Shamrock Sugar Cookies

A couple days ago I was sorting through some loose recipe pages I had in my "Oh!, I want to try making this" pile. You know... the pile of recipes printed from Pinterest.com or Allrecipes.com that sit around for a little while (okay, months maybe) until you get a chance to try them out. Trust me, mine is quite the pile.

There was a new sugar cookie recipe in the stack. I already have a “family favourite” sugar cookie recipe and it's great. It uses sour cream, which gives the cookies a richer flavour. However, I didn't have sour cream and I did really want to try this new recipe. 

Perfect Sugar Cookies (adapted)

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract (I use clear vanilla extract)

2 TBSP milk

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the sugar and blend thoroughly. Add the egg and vanilla extract and blend. Add the milk and beat again.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture until combined. Once the dough holds together, wrap the dough in plastic wrap or in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to two days.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake each sheet of cookies for 8 - 10 minutes; until edges are just starting to turn golden. This will give you a cookie with a slightly chewy center. If you like a crisper cookie, then bake them a little longer.

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Frost and decorate cookies once completely cool.

So I'm making up the dough and I thought, "Hey, St. Patrick's Day is coming up!" So I grabbed my Wilton's Kelly Green food gel and added just a little dab to the dough. I use Wilton's gels because I like how little I need to use to get great colour. Check out that green!

   

Once the dough came together, I divided it into two discs and stuck them into Ziploc bags, then put the bags in the refrigerator for a day. I like to give the dough a chance to rest and for the flavours to get all mellow and happy together.

I had picked up a cute shamrock shape cookie cutter from Scoop n' Save in Langley. This place is amazing! It has everything you would ever want to bake and decorate. I also bought some green sanding sugar and some shamrock sprinkles. They offer them in bulk, and you just scoop out how much you need. Hence the name...Scoop n' Save.

Yesterday the weather was terrible. So much wind, so much rain. A good day to stay inside and bake. I was a little worried the power would go out before I'd had a chance to bake all the cookies, so I made quick work of getting the dough rolled out and the shapes cut and into the oven. Luckily, the power stayed on and all the shamrocks came out fine.

Today my mom and I spent some time decorating the cookies with royal icing using Wilton's Meringue Powder. I use this in my royal icing to get it to harden faster. I only add in about a teaspoon to the mix; just kinda sprinkle it in. So we had to be quick about getting them iced and dipped into the sanding sugar before the icing started to set.

We opted for a random pattern zig-zag over the cookies. These cookies are going to my Oma's homecare center, so we didn't want to ice the whole cookie but still wanted them to be whimsical. We left some with plain icing, some with just sanding sugar and some with both shamrock sprinkles and sanding sugar. Here they are all in a box ready to go.

And then I did some research. It turns out that while all shamrocks are clover, not all clover are shamrocks. And while even botanists do not always agree on what makes a shamrock, most Irishmen (and women) do. Irish legend claims that St. Patrick used the tri-lobed leaf to illustrate Christianity's holy trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Four leaf clovers are a genetic mutation of the three leaf clovers. Although four leaves are considered lucky, they are not considered to be shamrocks by those passionate about their Irish traditions and legends.

So ultimately, my "shamrocks" are not shamrocks and are simply four-leaved clovers. And while they may not be particularly Irish, they taste delicious.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A Year of Pretty - December 09, 2014

A Year of Pretty - December 08, 2014

 .. . .perfect for the creative person. This would also be a great way to use left over yarn. What's also nice is that with a bit of adult super vision when attaching the yarn to the wreath, this is a fun project for kids to create. Imagine their concentration while winding the yarn into smaller balls....

I've given instructions for both a permanent and a temporary wreath. In the permanent version, the balls of yarn are glued together; both to the wreath form and to each other. In the temporary version, the balls of yarn are attached with thin wire. This is in case you may want to use the yarn again for another project and don't want it to be covered in hardened glue.

You can also use a foam wreath for your base and wrap it in yarn. I found that to be a bit time consuming, so I opted for a rustic twig / vine wreath I had on hand. Essentially, when we pruned back the grape vines in the garden, I twisted then into wreaths and let them dry that way. But you can pick one up pretty cheap at your local craft store.

Directions for Yarn Wreath:

Needed:
yarn in four or five complimentary shades
styrofoam balls in various sizes
large eyed needle
desired size wreath form; twig or grapevine
hot glue gun and glue sticks, or 20 gauge wire
wire cutters and eye protection
hanging ornament for center
clear fishing line
scissors

What to Do:

1. Wind various yarns around the different sizes of styrofoam balls, leaving a 12 inch tail. If you are using a smaller wreath, make smaller balls, larger for a larger wreath. Essentially, the size should be in proportion to the overall size of the wreath.

2. Thread the tail end of yarn onto the large eyed needle. Pull the needle through the ball of yarn repeatedly until the tail is secure.

3. Arrange balls of yarn on wreath form in the desired sequence in order to cover the front of the wreath as shown in the photo.

4. Apply hot glue to the back of each yarn ball and press in place along the wreath. Hold until ball feels secure. Repeat with all yarn balls; glue yarn balls together at sides where they touch.

OR

4. Attach each ball of yarn to the wreath with the 20 gauge wire by threading the wire through each ball and then twisting the ends of the wire onto the twig wreath until secure. Wearing eye protection, clip ends of wire with wire cutters. Twist and tuck exposed twisted pieces into the wreath for safety. Thread wire through yarn balls at sides where they touch and repeat twisting to secure, clipping ends as needed.

5. Attach hanging ornament to inside top of wreath with clear fishing line. Trim ends of fishing line with scissors.

Your wreath is now ready to hang or give away as a gift. I have found that round cake trays with domed lids from the grocery store's baking department are great way to store wreaths when not in use and are convenient for gift-giving. Just stick a pretty bow on the top of the dome and you're done.

Happy Christmas Crafting!

A Year of Pretty - March 01, 2014

Here we are, the first of March. February was a bit of a blur (okay, a whole big bit of a blur) because I was designing for two shows at the same time, both happening within the same week. Luckily, both shows had the same theme of The Great Gatsby.

Now it is the beginning of a new month. Time to start thinking about new projects. Which means time to be inspired .. .new ideas, new colour palettes, new textures, new tones.

Today's Pretty Post is another palette swatch designed by Design Seeds. This one is called "tagged hues".

I've written about Design Seeds before, and it's a great site for gaining inspiration from everyday items and coming up with beautiful colour combinations, like the one shown here. I will probably post a couple of these over the next few days.

Design away my friends . . . Design away !

A Year of Pretty - February 23, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is another example of mixing mediums when it comes to floral displays. Yesterday's post was with lemons, today's is with limes. This one is done in softer tones, so the overall look is more elegant. I could see this working very well for a dinner party, especially if there were two or three lined up down the center of the dining table with pillar candles of various heights scattered between them, or tea lights in little glass votives as shown here.

A Year of Pretty - January 29, 2014

Yesterday I prattled on about the speed at which January flew by. Today's Pretty Post also is about the passage of time with this image of a vintage alarm clock and its reflection on a glass surface.

There are a couple different thoughts that this image provokes. The reflection of time. How reflection takes time. Does time reflect itself? Do we spend enough (or too much) time in self reflection?

The original image is from a listing on Etsy by Bree's Treasures by Bree Madden of San Diego, CA. She is a self taught photographer who enjoys nature and spending time on the beach.

Most of her images are muted and pastel colours of the outdoors, the beach and the nature she finds there. Seashells, water birds, pale pink blossoms and teal ocean waves dominate her collection. The images look great together as a collage, and she offers several different print sets ready to be displayed in your home.

So before time runs out (yes, I know . . . bad pun), have a wander over to her Etsy page and browse through her art work. The prints would make for some nice additions to a guest room, guest bathroom or a child's nursery.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

A Year of Pretty - January 28, 2014

I can't believe how fast the first month of the year has gone by. A couple more days and January 2014 will be over and done.

Today's Pretty Post is this simple wreath design found on Pinterest. by clicking on the included link, the result was just another window with the image, so I'm sorry to say I'm at a dead end as to the original source.

The wreath includes snowdrops and Symphoricarpos, also known as "white berry" or "snow berry".

I remember bushes of these berries used to grow begin our grade school. I can clearly remember being about six or seven years old with David Dodd and Scott Smith (the two cutest boys in my class by far) and crushing the berries under our shoes because they made a neat popping sound. I also punched David in the kidney that day (didn't know that's where kidneys were at the time) because he called me a Frizzy Head. It was a great first date.

This would be a nice image to print onto gift tags for a house warming, or if you happen to know someone named January (hey, it happens . . think of January Jones aka Emma Frost in X-Men: First Class . . . and yes, I am a geek for knowing that and yes, I see the irony of Ms January playing a role with the last name Frost).

Anyhow, enjoy the image. February will be here soon enough.

A Year of Pretty - January 20, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is this chair with distressed finish and interestingly . . . castor wheels on the front legs. It looks like it might be quite heavy, so this would make sense. Simply lift up the back and push the chair along on its wheels until you have it moved to where you want it. the front legs would need to be chopped down a bit so that the chair still remained level and not tilted backwards.

Also liking the brooch pins added to the cushions. Clever little detail. I like clever little details.

Not sure whether the gauze is a throw or a evening gown draped on the chair from the night before. Let's go with evening gown . . .makes this photo seem more romantic and a bit mysterious.

Because really, as a throw the material wouldn't keep anyone warm. But as a stunning dress it's sure to light some fires within.

Enjoy your Monday and seek beauty all around you.

A Year of Pretty - January 19, 2014

Sweet little case, looks like it's all set for a short trip to the cottage. I have a couple of these in a pale blue floral motif that I use for storage under the coffee table. Brilliant when you need to quickly get stuff off the table because company is coming, but you aren't entirely sure where to put it.

A Year of Pretty - January 16, 2014

Today's Pretty Post was found while searching for images to print and decoupage onto tins for storage. I thought it was such a nice vintage image of "new beginnings", which is what January often means to a lot of people.

How are you doing with your 2014 resolution? Are you still on track, or has time / energy caught you off guard?

I find my biggest downfall is the "I'll do it tomorrow" trap. As in . . . "I'll sew this tomorrow", or "I can do the laundry in the morning". Morning then becomes afternoon and tomorrow becomes two weeks later.

So I leave little notes for myself on the bathroom mirror. "Take down the recycling", or "cut three dresses by Friday afternoon". The notes annoy me, but I can only remove them once the task is done.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still working on my Great Gatsby Fashion Show Challenge. The designs are coming along, the muslins have been cut, my model has been selected and I have the first fitting next week.

But working for yourself is hard. You have to be more conscious of your time and how wisely you spend it. It is so easy to get distracted by the computer or a text message; and the next thing . . . twenty minutes have gone by.

So here's to staying on course with your new beginnings and taking each day to get closer to your goals.

A Year of Pretty - January 11, 2014

Today's Pretty Post comes from a collection of images at le jardindelildelle. I could look at this site everyday and be happy . . . . .

A Year of Pretty - January 09, 2014

It's January. I have a cold. It's cold outside (though being in Vancouver, BC . . .decidedly not as cold as Eastern Canada or the United States.) It's dreary. Some candles will add some glowing warmth to the room. I love candles

Today's Pretty Post is this lovely winter white arrangement, the original source from Lovenordic Design Blog.

This sort of arrangement would look nice on the mantle of a fireplace. What I like about it is that it can be displayed both before Christmas and afterwards. I would put this out maybe in mid-November, and then around the beginning of December add some sprigs of holly with red berries or a couple of red and gold balls. After Christmas, I'd remove the festive decorations.

Mom and I made a bunch of these pillar candles using leftover taper candle stubs, melting them down and pouring the wax into empty frozen juice tins and rinsed out milk cartons. Once the wax had hardened, we simply peeled off the cardboard.

I have two of these large wooden letters, each for the initials of my first and last name. I'm sure if I talk to my dad sweetly; maybe bring him some peanut butter cookies....that he and I could use his jigsaw to cut out these letters to spell this otherwise chilly time of year.

A Year of Pretty - January 05, 2014

Okay, okay . . . I know I've been posting a lot of cup and saucer and high tea photos this past week. But just one more tea party themed post and then I'll move on to something else.

Today's Pretty Post is from one of my FAVOURITE design inspiration sites called Design Seeds. First, I think it's a really awesome name for a design inspiration site, since each idea for design does indeed start with a seed of sorts. The seed grows and changes and grows some more until the designer arrives at the end product; the manifestation of the original design seed.

So what is Design Seeds? Basically, it's a palette search tool based around colours found in an item, such as shown in today's post. Think of it as an elegant version of paint chips you'd find at Home Depot or Rona.

Created by Jessica in 2009, Design Seeds began as a way for her to incorporate her love of colour with design blogging. Throughout her art school training at the Center for Creative Studies and her extensive design career working with companies such as Ford, Reebok and Timberland, Jessica has created original colour journals. Design Seeds is a modern interpretation of these journals.

While the colour palettes shown do not have any specific paint brands associated with them, there are many paint stores that will scan a colour swatch and create a corresponding paint colour. Just keep in mind that what you see on your screen and what is printed from your desktop printer may be slightly different.

Design away my friends .  .Design away !

Little Bit of Lovely - version 3.0

 

 

 

Today on Etsy - March 08, 2013

Today's Etsy find is this wonderful mosaic tile serving tray from Sigmosaics. White on white -simple and sophisticated.

At approximately 11'x7', it is just the right size to take tea out into the garden or out onto the balcony. Or a cool glass of lemonade into the shade on a hot afternoon. Or hot cocoa by the fire on a chilly winter night.

My vote would be for tea and toast in bed. Then again, if someone brought me a glass of wine and some cheese they would not be turned away.

This little tray would make a wonderful hostess gift or a great gift for a newly-wed couple.

Today on Etsy - March 07, 2013

 

vintage canning jar light fixture by BootsNGus.

Today on Etsy - February 28, 2013

Good Morning! Here we are at the end of February already.

Rather than feature just one item from Etsy, I've created a collage with different items. To see the complete collage, just follow the link by clicking on the photo.

See you in March !

Today on Etsy - January 31, 2013

Wow! Where did the first month of 2013 go? It's already the end of January. Which means it's that much closer to spring. In the meantime, look at these fun repurposed canning jars from BeachBlues.

 

Lovely for a spring table, a side table, and entrance way.

Today on Etsy - January 26, 2013

I’ve been ordering button sets from mariiam for a couple years now. I like how the buttons are all a little different, but all matchy-matchy. This makes them great for craft projects such as card making, scrap booking, button flowers, pillow accents …..the list could go on and on.

Shown here is an example of the Valentine mix. There are two size options to choose from: small-medium or medium large. I usually choose two sets in the medium large and one in the small medium so that I have a nice mix of sizes in the same colour range.

The Valentine mix would be perfect for making class cards for Valentine’s Day. An idea is to have your child draw some flower petals and then glue the buttons in the centers. Or cut out some simple hearts and glue the buttons on for decoration, and then write “Cute as a Button”.

Trust me…kids+ buttons+glue=magic.*

*As with all craft projects that involve small children with scissors and small objects, supervision is strongly advised to ensure the safety the child. Ingestion of glue, buttons, glitter or other equally appealing craft supplies is/are not recommended. These items are non-digestible and from experience, a child that eats sparkles will in fact poop sparkles. And buttons. And Lego blocks. Just saying.

Today on Etsy - January 04, 2013

So many pretty things, so many credit card statements arriving from the holidays ....

Today's find on Etsy is from bedbuggs. Now normally bed bugs are not a good thing. But these lovely whimsical pillow covers brought a smile to my face.

I am in the process of decorating a friend's apartment. He is out of town a whole bunch, so he essentially gave me a colour scheme and an idea of his taste and is letting me run with it. He does a lot of charity work for American Breast Cancer Society, so pink definitely has to feature in the decor. I have my eye on a couple hot pink and white ones for the white Italian leather sofa.

The pale blue and white one shown here would be great for my living room.

Next pay check.