Arbonne is Going Green

A friend who is also an amazing Arbonne consultant asked if I'd make cookies for a party they were hosting at a convention in Las Vegas.

Note - I started out strong taking pictures but apparently I lost my gusto towards the end.  And forgot to take completely finished cookies.

Sorry.

So here's what I do have.  A little outlining...

Then flooding the cookies happened...with no pictures taken.

And then I started to make the word "green" look as if it were plants growing out of dirt.

Then some logo tracing...

And here's one of the finished cookies...

 I'm happy to report these made it all the way to Las Vegas, after being packed in boxes and bubble wrap and a suitcase!  With I think no breaks.  I think.

Spring Cleaning in a Snow storm

This past Monday I didn't have to go to school.

FYI school in this scenario = work.

Why you ask?

Well, we had a "snow day" and the office was closed because of the snowstorm that happened Sunday.

Yeah, how awesome is that?

Well, it's so awesome that I decided to do some spring cleaning.

On a snow day.

Go figure.

It's what happens in March in Nebraska.

By the way it's supposed to be 69 degrees here on Friday.  I have a snow day Monday and shorts by Friday.

Welcome to the heartland.

And welcome to my mess in the basement.

Specifically the cookie area.

Dave has pretty much given up the idea of having a "man cave."  Nothing says manly like a place overrun by cookie cutters and sprinkles.

I knew I needed more storage. 

I was starting to get all itchy and antsy each time I rounded the corner.  I don't handle disorganization well.

So in the interest of my sanity and possibly my marriage I went to the good 'ole red bulls eye (that's Target for those of you who are a step behind).

50 smack-a-roos later I came home with this.  Actually it was free with the gift card my brother gave me for my birthday.  How thoughtful of him to buy me a shelf.  How'd he know I wanted one?

Isn't she a beaut?

Here is where some people would post pictures of the organizing process.

Here is where I tell you I forgot.

Plus, let's be honest.  It's boring.

The final product is all we're interested in.

I even have a place to hang up my new apron that my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas.  It has my logo embroidered on it.  I love it. 

I also organized all my cookie cutters again (aka: put them away in the designated bins) and placed all my sugars and sprinkles into small canning jars so they are easy to access, store and heck...they're just pretty to look at.

Plus it basically gives me an entire second table to be able to use while decorating.

Oh, what will I do with the space?

Let me count the ways!

Good thing too because I've got to get started on some Easter cookies, 4 dozen cookies I'm shipping to troops overseas as a part of "Operation Cookie Takeover," and making my grandma her March installment of Cookie Club.

My Husband's Favorite Store

This could also be titled "The place where my Dad made a seat out of nothing because he was bored."

I, however, was not.

Neither was my mom.

Let me backup a little.

This past Friday my husband and I left to go to New York City with my parents.  It was a trip that was supposed to happen last November.

Then something called "Hurricane Sandy" decided to visit and apparently it wasn't a good time to go to NYC.

I'm not sure why?

So we rescheduled.  To March.

And we went.

And it was wonderful.

We had New York Pizza...

Visited the 9-11 Memorial...

Had some harrowing cab rides, walked miles (at least it felt like that many) and saw lots other fun places.

One of which was visiting a bakery supply store.

Yes, I am that person who googles cookie or bakery stores when I visit cities. 

I am not ashamed.  At all.

So imagine my joy when I found NY Cake.  It's a magical place.  I could spend loads of money.

Good thing they have an online store.  You can visit it here.  And thank me later.

So we visited it on our trip and I found lots.  But I only brought home a small amount.  I shocked myself. 

I apparently had restraint?

Dave was shocked that I had most of, or should I say a majority of, these cutters.

(I borrowed this image from here)

Yes.  I am aware that I may, MAY, have a slight problem.

But you'll be happy to know I only came home with these.

And my parents fed into my habit by purchasing the triangle cutters and the square cutters...

...oh and they also bought me some disco dust.

Isn't it a pretty rainbow?

They package and sell their own.  Same price as other places, but I've never seen so many colors in one place.

Now I can't wait to start using them.  Good thing it's almost Easter.  A perfect time to test each one out.

Don't you think?

Cookie Cutter 101

Dave made me another cutter.

He's claiming it'll cost me $10.00 because he's started a new business.

A cookie cutter business.

I am apparently his only customer.

I don't really see how this will be financially beneficial?

Robbing Peter to pay Paul.  Or robbing me to pay him.

We had purchased a 3 inch hand seamer...(note: I purchased it with my cookie profits)

 

He had these tin snips on hand.

 

And I drew it out to size, after looking online at about 10 different samples.

From here on out I pretty much just took pictures while Dave bended, pushed, pulled and tried not to slice off his fingers.

After all the bending was done, it was time for Dave to solder the ends together.

FIRE!

And then it cools.

And like magic...to me...I have a cookie cutter.

Guess I owe him $10.00.  I'll pay AFTER I actually use it to make cookies.  It could be faulty you know.

Best Purchase Ever

Here's how my best purchase ever started...

1.  You see I needed...scratch that....wanted to buy a KopyKake projector that all my cookie hero's use. But I'd been hemming and hawing (yes it is a real expression) over purchasing one because they were a tad on the expensive side.

2.  I needed a KopyKake projector by this past Sunday to do a logo.

3.  I realized I needed a projector Friday afternoon.

4. There was no way I was going to be able to purchase one on-line without paying a ridiculous amount on top of a crazy amount of shipping.

5.  So I did what anyone else would do...I frantically began my search around town for a drawing projector.  Thinking it would work.

WRONG.

I digress.  I actually tried to use an old drawing projector that my mother had given me that I think probably came from my grandmothers house.

It didn't work.  I couldn't make the image small enough....not to mention I wasn't about to decorate or let alone even bake a cookie that was 12 inches x 12 inches to fit the smallest visible image this sucker was projecting.

So I shopped around...bought...and then returned a lot of projectors.

Then in desperationI went to google.  And worked the computer like crazy.

And finally....FINALLY...something popped up.

I was at the point that I was willing to try anything.

So I bought myself a 3M MP225 Mobile Projector.  Rolls off the tongue doesn't it?!

Why that model?  Well it claimed to hook up to ipads and iphones and ipod touches - all of which we had at our house.  And it was small. 

Which makes it incredibly easy to store.

So I hauled off to Target and bought one.

It's white....and yes I know it's hard to see below.

This might be better visually.  See how small it is? I could put it into my purse.  At a moments notice I could project things wherever I was.  So handy, right? (I'm being facetious).

This I think gives you a better idea....

But you say, how will you project onto a cookie? 

Why by using my handy dandy tripod that my husband got me for Christmas.  It's not for just taking pictures anymore.

So I hooked it up to my iphone - got a picture of the logo I needed from off the UNO Athletics website and away I went.

And it works pretty darn nifty.

I will say it's not cheap. As in $229.09 not cheap.  Not at all.  It's almost as expensive as a KopyKake.  However....it was readily available at my local Target (other stores carry it too...that was just where I went) and as I reasoned to my husband it's easy to store because it's so small. 

Remember, I could put it into my purse it's so small.

So for that somewhat splurge purchase I'm actually very very happy.

What can I trace next?



(Note: 3M did not ask me to write this review, nor do they even know I exist.  I stumbled upon this on my own and thought I'd share).