Aaaahhh… don’t we all need a day at the spa? I sure could. My last spa visit didn’t go so well.

The same spa I’ve been going to for eyebrow, um, “reshaping” (ie brutal waxing) for years has changed management. What was once a laid back, non-spa-like spa is now a spa-like spa. My former eyebrow lady was awesome. I’d go in, she’d slap on some wax, we’d chat about life, and I was out of there in ten minutes. Well, I dared show up last week with the baby in the car seat and you’d have thought I brought a live alligator. The look of horror on the receptionist’s face was meant to be obvious, I think. “Oh, are you bringing…that with you?” (I’m not exaggerating for dramatic effect, that’s how it went down.) “Yes. I’ve been coming here for years. I always bring the kid.” So apparently it’s now against policy. Don’t get me wrong. I completely understand and endorse this policy. Who wants to spend two hundred bucks on a massage and hear a baby crying next door? But this woman’s reaction, with her too-tight dress to match her too-tight, over made up face, was just brutal. I swear she was standing on a stool behind that desk just so she could look down at me more. I talked my way into the appointment. Violet cooed and there was a knock at the door within seconds for me to keep her quiet or leave.

So if anyone has any recommendations for an eyebrow waxer in the DC area, let me know. I promise to keep the kid at home, as long as they promise to be nice to me.

But on to more important things. Like cookies and a little girl turning 8. A little girl who deserves a day of spa treatment more than I do. Remember these rainbow cookies I made for my cousin and her town as they worked on rebuilding Manasquan, NJ after Sandy hit? Well, my cousin is now officially back in her home, amidst the construction dust and all. Her daughter requested some cookies for her spa-themed birthday party, and I happily obliged. While they have a ways to go with getting their home back to being their home, merely throwing a birthday party seems a long-fought-for victory.

To make these cookies, I used my recipes for cookie dough and royal icing. I used my favorite Americolor Soft Gel Pastes (Electric Pink, Electric Green, Electric Purple, Orange, Bright White and Super Black for the gray). For basic cookie decorating instructions, click HERE. Let the cookies dry overnight before handling or packaging.

To make the masks, I used a letter “D” cookie cutter and used a heart cutter to shape the bottom. I then made two holes with a lollipop stick before baking. To decorate, I outlined in a color, immediately coating with the same color of sprinkles, then I filled in the centers with pink. When dry, I threaded ribbon through the holes.

To make the tap and bubbles cookies, I made gray icing and fitted the bag with a size “2″ tip. After piping and filling the background of the circle with pink and letting dry a bit, I piped the tap. Then I piped the bubbles and soap with white icing and a size “3″ tip, and added a few pearl sprinkles.

To make the fuzzy spa slippers, I used baby feet cookies, smoothing out the toes. I piped and filled a pink background, let dry a bit, then piped the zig zag fuzzy part with a darker pink, using a size “3″ tip.

To make the nail polish bottles, I used a baby bottle cookie cutter and trimmed the top at the sides. I piped the polish and immediately coated with a coordinating color of sprinkles. Then I piped and filled the white tops.

Happy birthday to my cousin’s daughter! My niece? My niece once removed? I’m going with niece. Happy birthday!!

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Homemade sprinkles are certainly not an innovation of this blog. I’ve seen tons all over the web. If memory serves correctly (and I’m lucky my memory is recorded over at my other gig),  these rainbow sprinkles from Brave Tart were my first introduction to the DIY sprinkle.

I had some leftover bags of red, pink and white icing (I use my royal icing HERE). So I just fitted the bags of icing with size “3″ decorating tips, lined a baking tray with parchment paper, piped a whole bunch of mini hearts, and let them dry at room temperature overnight. That’s it. Homemade heart sprinkles.

Sprinkle these over ice cream, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, whatever. I dabbed a bit of light corn syrup on the back and stuck one on a marshmallow.

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Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!

So maybe I’ll make something this week for New Year’s. Maybe. What are you doing on the 31st? Anything wild and crazy? Or are you baking anything special? Because I need some ideas…

 These almost-midnight clock cookie pops were one of the first posts I ever wrote on this blog four years ago. Find the how-tos HERE.

 I even made a video how-to for these crazy easy sparkly marshmallow party pops. Don’t laugh.

Find the video HERE and find the written how-tos HERE.

And here’s an easier, bite-size version of the almost midnight cookies, except that I totally messed up the time. Yeah, that says 11:00. (Shake your head at me now.) Find those how-tos HERE.Tweet

Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!

OK, so maybe these look just a little bit like ducks. Maybe. But how many ducks wear felt scarves?  I’m hoping the time of year will make things more obvious, because these are really easy to decorate. The snowy sprinkles coat the white icing so you don’t need to worry about perfection. For the noses, I used orange gumdrops, but you can use any orange candy or sprinkle you think is carrot-like.

Find the full post with how-tos HERE at Celebrations.

“No really, we’re snowmen.”

“I am NOT a duck.”

“Why will no one believe me?”

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Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!

Last year, I brought bite-size, sparkly cranberry cookies to the now-annual I’ll Bring the Cookies event, wherein every day in December a different blogger features a sure-to-be clever and yummy cookie recipe to over at In Katrina’s Kitchen.

This year, I brought gingerbread cookie rings. Is gingerbread too predictable for Christmas? Alas, I’ll say traditional, not predictable. And this gingerbread recipe is just right for cut-out cookies, making ornaments and building houses. It’s not too sweet, crunchy (so soft gingerbread lovers, be warned) and holds its shape oh so perfectly while baking. Decorate these rings, or wreaths, or ornaments, or whatever you want to call them, any way you please. I made curlycue rings with royal icing and sprinkles, but dots and stripes would be even easier.

For the full post with how-tos click HERE to visit In Katrina’s Kitchen.

And extra bonus, she’s giving away a signed copy of Sugarlicious!!

Be sure to enter over at In Katrina’s Kitchen!

I’ll also add this recipe to my cookie and icing recipe page for Christmases to come.

TO ENTER THE SUGARLICIOUS GIVEAWAY,

CLICK HERE TO GO TO IN KATRINA’S KITCHEN.

(any comments here, while always appreciated, are NOT entered in the giveaway, so be sure to click the link.)

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Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!