washington by Sarah of Sweet Surrender Cookie Co. 2) John Adams by Nicole of Life’s a Batch 3) Thomas Jefferson by Sarah of Songbird Sweets 4) James Madison by Georganne of LilaLoa  5) James Monroe by Anne of Flour Box Bakery 6) John Quincy Adams by Liz of Arty McGoo 7) Andrew Jackson by Tiffany of TheRedCooky 8) Martin Van Buren by Jill of Jill FCS – Funky Cookie Studio

Did you know that...
1. George Washington's favorite food was ice cream! 

2. John Adams was the first president to live in the White House. 

3. It was Thomas Jefferson that oversaw the largest land purchase in U.S. history - the Louisiana Purchase. With this purchase, the size of the US doubled. The land was bought for $15 Million or .03/acre.

4. James Madison was the smallest president at 5' 4" and never weighing more than 100 pounds.

5. James Monroe died on the 4th of July, 1831, following both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who died on July 4, 1826.

6. John Quincy Adams was the son of 2nd president John Adams.

7. Andrew Jackson was the first president to ride in a train.

8. Martin Van Buren is sometimes credited with creating the word "OK." Van Buren was from Kinderhook, New York. During his campaign, Old Kinderhook (O.K.) clubs formed to support the President. Later, "OK" or "okay," came to mean "all right."


9) William Henry Harrison by Christina of Sweet C’s Bake Shop 10) John Tyler by Kim of The Cookie Puzzle 11) James K. Polk by Debbie of D&T Designs 12) Zachery Taylor by Stephanie of Ellies Bites 13) Millard Fillmore by Melissa of Simply Sweets by Honeybee 14) Franklin Pierce by Kris of So Cute Cookies 15) James Buchanan by Lene of Not Your Everyday Cookie 16) Abraham Lincoln by Debbie of Sweet Creations by Debbie

9. William Henry Harrison was president for 31 days and died from pneumonia. Ironically, he was also the only President who studied to be a medical doctor.

10. John Tyler had the most children of any president - 15!

11. James Polk was the first president to have his photograph taken.

12. Zachary Taylor, old rough and ready, is the only true "Independent" president we have ever had, since the formation of the 2-party system in 1820. He was not a member of any political party during his life, and never held public office prior to becoming president.

13. Millard Fillmore was the First President to have a stove and running water in the White House.

14. Franklin Pierce memorized his entire inaugural speech - 3,319 words. George Washington had the shortest inaugural speech 133 words given in less than 2 minutes!

15. James Buchanan (1791-1868) quietly but consistently bought slaves in Washington, D.C., and then set them free in Pennsylvania.

16. At 6 feet, 4 inches, Abraham Lincoln was the tallest U.S. President. He was the first President to be assassinated. 



17) Andrew Johnson by Liz of CookiesToGo 18) Ulysses S. Grant by Rebekah of Love at First Bite 19) Rutherford B. Hayes by Heather of Twins Plus One Goodies 20) James A. Garfield by Teresa of Sugar T's Cookies 21) Chester Arthur by Alyse of B.E. Sweet Treats 22) Grover Cleveland by Kimberly of Barefoot N Baking 23) Benjamin Harrison by Laurie of Cookie Bliss 24) Grover Cleveland by Kimberly of Barefoot N Baking

17. Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, was a tailor before he was President. He was considered the most unfit president. Unfit - ironic, no?

18. Ulysses S. Grant was one of only three presidents to graduate from a military academy. He graduated from West Point in 1843.

19. Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to use a phone. His first call was to Alexander Graham Bell. 

20.  James Garfield didn't die from the gunshot wounds from his assassin’s gun; he died of blood poisoning after doctors and experts (including Alexander Graham Bell) tried to remove the bullet from his back with their dirty fingers and instruments, causing him to linger in pain for 80 days before dying. His assassin, Charles Guiteau, later claimed that he didn't kill the president, the doctors had.

21. Chester Arthur was Arthur was sometimes called “elegant Arthur” for his interest in fashion. It was said he had over eighty pairs of pants and often changed them several times a day.

22 and 24. Grover Cleveland was the first and only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

23. Benjamin Harrison was the first President to have electric lights and a Christmas tree in the White House. He was the grandson of William H. Harrison



25) William McKinley by Susan of Sweet Williams Cookies 26) Theodore Roosevelt by Heather of SugarNosh Treats 27) William Howard Taft by Sarah of Sarah’s Sweet Shoppe 28) Woodrow Wilson by Cheryl of The Sugared Apron29) Warren G. Harding by Shannon of Artfully Delicious Cookies 30) Calvin Coolidge by Stephanie of Ice My Biscuit 31) Herbert Hover by Fumie of A+Kake sweets 32) Franklin D. Roosevelt by Christine of Chris’ Creative Confections


25. William McKinley, Grover Cleveland, and James Madison are on the $500, $1000, and $5000 bill, respectively. The bills are still used as legal tender but are no longer being printed.

26. Theodore Roosevelt is one of the four presidents carved into Mt. Rushmore. The other three are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln 

27. William Taft was the first president to throw the first ball of baseball season, beginning a tradition that continues today. The game was a 1910 game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics. The Senators won 3-0.

28. Woodrow Wilson was the first president to receive a PhD which he got in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University.

29. Warren G. Harding gambled away a set of White House China.

30. Calvin Coolidge was on the only president born on July 4.

31.  Herbert Hoover was an orphan whose first job was picking bugs off potato plants, for which he was paid a dollar per hundred bugs. He also was a mine worker. He spoke Chinese to his wife to keep their conversations private.

32. Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only president to serve more than 2 terms (he served 4 and died in office).



33) Harry S Truman by Kim of Sugar Rush Custom Cookies 34) Dwight Eisenhower by Monica of Cookie Cowgirl 35) John F. Kennedy by CeCe of The Tactical Bakery 36) Lyndon B. Johnson by Jennifer of One Kookie Cookie 37) Richard Nixon by Jackie of iBakery 38) Gerald Ford by Georgeanne of LilaLoa


33. The "S" in Harry S Truman does not represent anything. His middle name is simply "S". By age 14, he read every book in his hometown library, including the Bible 3 times.

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II.

35. John F. Kennedy was the youngest president elected and also the first catholic. 

36. During the 1964 election, Lyndon B. Johnson had lead with the most electoral votes(486) until Ronald Reagan (525).

37. Richard Nixon was the only president who resigned. (August 9, 1974) He resigned to avoid being impeached. He loved football and Elvis and was the only president to visit all 50 states. He was also the first president to visit China.

38. Gerald Ford was the first person to be both vice president and president without being elected by the people. He was appointed vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned and he succeeded to the presidency when Nixon resigned.



39) Jimmy Carter by Jennifer of One Kookie Cookie 40) Ronald Reagan by Melissa of The Baked Equation 41) George Bush Sr. by Penny of Lucky Penny Cookies 42) Bill Clinton by Laurie of Cookie Bliss 43) George W. Bush by Sarah of Sarah’s Sweet Shoppe 44) Barack Obama by Teresa of Sugar T's Cookies

39. Jimmy Carter was a wealthy peanut farmer in Plains, Georgia. He is the only president to report witnessing a UFO.

40. Ronald Reagan was the oldest president to be elected. He was a Hollywood actor and made 50 films. He also started out as a Democrat and later switched to the Republican party.

41. George Bush survived four plane crashes during WWII.

42. Bill Clinton was the first democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to be elected to a second term. He was the second president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached. He led a prosperous country amidst many personal scandals.

43. George W. Bush, the son of the 41st president, has a collection of more than 250 signed baseballs.

44. Barack Obama, the first African American to be elected, speaks Spanish. His Secret Service code name is Renegade. He was known as the O'bomber in high school for his skills in basketball.


Thank you to all the cookie decorators that made this project possible! I hope you enjoyed your history lesson in cookies!!

Have a sweet day,

Anne Yorks


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Lalaloopsy Christmas with Holly Sleighbells {Home for the Holidays Project}

posted Sunday Dec 16, 2012 at 09:09 AM by Anne Yorks — 6 comments

This holiday season has been my busiest yet! I feel ultra appreciative of the support of my cookie business. I have been working many extra hours, but took just a little time out of my regular schedule to make a very special cookie gift for my 5-year-old daughter. She loves LalaLoopsy's! So when my friend Angela of Oh! Sugar Events hosted the Home for the Holidays projects, I knew I wanted to make something special for my sweet little girl! An amazing collage of all the projects and a list of participants is below...check it out, I promise you'll be blown away by the creativity of my cookie friends!

Here is my project, Holly Sleighbells and her Christmas home! In case you are not familiar with the cuteness of Lalaloopsy...I should tell you that every Lalaloopsy doll comes to life after being sewn from a scrap of fabric. Holly is made from the fabric of a real elf's costume. She's a handy helper, who loves making lists, wrapping presents, and being good...most of the time! Her birthday is December 1st, National Mistletoe Day!

I tried to include all the accessories that would normally come with the doll, including her reindeer, Christmas list, presents, and tree!


The walkway to her home is a path of presents. And her tree is decorated with bows, stars and cookies...just perfect for a Lalaloopsy!


One thing that makes each Lalaloopsy doll special, is the details on the outfits. Holly wears a green sweater with a bright pink skirt with red polka dots...and pink bows in her hair!


Every Lalaloopsy comes with a pet, and Holly's friend is her reindeer. I looked everywhere to see if she had a name, but couldn't find one! Maybe it's Prancy?


I love that her home is a beautiful stack of presents covered with snow. I used edible glitter and white non-pareils to add some of the detail. I will be packing these treats up for under the tree! I just can't wait for Christmas morning to give them to my little girl!

Thank you so much for looking at this special project, now here are the rest of the participants! Enjoy!!


Going Clockwise...

Jill Wettstein (Jill FCS)

Laura Trombley (Laura's Cookies)

Nadia (My Little Bakery)

Anne Yorks (Flour Box Bakery) That's me!

Andrea Giacomi (Cupookie)

Anita Cadonau-Huseby (Sweet Hope)

Lorraine Russo-Harty (Lorraine's Cookies)

Georganne Bell (Lilaloa)



 

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Have a Sweet Holiday (a collaboration project)

posted Tuesday Nov 27, 2012 at 08:18 AM by Anne Yorks — 14 comments

Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in a collaborative project with a few fellow cookie decorators. The challenge of the project was to create a cookie or a set of cookies inspired by a greeting card. Hani of Haniela's Food & Photography (click to view her amazing blog) organized the challenge and 22 decorators participated! I have posted a collage of all the projects with blog links at the bottom of the page.

My project was extremely fun. I came across this greeting card and new it would be perfect for the project!

 

I love the colors and of course I love anything with a baking theme! So I created this sweet set of cookies that will also be available in my online shop here.


The set includes a big stand mixer, a cookie sheet with a set of iced cookies on it, two polka dot oven mitts, a piping bag, a rolling pin, 6 cookies modeled after the mini cookie sheet - 2 gingerbread men, 2 ornaments, and 2 trees, and one big cookie that says 'Have a Sweet Holiday!'. 


Here's a bird's eye view of the cookie set. The tree and the ornament are inspired by the front of the greeting card. I added snowflakes to the ornament to also match the card. The floor, blue and white checkered, was the inspiration for the large cookie with text. And, just because it's Christmas time, I made the big mixer RED! 


This is my favorite cookie of the set! I love all the little details on the tiny cookies!


And this photo just makes me giggle! I love how Topher made it look like the icing bag is piping the gingerbread man's bowtie!


To view this set, and the other four available collections for this holiday, click here. 

And here is the collage of the entire group project! These photos are quite mini, so you definitely want to click through and view them even larger! What an amazing group of decorators. The links and participants are listed below. Plus, many are offering tutorials on the blogs on how to make these special holiday cookies!!



2. Anne, Flour Box Bakery
3. Georganne, LilaLoa
4. Lorraine, Lorraine's Cookies
5. Kim, The Partiologist
6. Pam, Cookie Crazie
7.Cathy, Cathy's Cookies
8. Mariëlle, De Koekenbakkers 
9.  Nadia, My Little Bakery
10. Liz, Arty Mc Goo
11. Callye, Sweet Sugarbelle
12. Marlyn, Montreal Confections
13. Lisa, The Bearfoot Baker
14. Meaghan, The Decorated Cookie
15. Paula, Vanilla Bean Baker
16. Miriam & Estíbaliz, Message in a Cookie 
17. Ali, Ali Bee's Bakeshop
18. Myriam, Chapix Cookies
19. Jennifer, Not Your Momma's Cookie
21. Maryann, Cookie Artisan
22. Hani, Haniela's

Have a very sweet holiday SEASON!!!

Anne



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