I have made homemade sugar cookies with the recipe I’m giving to you about a half dozen times. Sometimes I don’t decorate them, and simply roll them in sugar. No matter how I make ‘em, they’re always delicious . And they would be superb wedding favors!

I decided to whip these up for Valentine’s Day. I am a novice cookie decorator, but I am still pleased with how these turned out!

Recipe for Homemade Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter (salted)

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Instructions:

Cream butter and margarine well. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add to creamed mixture. (You might have to do the last mixing by hand. )

Form dough in a ball and place on parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper over the dough.

Using a rolling pin to roll the dough approximately 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes.

Place onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16 or 17 mins.

Let cool. Decorate cookies.

Sugar Cookie Icing (Adapted from this recipe.)

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 – 4 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

food coloring

Stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until the icing is smooth and glossy. Add more corn syrup if the icing is too thick.

Divide into seperate bowls and add food coloring to each bowl.

Place icing into sandwich sized ziplock freezer bags. Snip one of the corner’s of the bag and add decorating tip.

Use a knife to coat the cookies with icing. After the cookies have been coated, use the piping bag to pipe design. Add sprinkles etc. if desired. Let dry.

Enjoy!

I must say, these two cookies are my favorite of all. My two little girls decorated them.

These Valentine’s pops from My Little Cupcake look easy to make.

You need:

Heart Shaped Mold (helpful but not necessary)
Oreo Cookies
Cream Cheese
Wilton Candy Melts (In Pink or Lavender)
Wilton Sprinkles in Sparkling White
Valentine Candy Hearts

Click here for the full tutorial.

Okay, so  feather boas and moustaches were all the rage in 2009.

It’s time for some new photo booth props! When I saw these DIY party blowers over at Martha Stewart, I thought they would be a perfect photo booth prop!

For a paper tongue that will curl properly, choose a decorative paper that is about the same weight as photocopy paper.

Here’s what you need:

Plastic straw

Vellum

Double-sided sheet adhesive

Scissors

Decorative paper

Clear tape

Pencil

Rubber band

White glue

Decorative tape

For the full instructions go here. There is also a tutorial on Utterly Engaged.

Now that you’ve made your delicious caramels from this caramels recipe, I’m offering a free wedding printable that will help you make these adorable DIY candy favor bags. You can put just about any kind of candy in these bags and customize them to suit your wedding theme. We used heart cardstock because Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. The free wedding printable is a template – in two different sizes – that you can use when cutting out your card stock.

I got the idea for these candy favor bags over at Martha Stewart Weddings.

Continue reading Free Wedding Printable: DIY Candy Favor Bags

Who doesn’t love caramels? I’ve got a caramels recipe that’s not only darn delicious, they WON’T stick to y’er fillings!

This caramels recipe makes the soft kind of caramels. It’s best to keep them in the fridge and take them out a few minutes before you eat them. The only reason I keep mine in the fridge is for firmness – otherwise, they will keep fine in the cupboard.

These would make perfect shower favors or wedding favors! Why not add them to your candy buffet?

Continue reading Caramels Recipe: Soft & Delectable Caramels Tutorial

Whether you’re looking for some DIY wedding ideas for your reception or simply some Valentine’s Day inspiration, we’ve got a bunch of super swell tutorials lined up for you!

My mother-in-law (aka The Pom-Pom Queen) has been busy making pom poms and we’re going to show you how easy it is to make them.

But before we do that, we’re going to share our delicious creamy caramels recipe with you. And see those pretty favor bags pictured above? We’re going to show you how to make them.

Last but not least, we’re going to share a fabulous sugar cookie recipe with you that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day. Stay tuned!

I love buttons. I have never seen button cookies. Not until I discovered these shortbread button cookies over at Edible Crafts. Aren’t they fabulous? Learn how to make them here.

If you’re a Canadian, chances are you’ve had a butter tart. In fact, as Canadian writer and icon Peter Gzowski said: “They’re part of who we are.” As the croissant is to France, the butter tart is to us, says one food writer.

Butter tarts were a staple of pioneer cooking and the first known recipe dates back to 1915. It was during the twenties and thirties that the butter tart really had it’s heyday.

To dive into a good, homemade butter tart is to know bliss. (And trust me: you will know bliss when you try this recipe.)

Continue reading Butter Tart Squares Recipe: You will Swoon over these Sweet Treats

Wouldn’t this snowflake garland be a great way to decorate for a wedding? Lupin over at Bugs and Fishes made these out of wallpaper and silver paper. The tutorial was featured in UK Handmade – a lovely online crafting magazine.

My architect sister-in-law is an incredible origami artist. She has a few of her little paper wonders on display in her dining room, and I am always in awe. The farthest I got in origami art was paper cranes. Okay, so I tried the money shirts but I failed miserably. But I still love the look of it.

And I’m diggin’ these origami balloon lights. What a perfect way to add some whimsy to your wedding. And the cool thing is you can keep em’ to hang in your house long after the wedding! (Perfect for baby’s room!:))

You’ll need patience though! Because origami ain’t for people without patience.

If origami is something you enjoy, check out this video tutorial on making origami balloons. (They are also called origami water bombs because you can fill them with water like water balloons.)

Origami:
How To Make An Origami Water Bomb

It took Ms. Sparrow over at So Your Engayged one month to make 400 of them. Here’s a photo:

You can use them with your fairy (aka twinkle) lights at your wedding. Simply pop them over the light, and voila! (LED lights are less of a fire hazard.) I think they’re charming. If you don’t have the patience to make them yourself whimsidoodle on Etsy will make them for you.

Top two photos and last photo: whimsidoodle