Happy Holidays from Songbird Sweets!
~sarah
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Sea Creatures
I hope everyone's summer has been going well! It's been a little while since I have posted...this summer has been super busy but I'm hoping I will be able to update my photos a little more frequently. Thanks for all the continued support! and if you would like to see more of my current work...please stop by my facebook page at www.facebook.com/songbirdsweets
Have A Sweet Day!
~sarah
Friday, May 18, 2012
Ladybugs!
This is an older set, but its one of the many photos that I had yet to add to my website:)
Have a Sweet Day!
~sarah
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Library Week Book Collaboration!
Books have always been a huge part of my life. In fact, before my "adventures in cookie-ing", i was planning on becoming a librarian. I actually have a book collection that rivals my cookie cutter collection. So needless to say, my house is being overrun by my hobbies. Luckily, my husband doesn't mind, he has quite a collection of comic books himself:)
Whenever I can, I support my local libraries and independent book sellers. I am planning on donating my cookies for this project to one of the local libraries and many of the cookie artists involved will be doing the same:) I am also donating $10 for each participant in this project to the First Book Organization. First Book is a non-profit organization that promotes literacy and "provides access to new books for children in need". A $10 donation is enough to supply 4 books to deserving children.
Last week was National Library Week, and to celebrate, I asked some of my cookie friends if they would be interested in making cookies to represent their favorite books:) Im thrilled to have gotten to know each of these amazingly talented ladies and i hope you enjoy the incredible cookies that they have created for this project!
"The book “Heidi,” has always been a favorite of mine. As a child, I remember admiring Heidi’s inherent goodness and happy nature, even when she faced challenges. Although not named after the book, my oldest daughter’s name is ... you guessed it ... Heidi!"
"I read this book when I was in 6th grade. I was in the library looking for a book to read for an essay for my English class and a friend of mine said "I know what book you should read, you'll really like this one" She actually used the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover." I loved this book and it started my life long love of Shakespeare!"
"I've been reading this series of books since my childhood, and read them to my children as they were growing up. I like that, in the epic struggle between good and evil, good is portrayed as good and evil is portrayed as evil. (Rather than evil being portrayed as something good.) The story shows suffering, and the character it takes to endure and overcome that suffering. It explores the reason someone may be evil, such as Gollum, and the hope for redemption. It shows that base evil, as in Sauron, is not the same as a Gollum figure. The story ends in victory for good. As a Christian, I appreciate the many Christian overtones in the series. And finally, I love how rich the 'history' is in Tolkien's books - it is a many-layered story, and how he uses the language - reading his sentences and turns of phrase are pure pleasure."
"Growing up, I used to read this book with my parents. The book is brimming with imagination. The poems are simple and fun and the illustrations perfectly capture Silverstein's quirky and unique style. It's definitely one of my favorites."
Whenever I can, I support my local libraries and independent book sellers. I am planning on donating my cookies for this project to one of the local libraries and many of the cookie artists involved will be doing the same:) I am also donating $10 for each participant in this project to the First Book Organization. First Book is a non-profit organization that promotes literacy and "provides access to new books for children in need". A $10 donation is enough to supply 4 books to deserving children.
Last week was National Library Week, and to celebrate, I asked some of my cookie friends if they would be interested in making cookies to represent their favorite books:) Im thrilled to have gotten to know each of these amazingly talented ladies and i hope you enjoy the incredible cookies that they have created for this project!
The Great Gatsby
"I fell in love with The Great Gatsby as a student teacher way back when. The setting - Long Island and New York City - and Gatsby's plan to recreate his past are the two things that grabbed me the most about this novel. I have read it so many times and still revel in the beauty of the language every single time."
~Lorraine
"I fell in love with The Great Gatsby as a student teacher way back when. The setting - Long Island and New York City - and Gatsby's plan to recreate his past are the two things that grabbed me the most about this novel. I have read it so many times and still revel in the beauty of the language every single time."
~Lorraine
Heidi
"The book “Heidi,” has always been a favorite of mine. As a child, I remember admiring Heidi’s inherent goodness and happy nature, even when she faced challenges. Although not named after the book, my oldest daughter’s name is ... you guessed it ... Heidi!"
~Jill
Gone With The Wind
"I love to read. I think I get my love for reading from my mom. We read together every day when I was little, and then when I was a teenager, we'd read the same books and would chat about them. There really is something magical about diving into a story and being transported to another place and time. After much thought, I selected one of my all-time favorite books (and movies for that matter), Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I can still remember the summer I first read Gone with the Wind and falling in love with Scarlett and Rhett. Afterall, before there was Tris, Bella, Hermoine, or Katniss...there was Scarlett. And, in my opinion, I think she blows them all out of the water as the greatest female character of all time. For this cookie project, I decided to recreate 11 of Scarlett's famous dresses. I hope you enjoy looking at the cookies!"
~ Anne
"I love to read. I think I get my love for reading from my mom. We read together every day when I was little, and then when I was a teenager, we'd read the same books and would chat about them. There really is something magical about diving into a story and being transported to another place and time. After much thought, I selected one of my all-time favorite books (and movies for that matter), Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I can still remember the summer I first read Gone with the Wind and falling in love with Scarlett and Rhett. Afterall, before there was Tris, Bella, Hermoine, or Katniss...there was Scarlett. And, in my opinion, I think she blows them all out of the water as the greatest female character of all time. For this cookie project, I decided to recreate 11 of Scarlett's famous dresses. I hope you enjoy looking at the cookies!"
~ Anne
The Leopard Dagger
"I read this book when I was in 6th grade. I was in the library looking for a book to read for an essay for my English class and a friend of mine said "I know what book you should read, you'll really like this one" She actually used the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover." I loved this book and it started my life long love of Shakespeare!"
~Samantha
Lord of the Rings
~Laura
Where The Sidewalk Ends
~Stephanie
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
100 aker wood from Winnie-the-Pooh
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Corduroy
"This is one of my favorite stories from when i was little...now my daughter loves having me read it to her:) This book has always held a special place in my heart."
~Sarah
Sense & Sensibility
"Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors and Sense & Senbsibility is without a doubt my favorite novel of hers. I just love the characters she has created in this story...and of course it wouldn't be a Jane Austen novel without the happy ending!"
~Sarah
Friday, April 13, 2012
Owls!!
Back in March, I had the honor of donating these to the Family Support Line Bids For Kids Charity Auction in Drexel Hill, Pa. The amazingly talented Stephanie, of The Hungry Hippopotamus, was asking for donations. Im so happy that i could be a part of this event and help raise some money for such a wonderful organization:)
Some of the other cookie artists who donated are: The Red Cooky, Sweet Hope Cookies, Sweet-T-Cakes, Flour Box Bakery, Cupookie, Palestine Painted Cookie, Sweet Dough, Lorraine's Cookies, Casey's Confections, Lauras Cookies, Oh Sugar Events and of course The Hungry Hippopotamus. Thank you so much Stephanie for the opportunity to help out at the auction! You can see photos of the donated cookies on The Hungry Hippopotamus' fb page.
If you would like to read more about Family Support Line, here is a link to their page: www.familysupportline.org/
Have A Sweet Day!
~sarah
Monday, April 9, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Nautical Cookies and Exciting News!
It's been quite awhile since I last posted photos on my website! I've been super busy and now I'm trying to play catch up. I thought I would start off with posting these nautical baby shower cookies that I made for Amy, of One Divine Party. She asked if I could make a collection for a baby shower dessert table she was putting together. Amy is incredibly talented so of course i was thrilled that she asked me to contribute to the event.
What makes it doubly exciting, is that her dessert table was featured on Amy Atlas Events! And my cookies were a part of that feature!!! One of the things on my "cookie checklist" is to have my cookies featured on Amy Atlas and i can't believe that i can check that off!!! I want to send big thank yous to Amy of One Divine Party and Amy of Amy Atlas Events!! I'm so honored to be a part of the feature!!
 |
| The sailor onesies are actually inspired by my husband. When i told him that i was working on a nautical baby shower theme, he started talking about the stay-puft marshmallow man from Ghostbusters. I had to include that design somehow! |
Have A Sweet Day!
~sarah
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Dr. Seuss First Birthday
I made these for a first birthday party for twins! It was a Dr. Seuss theme and i was asked to make 40 cat in the hat cookies as favors and a small collection of assorted cookies for a platter. This is one of my favorite sets that i've put together in awhile...it was so much fun to make! And it was my first time using edible markers for an entire design. They are great to use because they are just like drawing with real markers, but the dye in them is safe to eat. They also work well for adding little details on top of a design done in royal icing, like i did on some of the other cookies in this collection. If you are interested in trying them yourself, you can find them on amazon or at your local craft store: edible markers.
I also had a lot of people on facebook ask me where I purchased the hat cutter. I bought it from this great online cookie cutter shop called cheapcookiecutters.com. If you like them on facebook, you will be able to use their discount codes on your order. Here is the link for the hat cutter in case anyone is interested:
Thanks for the order, Kara!!
 |
| The cat in the hat design is based on maryann's (cookieartisan's) cat in the hat cookies where she used an edible marker for the design. |
Have A Sweet Day!
~sarah
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Drum Roll Please...
After going over all of the comments, there are 88 total eligible comments for my giveaway. Thank you all so much for participating and a big thank you for all of the support you have shown me! The comments you all left on my blog were so sweet and brought such a big smile to my face!
The winner of Package #1 (Coffee & Cookies) is....
Comment number 2: "Your cookies are amazing! Congratulations...keep up the good work and thank you for sharing your ideas" (Rosa)
The winner of Package #2 (Valentine's) is...
Comment number 56: "I like you on Facebook. Congratulations on reaching 1500!" (Anonymous)
Congratulations to you both and ill be emailing you soon to get your shipping information! If i dont hear from the winners by Monday, February 27th, ill pick a new winner. Thanks again everyone and have a sweet day!!!
~sarah
Monday, February 13, 2012
It's Giveaway Time!!
The giveaway is now closed. Good luck to everyone who entered! I will be announcing the winners on Wednesday, February 22nd.
I recently passed 1,500 likes on my facebook page, and as a thank you to all of my fans for being so supportive, i wanted to have this giveaway! When I first started decorating cookies a year and a half ago I never thought that it would become such a huge part of my life. I have met many wonderful people who share my love of baking and I am so happy to have come to know each and every one of them.
I started my facebook page at the end of the summer as a way for my family and friends to see the creations I had been making. I never imagined that a little over 6 months later i would be sharing my photos with over 1,500 of you and in the process turning my passion for cookie decorating into a cookie business! As a way of saying thank you for being so sweet I've put together not one, but two prize packages...so there are going to be two winners this time around!
I started my facebook page at the end of the summer as a way for my family and friends to see the creations I had been making. I never imagined that a little over 6 months later i would be sharing my photos with over 1,500 of you and in the process turning my passion for cookie decorating into a cookie business! As a way of saying thank you for being so sweet I've put together not one, but two prize packages...so there are going to be two winners this time around!
I also want to thank those people who first inspired me to begin cookie decorating: Annie of Annie's Eats, Callye of The Sweet Adventures Of Sugarbelle, Maryanne of Cookie Artisan, Glory of Glorious Treats and Marian of Sweetopia. Yours were the first pages that i ever came across when i started learning how to become a "cookier". I am forever grateful for the wonderful photos, tutorials and helpful tips that i have received from you whether it be from emails or your blog posts. Thank you so much!
I am very excited to have some wonderful sponsors with this giveaway. Foose Cookie Cutters, TheRedCooky, Peas and Thank You's, The Back Porch Shoppe, Bake A Box and The Littlebeane Boutique have all graciously donated some items! And I'm going to be adding some items as well.
Rules:
1) To enter, please become a follower of my facebook page or blog and leave a comment saying you have done so.
2) For one additional entry, please like one or more of my sponsors pages and thank them for donating items to this giveaway.
Please include your email address in the comment so I will have a way to contact you if you are the winner. Be sure to leave your comments on this post so i will be able to include you in the drawing.
The giveaway ends on Monday, February 20th at midnight EST. I'll be announcing the winning comments on Wednesday, February 22nd using random.org. The first comment chosen will receive package #1, the second comment will receive package #2. Only 2 entries per person and the same person cannot win both packages. This giveaway is open to US Residents only.
Good Luck!!!
Winner #1 will receive
The Coffee & Cookies Package!
1) A Copy of Coffee Scrumptious Drinks & Treats
 |
| photo from amazon.com |
2) Mini Coffee Press and Mug
3) Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans & one package of Peet's Coffee Grinds
 |
| photo from target.com |
4) A $25 credit to Peas and Thank You's!
 |
| photo courtesy of peas and thank you's |
5) Life's Short Eat Cookies Sign donated by The Back Porch Shoppe!
6) A super cute cake box with scalloped window courtesy of Bake A Box!
7) Fox Run Tea Party Cookie Cutter Set
 |
| photo from amazon.com |
Winner #2 will receive
The Valentine's Package!
1) Valentine 7 piece cookie cutter set donated by Foose Cookie Cutters!
![B1386Valentine7pc[2].jpg](http://www.foosecookiecutters.com/store/media/B1386Valentine7pc[2].jpg) |
| photo courtesy of foosecookiecutters.com |
2) Mini Valentine Cookie Cutter Set
3) A Copy of Julia Usher's Ultimate Cookies donated by TheRedCooky
4) A Credit to Littlebeane Boutique for personalized stickers!
 |
| photo courtesy of littlebeane boutique |
5) Heart Whisk and Two Wilton Valentine Cookie Cutters
6) 12 Wilton Silicone Baking Cups
 |
| photo from amazon.com |
7) Heart Measuring Cups
~sarah | ||
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
I have yet to share a recipe on my website, and i thought it would be fun to start with cupcakes. If you remember my first giveaway a couple months ago, you know that i LOVE cupcakes! And this recipe is fantastic, though it does take a little bit of time and a few extra steps, its definitely worth it! I made these for my husband's co-workers and they went over so well that i made them again a week later for my in-laws too.
The cake itself is light and fluffy and i paired it with a delicious brown sugar frosting. so good!!! If you are a coffee lover (which i am) they also tasted great with an espresso buttercream. These would be so much fun to make for Valentine's day...just add some heart shaped sprinkles and you will be good to go!
Have A Sweet Day!
~sarah
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (i used 1%)
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together 3 1/4 cups cake flour, the baking powder, and salt. Stir the vanilla into the milk to combine.
2) With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth. Adding the sugar in a steady stream, beat until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk mixture, and beating until just combined after each.
3) In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until peaks form (do not overmix). Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Gently fold in the remaining whites until just combined. Toss chocolate chips with remaining tablespoon of cake flour, and then gently fold into batter. This simple step really helps to keep the chocolate chips from falling to the bottom of each cupcake while baking.
4) Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean and the tops are springy to the touch, about 22 minutes. although baking times will vary depending on your oven. i only baked mine for about 18 minutes and they were perfect. Make sure to check on your cupcakes towards the end, this batter seems to overbake quickly.
5) Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
6) To finish, frost your cupcakes. Decorate with mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc. Have fun with it!
Brown Sugar Frosting
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract
1) To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy.
2) Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
3) Beat in the flour and salt. Finally, mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
4) Decorate as desired. I like to use a 1M tip for cupcakes.
Espresso Buttercream (an extra frosting option, in case you are in a coffee mood)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons espresso powder
1) Mix the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.
2) Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more.
3) Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about a minute or two. Add the espresso and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary.
Sources: for the cupcakes, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
for the espresso buttercream, Brown Eyed Baker
for the brown sugar frosting, Annie's Eats
(if you visit Annie's page, check out her cookie dough
cupcakes, they are amazing!)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Once Upon A Time...
The lovely and incredibly talented Anne, of Flour Box Bakery, has put together a collaborative cookie project with 22 other cookiers, and im honored to be a part of it! The theme is "Once Upon A Time" and each cookie artist was randomly assigned their own fairy tale to use as inspiration for a baby shower collection. I was assigned Hercules and i based my designs on the 12 Trials of Hercules! When i told my husband the theme i was given, he was super excited since he loves Greek mythology. He was a huge help when it came to familiarizing me with each of the Herculean trials. Thanks hon!!
We were all given adorable favor tags to include as part of our collection, which were provided by One Sweet Party.
A big thank you to Anne for putting this together!! It was so much fun!
Below is a list, in no particular order, of the other artists who participated in this collaboration. You will be blown away by the talent and creativity that each cookier put into their fairy tale theme. Enjoy!!
Have A Sweet Day!
~sarah
http://www.facebook.com/The.Painted.CookieThe Painted Cookie Blog
Aladdin, presented by Nicole of Life's a Batch
Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/LifesABatch
Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/LifesABatch
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
