Christmas Sugar Cookies

This weekend I got busy in the kitchen making homemade Christmas cookies from scratch. They were so delish and got great reviews, so I thought I'd share with all of you.

If you're looking for some sweat treats to bring a Christmas party or even some edible gifts to share with your coworkers, try this great recipe for rolled sugar cookies and stackable icing.


Rolled Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely before decorating.

*makes about 30 medium sized cookies 


Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. 
2. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup. (I ended adding more milk instead, for my desired consistency)
3. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity, if desired.
4. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush. Icing dries hard within about 1 hour.

 *recipes from Allrecipes.com

Jumping The Broom

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see a very advance screening for the upcoming movie, Jumping The Broom.  It was a great, hilariously funny, wedding movie -- a must see when it comes out next year! Check out the trailer below.

I'm Baaack!

Hello Loves! It's been too long since I've blogged...I've missed you all. Over the past two months, I've been all over the country and the world, mostly for work, but I snuck some play time in there too. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the city of love, Paris, among other places, and here are a few photos I hope you enjoy :)

Paris' HUGE shopping mall Les Printemps...a true shoppers dream!

The Eiffel Tower by day...

....and by night

Barcelona!

The essence of happiness

Exploring

Me and my fabulous travel buddy, Val!

Blake & Lizzie's Wedding Pics

A beautiful couple, amazing vendors, a FABULOUS wedding is how I sum up Blake & Lizzie's big day.

Thanks to Brent Stanley Photography for sending over these lovely photos. He and his team were truly a God-send when our original photographer bailed on us...three days before the wedding! It was a blessing in disguise though because his eye and artistic style suited the couple and theme of the wedding perfectly.

  

 

 Hair by Tamari did an excellent job on Lizzie and the wedding party's hair and makeup

 The bridesmaids were so fierce in these dresses!

Angelus Temple in Echo Park was the perfect location for the ceremony. The same site where the couple first met in 2009.

Castaways Restaurant in Burbank provided a lovely backdrop for the reception, complete with a private balcony.

 

The Purple Velvet cupcakes from  Bake-a-Licious had us all licking our forks...or knife in the Groom's case. lol

 

Happy couple, happy planner!

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Blake and Lizzie Young!

Wow! That's all I have to say about Friday's amazing wedding for my wedding giveaway contest winners Blake (aka Young Chozen) and Lizzie Young. The ceremony festivities, which took place at Angelus Temple, the site where the couple first met last year, was everything from a live concert to the most beautiful exchange of vows I've ever witnessed. Afterwards, we headed over to Castaways Restaurant for one of the most fun receptions...or should I say parties I've been to. This day and beautiful couple truly reminded me why I love doing this so much in the first place.

Thanks to the talentented Brent Stanley Photography for the above photo preview. Many more to come soon, but in the meantime, here are a couple video highlights from the big day.

 The ceremony opened with this video of Blake & Lizzie's love story...

...and ended with this live performance by Elijah Kelley from Hairspray

Gearing Up for Blake & Lizzie's Big Day

This week I'm gearing up for the glamorous wedding of my wedding giveaway contest winners, Blake and Lizzie! I'm so excited that the grand finale to all our hard work is only days away. This will be a wedding quite unlike any I've ever planned before. This artsy and creative couple has some great surprises planned for their guests...including the ceremony being UStreamed live to anyone who can't make it.  How cool is that?!?

 Sneak peak of the venue

To view the wedding, click here starting at 3:00PM on Friday, September 17. Pre-show at 3:15 Ceremony starts at 3:50.

Made Woman Magazine Wedding Feature

I recently had the pleasure of contributing an article for the wedding issue of Made Woman Magazine, an online publication for professional women.  Click here to read the full article offering tips on how to make the wedding planning process stress free and enjoyable.   

Achieving Happiness In Your Relationship

I'm happy to welcome guest blogger, Nailah Blades to the blog.  In addition to being a recent newlywed herself, Nailah is also a life coach and owner of Polka Dot Coaching. With a mission to help 20-something women live life to fullest, today she shares some hints and tips and on how to achieve happiness in your relationship.

As a life coach and a newlywed, I can speak to how important it is to be happy in your everyday life – both personally and as a couple. Attaining happiness can seem like a lifelong quest but it certainly doesn’t have to be. By focusing on small everyday changes you can definitely begin injecting a little more happiness into your everyday life. Here are 5 small steps to begin feeling happier as a couple – or as an individual.


Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – I know that I have a million and one annoying little habits (I’m notorious for not turning the water off while brushing my teeth) but my husband is great at not constantly picking on me for these little annoyances. As a result, I make a conscious effort to change some of the things that might bother him. Little tiffs and mishaps will arise everyday. There’s no point in making a big hubbub about the small stuff.


Shake up your Routine – Make a habit of breaking your habits every once and again. Try new restaurants or explore different parts of town. Or take up a new hobby together. My husband and I recently started hiking together and it has been so much fun. Not only are we getting outdoors and exercising but we’re also learning something new together which helps to bring us closer together as a couple. Find different ways to inject a little adventure into your everyday lives.

Be Present – One of the most important things in a relationship is remembering to be present. Really be in the moment with your spouse and give them all of you. Don’t fret over past missteps or worry about future goals. Stop multitasking when they’re talking to you. Simply bask in the present moment. Really savor the moment you are sharing right now.

---more after the jump---

Baby In Wonderland

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending an Alice in Wonderland themed baby shower for a great friend and mommy-to-be. You may remember the amazing shower invitations that I shared a few weeks ago. Well, the shower itself was just as spectacular. This theme would also translate well into a kids birthday party or an afternoon tea. Take a look at some of the decor highlights below.

Thanks to Daddy-To-Be and his great photography skills for many of these photos.

Airport Themed Engagement Session

When my friend, Kelli, told me she and her fiance were planning an airport themed engagement session for their upcoming wedding, I thought it was a wonderfully creative and personal idea. Kelli and Brian met while working for Southwest Airlines together.  Dallas based Goode Photography did an excellent job of capturing this beautiful couple and executing the theme perfectly.