Mother May I?

Guys... I just want to clarify that this is a safe zone. 

No judgements. 

Got it? 

Ok awesome!

Now

Look

at 

THIS!

{yupppp, I made that.}

When I saw this on Pinterest I was like yes! And I knew they would be in my near future!

So I decided to make these bad boys to hand out to the girls i visit teach on Valentines Day {because well... come on it's perfect!} but I'm a busy person! So I'm a few weeks late but I think everyone is okay with that! 
{Right?! ...just look at 'em}

And because Im awesome Im going to show you how to get these hot pieces of smack into your kitchen!

If you read my Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me post you know that Im very particular about my sugar cookies. They are by far my favorite but I don't like any ol' cookie! But about a year ago I found the recipe of my dreams and have stuck to it! {because well, it's the best thing that ever happened to me!} 

This time {reluctantly} I decided to go with a different recipe because I needed something that doesn't rise or spread and will keep their shape. So I found an amazing recipe {recipe below} and read about all the things that will help the cookies keep their shape while baking... but I'm retarded so it didn't work.. so I used the cookie cutter to recut them back to their original shape to get that clean edge back.

{They didn't spread a whole lot, but again I was going for that clean edge! Hopefully with more practice I'll get it right!}

I used a gift cookie cutter.

First you have to trace your cutter and sketch out your man on a piece of paper. Then with food safe markers draw a basic outline of you sketch on each of your cookies. {P.S. if you're not willing to devote a day to these guys then get out!}

After you got them all drawn out whip up some royal icing into a 20 second consistency {recipe below} and start filling your abs! Do about two abs at a time {two that are not touching} I would say don't even do the abs that are diagonal from each other {wish someone would have told me that!} Do two sections and move to the next cookie.

If needed, use a toothpick to smooth it out or push the icing closer to the edges.

Once you have done two abs on all the cookies the icing on the first one you did should be set enough to start your second set of abs!

{see how my two abs are touching in the center, yeah don't do that! it will look better if they are all separate so again don't do diagonal abs at one time!}

Once everything is done {it probably would be best if you let them set over night} go ahead and give them some nipples and bellybuttons, and then a nice little bow tie to tie it all together! For the bow just do the two triangles and leave a space in the middle, let them dry and then add the center.

{My mom got a huge laugh out of the nipples, she loved them}

After a long days work you'll have these babies all perfect and lined up in your kitchen! {Am I wrong or is this every girls dream??}

{As I was laying them out Glory Glory Hallelujah was stuck in my head, hahahaa}

I wrapped them up and gave them out as a "late" Valentines Day gift!

Here are my Recipes! 

Sweetopia's Sugar Cookie Recipe 

{These cookies are so good and they stay soft! Perfect if you plan on icing or frosting them because they aren't super sweet like my Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookies}

Ingredients

• 2  1/2 cups unsalted butter {room temperature}
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 5 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt

Directions 

1. Cream the butter and sugar with an eletric mixer on low to medium speed {use paddle attachment} for about one minute. Scrape and mix a few seconds more.
2. Add eggs slowly and mix, scrape and mix again.
3. Add vanilla and stir briefly.
4. Sift your dry ingredients together {Flour and salt}
5. Add flour mixture to the bowl. Cover bowl with a towel and mix on low for 30 seconds. When the dough clumps around the paddle it's ready. Do not over mix.
6. Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper and let it sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
7. Roll out the dough further if you need to, and cut out cookie shapes. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. re-roll scraps and repeat.
8. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
9. Put cut dough in fridge for 10 minutes to an hour.
10. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges are golden.
11. let them cool at room temperature and decorate!

Here is a link to the icing recipe, she explains it 100% better than me!!

Royal Icing Recipe

Happy Valentines Day!

Its true, I'm officially a photographer! I got me a camera a two weeks ago today! I have already had the privilege of doing two photo shoots and I'm lovin it! So as you saw a few days ago I posted a quick sneak peek of a {Valentines Day} themed session I did! It was so much fun! They had lots of props and cute ideas to work with and the sun was just right! Hope you enjoy! And I hope you have a super {lovey-dovey} Vday!

{They are just adorable!}

Sneak Peek!

I got the chance to do a Valentines Day themed session with this adorable couple! Got a lot of great shots! Here is a quick peek!

More to come!!

Fifty-Two For My Baby

So I seriously have been dying to get this one up! But obviously..... I couldn't because it was a present for my love<3 If you are a Pinterest user I know you have seen this one its basically famous!

I actually officially decided to make one after reading my wonderful/ amazing/ fabulous/ crafty friend Alayna's blog about all the fabulous things she made for Christmas presents {Christmas Craftiness}So me.. being a scanner, NOT a reader. "Read" about her making these 52 reason decks...

...then I continued to scan and saw something about putting pictures on somethin with mod podge {She was totally talking about a total different gift by the way..} but I thought, 'Ohh what a great idea! Put pictures on the cards along with the reasons!' So that got me really excited! Even with the mix up and all ...I still love to say she was my inspiration!!

So I started cutting out pictures of us, I used every single picture I could find of us and it still wasn't enough! So I started using pictures of me. I hated that part cuz I felt so weird and conceded putting just a picture of me on there but I knew he would lovee!

{I used double sided tape to put everything on, because I'm in love with the stuff! It just works so nicely!}

I really underestimated the time this would take me! It took forever! And I was only half donee

{I still had some plain cards without any pictures! This bothered me greatly! But I just covered those up with scrapbook paper!}

So after writing and adding some scrapbook paper they looked a little like this(:

So by the time I was allllll finished the deck was so thick that the rings I was going to bind it with didn't even fit!!

{I was not expecting it to be this thick! I guess I got a little crazy!}

Soooo.. Like I said earlier.. It took a little longer that I wanted it to! Therefore... when Vday rolled around... I was not finished! Haha so my boyfriend.. Being the funny boy that he is.. Took on the job to finish his own present!

{And if you know him... you know that it is just like him to do something like that!!}

All that was left to do was string some ribbon through it {his great idea to bind it together!}

{Finished Product!}

I love it! It was a lot of fun when you take away the stressful part of getting it done on time!

Total cost: $18

Used and old deck of cards so that was free, of course I got all the paper half off! And the rest of the cost was the pictures I developed.

Cupcake Liners and Pool Noodles (Valentines Day Wreath)

Weird combination, I know... But man do they make a fabulous wreath!

I'm sorry this is so close to Vdayyy, I really wanted to put this out a long time ago so you could actually consider this for you Vday wreath! But maybe next year, yeah!?  

{It's no question that I got this idea from Pinterest, but I altered it quite a bit and made it my own!}



Cupcake Liner Wreath

Need:

Cupcake liners

foam wreath

Straight pins

crepe paper

First wrap the wreath with the crape paper that matches your color scheme.

 {Of course I used my famous pool noodle wreath idea}

 You will need a ton of cupcake liners! Don't underestimate the number of them you will use because there can never be too much! I can't tell you exactly how many I used, I wish I could! But I didn't keep track.. but I do know it was over 100!

Ok so pin the liners on with the pins, you might wanna experiment a little! Crumple them, try putting them on different ways, its still gonna look great no matter what you do!

{The poofier you make them the better! And the closer you put them, again... the better}

I found these glittery foam hearts at Walmart for a dollar, and figured I would find a way to use them in my Vday decorations some how! And obviously they ended up on my wreath!

{And I'm glad I bought them because they really added that gorgeous touch that I needed for my wreath!}

{I just absolutely lovvvvve them!}

So I just kept pinning and pinning and pinning.... Kinda like I do when I'm on Pinterest all day(:

A ton of liners and pins later, andddd another trip to the store to buy moreeee liners, my beautiful wreath was complete!!

Total Cost: $9

{That's not too bad, considering 3/4 of the cost was for the cupcake liners!}