Creative entertaining ideas including DIY crafts, baking tips, real party inspiration and more.
Place settings don’t always have to be complicated and sometimes the less so the better, especially during the holidays when there is so much to do. Here are a few ideas:
Post a comment and share your simple setting ideas for Christmas.
These cookies would brighten any holiday gathering (from brightideas.com) and little hands can help decorate them. Here’s what you’ll need and how to make them:
Steps:
These cool treats are great for the holidays and for winter birthdays. (Check out our brrr… brilliant birthday invitation.) Here’s what you’ll need:
Follow these easy steps from brightideas.com:
Looking for a unique and fun way to dress up your tree? Well, if you can keep the kids away, these gingerbread cookie ornaments are adorable and make the room smell great too.
Read my post about making sure your cookies come out of the oven the same shape they went in. And be creative with the icing and ribbon. Remember, little ones might not make the tidiest cookies, but their smiles do make the best memories.
Enjoy!
There are so many decorating possibilities when it comes to gingerbread men. I’ve demonstrated a very easy technique here (just resealable bags of white icing and black icing with the corners snipped), but really just be creative. Decorating cookies, especially with the little ones, is really more about having fun than anything else.
That said, it used to frustrate me when we would place beautifully shaped cookies into the oven and get blobs back out. Here are a few tips so that you can have perfect shapes to decorate:
Dough thickness – it doesn’t matter if you mix it yourself or use the stick from the dairy case, the key is to roll out your dough so that you have a consistent thickness across your cookies so that they cook evenly.
Cookie size – make sure all of your cookies are approximately the same size or your little ones might burn and your big ones will be gummy.
Dough temperature – it is critical that you slide your baking sheet into the frig for 10 minutes before baking the cookies. The dough needs to be cold to hold its shape; the process of rolling and our hands warms it up.
Don’t overcook – it is so easy to peek at a sugar cookie and think it isn’t done. Don’t guess, time your cookies, and once the oven and pan are warm, you might want to cook later batches even less. My rule, take them out before they brown at the edges, usually 7 minutes.
Cooling racks – many people don’t use cooling racks… I highly advise that you do. Cookies will continue to cook on the pan and you don’t want hard and flaky cookies!
Happy baking!
creative director & owner of The Celebration Shoppe. I have a passion for crafting, baking & modern entertaining. I'll post my ideas & share others in hopes of inspiring you for your next celebration.
