back in business...

it feels so good to be posting again...

finally...

after a week without internet due to our move.

wow!

in the midst of boxes, packing, moving, cleaning, purging, unpacking, organizing, painting...(yes, still painting)...

i still found time for some design work.

first, let me give you a preface.

i was asked to create some invites for a baby shower based off of a picture of a shirt i'd been emailed, depicting 2 birds...a big sister bird and a little sister bird.

little did i know until YESTERDAY...the shirt is available from etsy through a shop called zoey's attic.

you MUST go check it out...it's the go-to source for adorable big sister/big brother items.

(wish i'd known about it before ella was born...) darn it.

so here's an image of the shirt straight from zoey's attic...

(and....after further research this morning...zoey's attic has an official website too...nice!)

via zoey's attic

the two birds, (big sister & little sister), were the foundation of the design process.

here's the invite we came up with:

the invites were emailed to everyone on the guest list.

& it arrived in everyone's inbox as if it came from the big sister to-be..."rachel lynn" (so cute)

from there... cookies were created:

along with some adorable coordinating quarter-sized "cupcake buttons"

oops...the eyeball on that one tiny green baby sister bird looks too big...doesn't it...?

she must've accidentally gotten punched by a baby brother bird...hence the black eye...*wink*)

and....

some matching wish cards, cupcake toppers, & party tags...

i think it all turned out adorable!!
don't you?

the party is tOmOrRow! exciting!

(psst...toni...i can't WAIT to see pictures of it all put together...no pressure...*wink*)

as promised to a few readers, here are a few tips/ideas/suggestions about making the cookies and cupcake buttons...

first of all - sweetopia has been my source of inspiration since i stumbled upon her site last year. (remember this post?)

she's got tutorials and even shares the recipes for royal icing...which is where my recipe is adapted from...thanks marian!!

when do i make the cookies?

i usually allow 2-3 days prior to the event.

day one: make, bake and let cookies cool completely.

whip up the royal icing, add food coloring, add to piping bags and let it sit for a bit.

pipe on the first layer of royal icing and allow to set for 24 hours. (see this tutorial)

day two: add second layer of decorative royal icing if applicable & allow to set

package up cookies in cellophane bags

with proper storage, the cookies will keep for up to 2 weeks without refrigeration or freezing.

mine tend to get softer with time.

i suggest freezing them if it's going to be longer but i can't guarantee the results - i've not tried it myself.

cupcake buttons?

i make these using royal icing.

i was inspired by this guest blog post via bake at 350 on marian's/sweetopia's site...

same process minus the cookie dough.

and the GREAT thing about royal icing cupcake buttons?

the shelf life is 6 months...maybe even longer.

this means you can make them WAY in advance if time permits.

place them on your confectionery of choice, (petit fours, cupcakes, sugar cookies, cakes, etc.) an hour or two prior to the event.

i hope you've found this to be helpful.

let me know if you have any questions...

here's to a fabulous weekend for me...

for you...

for all of us!

it's SO GOOD to be back in business! *wink*