Spring Fling For Cookiers!

Our panel of professionals.

It's a new word.  Cookiers.  Like me and many of you, cookiers are people who bake decorate and give away (and rarely eat) sugar cookies. Spring Fling was an amazing weekend filled with camaraderie among the 70 or so attendees and learning from the amazing panel above.  I am going to mention these amazing people by name and a link and encourage you to take a peek. Starting right to left, I know, backwards.  The photo was added after all the text and I am in no mood to edit!


First, Sweet SugarBelle, an amazing cookier from Texas.  She gave a lecture on finding inspiration and reusing cookie cutters for purposes other than their original design.  Sort of thinking outside the tin if you will.  Her work is nothing short of amazing.  Okay, I said amazing 5 times thus far, (6 really).  I need a thesaurus.
Next was Pam at Cookie Crazie.  She uses glaze instead of royal icing and I have to admit it tastes yummy.  But it is sticky and under the circumstances not easy to use.  It isn't a fair assessment, but for now I am sticking to royal.  She is a cookier with a mission, check out her blog to see how she lives and cookies in a Godly way.  Amazing, yes.
Next was Glory from Glorious Treats.  She is funny and humble and talented.  She talked about photography and I paid close attention.  No more single cookie shots coming from this girl!  (I have one old photo shoot to post first.)  She really had some great ideas, and I was happy to know my new location in my house to shoot, is what she recommends.  She calls it open shade.  So I am hoping to post improved photos here soon!
Next, MaryAnn Rollins, the Cookie Artisan, a cookier from OKC.  Wow is about all I can say.  Her platters are stunning.  She is an artist from start to finish.  Her talk was about platters and themes, I learned a lot as her enthusiasm is quite infectious.  And yes, she too is amazing.  Check out the Halloween platter with all the costumed people.  I could look at it for hours.
Ali from Ali Bee's Bake Shop taught us how to do brushed embroidery with royal icing.  It is a fantastic technique that I cannot wait to put into play!  Did I mention how young she is?  And talent...geesh!
And Karen from Karen's Cookies.  Her website is devoted to the cookier and has just about everything you need.  Except a kopykake, and as you will see shortly, I need one!  Karen has a long background in decorating and decided to get into the business of selling what we need to survive!  Her husband Mike signs all of the orders when they go out and honestly, he got as much applause as the gals with the cookies!  The best part, they gave us great stuff, Karen gave us great info (even if the icing was all wrong for her and for us) and they are the most humble people.  I mean, you want them as neighbors, kind of nice.

Our hostesses were from Cookie Two Shoes and my fellow attendees were as amazing.  They had a little contest of Kentucky themed cookies, and here are the platters (arranged by Mary Ann) of all the cookies that entered.  To my friends I bake for.  I'm sorry.  Really, these cookies are over the top gorgeous, and not the sort of thing people get a dozen of.  Most of these decorators have a kopykake, and I am ordering mine today.  Really, it is that impressive.  So have a peek, and come back.  There will be nothing but improvements in my cookier capabilities!  Remember, I made NONE of the following cookies.  I am not sure who made most of them as it was anonymous.  But enjoy them.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get in there and bake!