Yesterday's sunrise was a harbinger of colors to come. You know we like a candy-colored Christmas around here.
My cookies from the previous night were waiting. I find baking and decorating cut-out cookies a ton of work, so I've always used packaged dough and packaged royal icing because, even using those shortcuts, I'm (historically) ready to be done with the whole thing when I'm about 5/8ths done, which is the point at which I become fatigued with almost every project I undertake. I think it's like the Golden Mean with me. If I had to add dough- or frosting-making to the equation, I fear I wouldn't get past the baking part. Or perhaps the rolling-out part. Or actually I might just skip straight to the not-doing-it part. And the other thing is that I like the taste of these just fine. I prefer it, actually. It's like having a craving for Kraft macaroni and cheese. Sometimes it just hits the spot.
I do, however, hand-make all my sprinkles.
Kidding. By the end of the batch I'm just spraying sprinkles everywhere, Get on there, babies!, rushing to make them stick before all the frosting dries up. (It dries quick.)
Showers and showers of sprinkles. Sometimes it's hard to remember that "sprinkles" are actually "sugar." Biting into a cookie that actually crunches reminds you . . . as well as the sudden urge to lay down and take a nap about a half-hour later. . . .
The sprinkles reminded me of these beads, a big bowl of which I put together the other day. They're all just kids' beads from the craft store. I find stringing beads to be very relaxing. If you add pom-poms (see Heidi's adorable garlands over at Kiddley), you have a great TV-watching activity. My mom was looking for a project to do and I suggested this to her, and asked her to make me one. Immediately after hanging up the phone, I realized I felt a bit flushed . . . put hand to forehead . . . yes, I had the stringing-fever myself. So of course went out and bought three bags of beads and five bags of pom-poms and have made, so far, seven garlands. Sigh. I drive myself insane, I really do. I now have enough poms to fill a standard pillowcase. They do make adorable strands of cuteness for the tree or the mantle
Oops, wrong "mantle."
I meant this one.
When we were house-hunting six years ago, we looked at a house that had a fireplace in the master bedroom, as well as a tiny nursery with a mint-green linoleum floor and little paned French doors off of it. The place was a fixer, and by the time we wanted to write our offer, one had already been made. But I drive past that house every few days on my way downtown and I think about it. A fireplace in the bedroom. It's a spectacular dream, don't you think? I could do a lot with that.
Generally, I'm just saying that it's good to have every aspect of your holiday decorating color-coordinated with your . . . sprinkles. Obviously, it's where one should always start.
Be still my heart. Look at all those wonderful hues. I love how the coloured sugars bleed into the icing.
HeeHee....I wonder if Martha has ever tried making her own sugars :)
Oh that sunrise is just breathtaking isn't it!
The cookies look so cute and so edible.
I would have loved to have tryed your garland with my 2 little grandsons while they were with me this past week. We did make a few of our own pompoms for fun though.
A friend of mine was recently let go of her job, and has been feeling quite lost. She's not normally a crafty person, and has always looked at my hobbies with incredulity. Now that she doesn't have anything to do all day, though, she's taken up colouring as a compulsive activity. She says she's amazed at her insistence of getting the colours just right, of colouring within the lines. Can you say OCD?! She also finds the motions soothing. I told her that's why a lot of people like knitting.
Maybe I'll suggest pompom strands to her :)
I would love to have a fireplace in our bedroom!
I put my own tree up last night and had a grand time doing so. Hubby was meanwhile untangling lights and dressing the front of the house. I forgot he was doing so and at one point had to go outside to get something out of the car and was greeted with a wonderful wonderland of white lights! Beautiful! and its the only "snow" we get here on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. I've been smiling and reading your blog. A good morning. Everyone at work can now be "caught" at some point during the day reading Rosylittlethings! Ha! It's how we greet each other in the morn..."did you read Posy this morning?" Whoever reads it first wins!! Ha! Thanks Alicia for all the Christmas joy. My little village is O.K., but next year will be spectacular! I hope.
Angela
We don't have a proper fireplace in our bedroom, but I have an old salvaged fireplace mantel in there anyway. I love it dressing it up for every holiday.
Everything is merry and bright! Love it!
I have been working on the cut-out cookies since, oh, Monday? Tuesday? They *will* get done today. Personally, I'm already done with them.
I love those bead/pompom garlands. I have to tuck all these ideas away in my head for when my daughter is old enough to participate.
I was so glad to hear (read) you say that about the cookies. Even with the pre-made dough & icing, there is something about making sugar cookies that just saps me of energy and leaves me drained. Add 2 small children into the mix, and it's no wonder that last year, when the youngest was barely a year old, I couldn't even bear to try. This year though -- watch out -- here come the sprinkles!
Very pretty, love the look of the cookies and the poms.. makes me want to make some.. I have those beads leftover from the kid-days around here. Frankie was just asking about making perler beads again recently.. anyway, thanks for the photos.. lovely color and composition as usual.
Such beautiful colours! Love it all. :)
I couldn't agree more:) We did sprinkles today too!!
Delicious cookies AND photos!
Kim
Wow, I'd really love to know what you would do with a fireplace in the bedroom, because I have one, and I have NO idea what to do with it. We actually have 4 fireplaces in this house (it's 100 years old). I pretty much just decorate the one in the living room.
Very cute holiday decorations- and so "you"!
you really are insane, alicia - but in the very best way, of course.
xoxo
...adding a "hit" of lemon or vanilla extract to store-bought icing makes it taste/smell more homemade! It works!-
I love those garlands! I was hoping to find a way to make "snowballs" for my tree this year and I got so far in the thinkin' process and experienced a power outage in my brain. This will go on the "List O' Idea'rs" for next year. (It's crazy ... I'm excited about Christmas 2007 ideas before I've even had this one yet.) All that to say ... thanks!
I am on a break right now from my own baking and decorating...Those cookies are adorable. And finally! People who understand how back-breaking cookie making is...I love it, I do it year-round, obviously, but this time of the year, I am swamped. By the way, did you make those swan paper cut-outs hanging on the mantelpiece? Gorgeous.
Your cookies are fabulous. I'm going to try your technique next year. Each year I make my own dough and frosting, and like you I'm over it before I'm a quarter of the way through. I must say it is a lot more fun decorating cookies with someone else -- albeit a child, another adult, or just a fabulous sister. I miss my sister. Frosting cookies and listening to Sing-A-Long with Mitch Miller reminds me of many Christmas' past.
But you continue to inspire. I too put up the two trees and decorated last night while Josh played Battlefield II. We still haven't created holiday traditions together. Perhaps next year.
Ho, Ho, Ho!
I love the custom-color sprinkles on your cookies, but even more-I love how you caught that sunrise!
I'm forever trying to capture gorgeous sunsets, but I never manage to be able to catch the colors well enough. I don't know if it's my out of date camera (only 2 pixels, how behind the times!), or if I need to tinker with it in PSP?
Would you be willing to share how you captured those colors this morning? If it's a "trade secret", I'll understand. :)
Thanks-and I'm another one of your fans who just must visit each day to see what you're up to.
Alicia, I love your pom pom garlands! Sooooooo cute. I noticed in your mantel photo that you ALSO have the TORD 'Swans a-Swimming' garland. Those swans look simply lovely with your decor scheme. They didn't do much for mine...so I chopped 'em off. 8o0 Mine now has only the snowflakes and arches left. Poor Saucy is having kiniption fits about my insouciance! Ooops....
I am new to reading your blog, don't even know how I found you! I ordered your Chrismtas post cards last week and have just LOVED them. I only have one left, as a matter of fact:) You are so talented and have such an eye for design. Your blog is a delight to the senses!
oof, so pretty! and I think it's so smart to know that the pre-made is good enough. I make myself crazy trying to get through the project, and decided this year to just abandon it all together!
I completely agree that from scratch cutouts are too much work. I made them for the first time last Sunday and it got old really quick. After working on them all afternoon I pawned icing and sprinkling duties off on my husband while I took a shower around 7p. The icing didn't get completely finished till Tuesday. But they were good! And I say "were" because they're all gone now!
Never again without more help.
I also wanted to tell you that I received Moira and I love her! Thank you,
Courtney
Oh my - your sunrise looks kinda like our sunset tonite (photo on my blog).
Those are yummy looking goodies!!!
First, your sunrise was beautiful. Second, I want a cookie, please? Third, I have to make one of those garlands, sweet! and Fourth - thanks for having such a wonderful bog. :)