Get The TechniqueAccording to my calendar, I'm due to have a baby boy in a matter of days, so this past weekend my mom and I decided to distract ourselves with an afternoon of cookie decorating. My good friend Dani Boglivi-Fiori hosted a V-day cookie workshop at The Art Studio in Flemington, NJ, a charming little converted brick house with a spacious, sunshiny upstairs workshop space.
Dani (in green) and The Art Studio ladies ...
You may know Dani from her many segments on The Martha Stewart Show—her cookies combine expert baking with sweet designs and a crafty flair.
Official Sweet Dani B Valentine cookies from Dani's recent appearance on the show
Dani also has her own flourishing cookie business. I personally enlisted her to design and bake the cookies for my recent baby shower—a nautical theme, like my little guy's nursery!
Fish, Whales, Lighthouses, and Anchors with a custom tag. Adorable!
Click through the slide show below to see our lovely experience at the workshop. I thought I would have an advantage with cookie décor, given my crafting background, but I have even more appreciation for Dani's skills after this—that icing is tricky!
1 Dani welcomes us to the workshop.
2 My workspace, complete with supplies!
3 Dani demonstrates the first cookie—the heart—to some very serious little students (notice Dani's heart ring - nice touch!).
4 Action shot of the shake—important for icing distribution!
5 Gumdrops are added. The little girls killed me in their v-day garb.
6 So far so good—I even used pink! (my least favorite)
7 Templates for planning (I just winged it) and Dani's famous icing bottles.
8 Okay. I really wanted to fix that icing on the right, but it is what it is and still yummy. Next time, tweezers!
9 My mom designed a cookie for her sweetheart (she hates pink more than I do).
10 Adorable window decorations—wintery downtown Flemington in the background.
11 Too much cuteness. Pink barrette girl was ON IT.
12 Total ladybug cookie fail. I was talking to Dani's husband instead of paying attention to the demo!
13 I got the hang of it by the owl. I could seriously make those feathers ALL DAY. So fun!!
14 My mom totally nailed the owl as well. Her feathers looked even better because she used extra icing.
15 Clockwise from left: Dani, a really big me (oof), and a VERY-soon-to-be addition to the Martha family. Thanks, Dani!
Dani's a great (patient!) teacher, and everyone was an expert by the end, going home happy with their cute, yummy treats. Thanks to Dani, The Art Studio in Flemington, and my mom for a great day!
For more on Dani's workshops, to purchase cookies and cookie-decorating kits, or to download a free owl cookie template, visit www.sweetdanib.com.
From: Rowaida Flayhan | 2/15/11 at 10:25 am
Amazing post! wish you a safe and comfortable delivery Kirsten. Love Dani she is amazing and so talented person. looks like an amazing workshop and so much fun.
Good luck
From: Hilltop Hausfrau | 2/15/11 at 3:55 pm
Great idea to distract yourself at this point, Kirsten. And with cookies no less! They're really beautiful...i esp. like the owls! Sigh...one day I'll have more time to attempt little works of art like this again. Maybe when the kids are 18???? Good luck in the next while!
From: Jen Corban | 2/16/11 at 8:49 pm
The pink barrette girl is my daughter Rachel. She had so much fun and listened to EVERY WORD Dani said! She had so much fun taking what Dani said and applying it to her cookies. Great pic of her...thanks for posting it...and good luck with your upcoming addition!