Tidbits

Time to Accessorize! (family tree part 3 of 3)

Posted by Anne Yorks on Sunday, June 27, 2010

I can't believe it's already Sunday! We are having the most wonderful weekend! I am glad I have a few minutes to sit down and write my final blog post about my cookie family tree. I know I went into a lot of detail about this project, but it was so much fun to do and I wanted to share every detail with my blog readers. 



This third and final post about the cookie family tree is so much fun because it's all about the accessories I made to go with each person's cookie. If you read the first two posts I wrote about my tree, you already know that I took some effort to make each cookie unique. I wanted each cookie to resemble the person. But, just make sure there wasn't any question who was who, I decide to give each cookie a mini-cookie based on the family member's interest or talent.

Each accessory cookie is about an inch big. I hand cut almost all of them to make sure they were exactly what I wanted.

Probably my favorite, and most amusing, accessory was my brother-in-law Tony's. He loves bacon. We actually gave him a bacon wallet for his birthday a few years ago. So I decided that a strip of bacon would go along just nicely with his cookie.

 

Tony was a tough cookie to make because of his hair style. He's kind of a hippie, nerdy, beer-drinkin', bookish, jogger-dude that wears Victorian shaped glasses. I could have made Tony a million mini-cookies, but I decided on bacon because it was just fun. He recently cut his hair, but at the time the tree was made, he had a huge long braid of hair. Now it's more chin-length and studly. 

Here is a quick run-down of the others...

For my sister-in-law Kate, a computer. She is one of the founding members of www.localbounty.org and has much success with her website...so a computer was her mini-cookie. She is also a mom, student, gardener, crafter, and master pickle maker. So many talents, so little time!



Here is Kate with Tony and their two girls. The girls got a soccer ball and a monkey as their accessories.

Then there is my sister, Sarah. She has dedicated her life to working in the education system. She was a teacher, principal, and now she is the curriculum director in her school district. She recently finished her masters degree in education administration. She is the brilliant one in our family. So I gave her an apple for her accessory. It symbolizes her passion for education.


Here is Sarah with her family. 



Her husband (a police officer) is a HUGE Penn State fan. I gave him a Lion's paw for his cookie. My niece (bottom right) is going to be a rock star one day. She is training on Rock Band...so I made her a microphone. My nephew is a sports hero and got a football.

My mom is one of my favorite cookies. She is a big-time tea drinker, so I gave her a mini-teacup with a cute little purple flower on the front!



My brother Andrew and his partner Anthony were tough cookies to make. If Sarah is the brainiac in the family then Andrew is the creative genius. As a film/video major at Penn State, he has produced some crazy cool projects. Right now he works for a really cool online retailer in Vegas.  Even though Andrew is a professional with a cool job, he is still a comic book lover at heart. I'm not sure how big his collection is, but I think he probably could have enough to open his own store. So his mini-cookie is of course a comic book...



Anthony is the family stylist and has been tabbed the 'Global Fashion Director' as a joke. But in reality we all know the world would look a little nicer if he was in fact the GFD. 

Not only do I have the GFD in my family, but I also got Bubba. Bubba's accessory was a big ole burger. Bubba loved burgers. I say loved because he's lost a ton of weight and now eats everything in moderation. If I were doing this family tree today, I'd probably still make Bubba a burger, but it would be a little smaller. : )



Topher's step-mom Kathy is a very altruistic person. She has so many talents and professional achievements, but the thing that stands out the most is her participation with the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. I made her a purple sneaker and *tried* to put a Relay moon and star on the side. I must say that Kathy's cookie is one of the best for likeness. The sneaker could have been executed a little better.



Her son Justin (Toph's step-brother) and his family were also at the party and on the tree...



Justin a HUGE mega-big Cowboy fan. Kim, his wife, is one of the best cooks ever. She got a mixing bowl and spoon. Their son is a little sports nut just like dad and got a baseball bat.

My dad is a train nut. So he got a coal engine for his accessory. My stepmother runs her own marketing business, so I made another computer for her. My little brother is a great swimmer so I made him a cute little swimmer dude.



My mother-in-law is a beautiful person with a very loving personality. She is a perfect match with Toph's stepfather. They just seem like two peas in a pod. Since she is a gardener (flower and veggie garden!), I decided to make her a pea pod and a raddish.



Her husband Greg is the family photographer. We can always count on him to take lots of great pictures at every event. He is a graphic designer for a newspaper, so he definitely has the artisitic eye when it comes to snapping a great photo. He's also the nicest guy on earth. No really, if there was a competition, he would win the title!!

Here he is with his camera. He uses a Canon...but I thought this more traditional looking camera would make for a nice cookie. Also, it should be noted that I originally made his cookie green eyes. Topher insisted I change it to blue because the family always jokes about his beautiful blue eyes. I made the change and was happy to see his blue eyes when he showed up at the party. 



Last but not least is my little family. You've already seen Toph's guitar - he's the family musician. Since I love to bake, I made me a rolling pin cookie. Gracie was the birthday girl and so I added a party hat to her cookie and made her a mini birthday cake with the number 2 at the top.  Here we are...



This is the end of the tree. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this project. I love my family so much and couldn't be more blessed. Who knows...maybe if there is addition to the family I'll have to update the cookie tree. Until then, I think I'll just enjoy the pictures and fun from this one!!

Have a sweet day!!!

Anne