Saturday, November 05, 2022

November blowing in....

 ~ Greetings and Warm Welcome to my Blog ~

I hope this finds each of you well 😊
Today is Saturday and I'm excited to be attending a Craft Bazaar/Craft Fair at our local church.
Ellie's in Youth Group there, and they run the Bake Sale/Kitchen area where all profits go to support them through the year.

I decided to make my cut out and iced cookies. 
I made Pumpkins & Scarecrows



Here they are all bagged up and ready to take to the sale:



Before I ever made it to the door ~ I sold 40 out of my trunk. I took the remaining 40 and $80 from my parking lot sales, and handed it to the Bake Sale coordinator. I bet when I get there today there will not be many left if any. I sold them for $2 a cookie, which most people probably are thinking: for a single cookie? But if you look up pricing - a dozen of these cookies go anywhere from $25 -45 (and up) They are very time intensive. I had about 16 hours in these. I'm not a professional and I have made 1000's of cookies but I have never taken 1 penny for any of them. I give them from my heart, it brings me great joy to see people wonder over how they look and then to see their faces once they bite into one....priceless!

If you are interested in learning - 
I can tell you how I learned. I taught myself 10 years ago. I wanted cookies for my son's Eagle Scout Reception. I priced them at a local bakery. About choked and then decided to teach myself. 
I Googled: Iced Cookies. At the time I started going through blogs/websites and one of the first people I settled on was Sweet Sugarbelle. You can find her blog here: 

another gem of a website is: 

There are TONS more. This was also the first time I used  YouTube as a way of learning something. There are LOTS of cookie decorating videos. Again just let your fingers do the typing and you can find a wealth of information from good hearted people that spend a great quantity of time to upload free content to help others. I know people have mixed feelings about the internet, and I agree there is bad, but I choose to look for the good and don't mess with the bad or stay far away. 

My Cookie Recipe is basically Callye's BASIC SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE 
the only thing I do different is: I use a TBS of LorAnn Emulsion and I use 3+ cups of flour (I live in humidity so I have to use more flour than Callye has to living in the desert so the cookies will not spread)

I also use Callye's icing recipe: ROYAL ICING RECIPE
the only difference is: I use again 1TBS of emulsion and about 1/2 c. water (depending on the humidity)

Doing these take a large amount of time. And typically it takes me 3 days of work to get to a final batch of cookies. Day 1 = make the dough, cut, bake off
Day 2 = make all the icing colors (lots and lots of work) and decorate (more lots and lots of work) leave out all day/night to dry
Day 3 = packaging - I have learned sealing each one in their own self sealing cello bakery bags HERE
helps the cookies to last a lot longer and stay fresh, but I also find that sealing them like this and THEN freezing them inside a rubbermaid container is the best way of extending their life for giving. Practice makes perfect and there is nothing like a little bit of sugar to make most people smile real big. I try to always have cookies on special occasions to pass out. 
It is truly the simple things in life! It truly is!

There has been zero stitching going on. I'm dry, folks. Like a desert. I've been dealing with a lot on my plate, it seems really full. Much more full than normal. This new avenue of arthritis in my knees (and I think hips too) is getting me down/worrying me. I've had a lot of less than ideal dealings with people over the last several weeks. (Had another just last evening - try to help and then blows up and becomes my fault)  SO. I've decided to retreat to my safe place. My home, my interior life, my blog....I will not be on social media for awhile. I think an absence will do my spirit and my heart good. The only thing I will miss is the inspiration I gain from seeing other makers, connecting with some great stitchers that are on there for stitching (not for personal gains and promotion) and the gems of knowledge that I gain from other's personal lives. Perhaps people I know and enjoy interacting with will notice I'm not posting and seek to find me. I'll go back to posting some day again, just taking a break - everyone needs a break now and again.

Until next time....
I'll be keeping you all, our world around us, in my thoughts and prayers.

Keep creating!
Love in stitches, 
Vonna xxxx




12 comments:

  1. First, you need to take care of Vonna. I know you will be missed, but I also know where to find you. Your cookies look incredible and I can't say that I am surprised that you sold 40 of them even before you stepped into the bake sale place. Thinking of you and hope you know how loved and valued you are.

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  2. I have been an avid reader of you blog for a long time and love your videos. I'm sorry you have to deal with the negativity of some people. I used to dressmake but gave it up after too many issues with dealing with people who don't appreciate the effort and time you put into creating.
    I hope you find joy and rest in your home, and I look forward to the day you share your beautiful stitching with us again.

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  3. Your cookies look nice and ... yummy!
    Take care of you. Look forward to the day you write again.
    Warm greetings

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  4. Sorry you are having some issues with your health, and other issues.
    I am a fairly new follower and love your posts.
    But you need to get better and take time out.
    There is no place for negativity, take no notice and enjoy your life and your family be happy and have fun,

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  5. Sending you gentle hugs and lots of good thoughts. It is so tough dealing with people who don't appreciate your trying to help them. I love seeing your post on Facebook and Instagram and will miss seeing all you and your family are involved in. I have been reading your blog for years and always enjoy seeing a new post up. Your cookies are absolutely beautiful, and I bet they taste every bit as good as they look.

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  6. Your cookies are beautiful and very professional looking. And packaged perfectly. I wouldn't balk at $2 a cookie, I know how much work they take and here in California, cookies like these sell for between $5 and $7 at bake sales. I think you could easily get more per cookie and it would still be a bargain for such a cute cookie.

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  7. Tuning out the outside 'voices' by focusing on your well-being is such a challenge but a priority. I will miss your updates and checking on you. I'm glad that I checked in here today or else I would have been one of the worried ones! You are such a positive place on Instagram. Thank you for that. Be good to yourself and trust that you are loved by many.

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  8. I wrote you this long philosophical love note encouraging you to pass over the toxicity and concentrate on your usually higher ground spiritual
    side... Then it blew away into cyberspace and I did not have the where
    withal or energy to repeat it....Nonetheless, you are deeply loved and appreciated and held in high esteem by we who have followed you
    through the years. That poor negative soul has to live with herself
    while you continue to be a radiant light to the rest of us.... Blessings.

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  9. Sorry about the arthritis. Maybe the hip pain is due to walking differently because of the knee pain? Also sorry about the dealings with people lately.

    Your cookies are gorgeous, thanks for the information on where you learned from.

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  10. Take care of yourself, Vonna. Two dollars for one of your beautifully decorated cookies is not too much. I'll bet they sell out.

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  11. More people need to learn the saying "if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all". As a beginner stitcher, I am in awe of what you do so will be waiting anixiously for your next post. Thank you for sharing so much for everyone to enjoy and benefit from your talents. God bless you and hope to hear from you soon.

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  12. Love, love, love you Vonna! Prayers for your good health, for the loves in your life and for happiness in this season of joy! Bless you for all that you do for others and for the goodness in your heart! We should all be so generous of spirit! Ring in the holidays and relax and enjoy your "me-time." Hugs and Love to you today and every day

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