July 9th is National Sugar Cookie Day!!

Today I’d like to share with you who I think are the most amazing sugar cookie decorators, in honour of National Sugar Cookie Day tomorrow (July 9th)!  Each one has a uniqueness that makes their cookies special and truly pieces of art!  I’ve chosen my recent favourite cookie(s) from each of their blogs but I do suggest you take a tour (if you haven’t already) of their respective blogs and revel in the awesomeness!
I also asked each of these wonderful bloggers 5 questions and loved their answers!
The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle
Callye from Sugarbelle has an amazing talent and penchant for cookie cutters.  I think somewhere on her blog she mentioned how many but I won’t divulge here.  We’ve chatted via Twitter and she is the sweetest lady.  Each post she adds to her blog amazes me further and to think she’s only been blogging less than a year!

1.  When did you start baking?
I've baked all my life.  The cookie thing began about 2 1/2 years ago.  I needed a hobby badly, and once I began I was HOOKED!
2.  When did you start blogging?
I've had a blog about as long as I've made cookies.  But I've only used it in the manner that I do now for about 8 months.  The law will change as of September 1, but last year I got a visit from the state saying I couldn't make cookies anymore.  At first I was devastated, buit after a little thinking I decided one way or another I was going to share cookies with the world. Soon after I began working on my blog :-)
3.  What is your favourite dessert other than cookies?
My favorite dessert other than cookies has to be panna cotta.  Most people don't even know what that is...and I love candy too...oh who am I kidding, if its sweet, I like it!
4. What is your favourite blog at the moment?
Ooooh, its so hard to pick my favorite blog.  I have three or four.  I really like BakersRoyal, Glorious Treats, and Confessions of a Cookbook Queen right now, but I really do have a list.
5. Have you ever heard of National Sugar Cookie Day?
I'm familiar with National Sugar Cookie Day!  A cookie friend, Emily Reinman, aka Sugar and Meringue tries to do something every year in honor of the day, and I'm hoping to do the same :-)
LilaLoa
This website I came across when I was searching cookie sites.  I don’t know much about her, just that her name is Georganne and that she lives in Korea and she decorates some fabulous cookies.  Her cakes aren’t bad either. When you visit her sight you’ll see her imagination abound and an amazing whimsical side to cookie decorating.  Her pictures are pretty good too!

1.  When did you start baking? 
Does my Easy Bake Oven count? Because I would say 9 if that counts. I started baking on purpose about 4 years ago.
2.  When did you start blogging?
Hmmm. I HAD a blog 4 years ago but I didn't really blog until the beginning of this year. You know, with actual words AND pictures.
3.  What is your favourite dessert other than cookies?
Brownies. Hands down. All kind of brownies. The cake kind and the gooey kind and brownies with frosting on top and with caramel in the middle. You know what I don't like? Brownies with powdered sugar on top. It's like they are trying to trick you.
4.  What is your favourite blog at the moment?
Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.  She's hilarious. AND she makes the best looking brownies EVER.
5.  Have you ever heard of National Sugar Cookie Day?
No. But that's totally cool if you made it up.
Vanilla Bean Baker
Let me tell you about Paula.  She is amazing.  She decorates fabulous butterflies but what makes her truly amazing is that she is the most supportive blogger out there.  I was introduced to Paula via Callye at Sweet Sugarbelle because along with my cookies I quilt too.  So does Paula, but with cookies.  And with her inspiration I attempted my first try at the quilted cookie.  Paula immediately commented on my post and then followed my blog and now with every new post I can expect a wonderful new comment!  It always makes me smile :)  And because she is a fellow Canadian I just had to show you her Canada day butterflies!

1. When did you start baking?
I've been baking since I was about 10 and my Mom trusted me enough to use her only mixing bowl.  It was a big yellow glass one and made a big racket whenever the beaters of the hand-held mixer would hit against the sides of it!  My Mom made desserts from scratch for us to have after every dinner. With a family of seven children, that was a lot of baking!  When I had my own children, I would often bake but I wasn't as energetic as my Mom was to bake every day and it wasn't until they were grown with their own families before I started making and decorating sugar cookies.  I didn't bake and decorate my first sugar cookies until February of 2010 when my grand-daughter Ella and I made them for Valentine's Day.
2.  When did you start blogging?
I started my cookie blog in March of 2010.  Bridget at Bake at 350 graciously agreed to an interview for my first post.  She and her blog were the impetus for me to start cookie decorating and then a blog and I don't believe I'd be doing this today if it wasn't for her.  My husband would like to thank her for the fact that we now are looking for a new, large cabinet to house all the baking and decorating supplies I have acquired over the past 15 months!  Prior to that, since 2009 I have been keeping a blog which is mainly about our life living in Lanark County, Ontario since my husband and I retired here in 2008.  It's been a little neglected of late and doesn't get updated as much as it should much to the dismay of my five sisters who are among it's seven or eight readers :)
3. What is your favourite dessert other than cookies?
That's a tough one to narrow down.  I love cream puffs and chocolate eclairs (other people's because I haven't successfully made my own).  Then it would be pies; apple, blueberry and lemon meringue are my top three.  After that it would be anything with chocolate in it.
4.  What is your favourite blog at the moment?
That one I can't narrow down without feeling that I'd offend one of the several bloggers that I do follow every day.  It's a very quiet life we live here in the country and blogging has expanded my little world immensely.  I love the connection I feel when I go on-line and visit the other bloggers and tweeters.  Makes me feel that I have company over everyday!  I do love all the baking/cooking blogs I follow and am always inspired by their work and their generosity in so willingly sharing their talents and tips for all of us.  I also follow a lot of other bloggers who do not blog about food and love reading their stories and making a connection with them as well.  It is probably due to the fact that I have so many favourites and spend so much time *visiting with them* that I'm developing a little blogger's butt (certainly can't have anything to do with that chocolate bar I have every night can it?)
5.  Have you ever heard of National Sugar Cookie Day?
The first time I heard of National Cookie Day was last year, through blog posts and tweets of course!
Ali Bee’s Bake Shop
Allison at Ali Bee’s is a true artist.  I found her blog by Googling cookie’s and by following the twitter feeds for “OMG You should see this!!!” tags.  Just flipping through her blog makes you feel like you can decorate anything. As you can see in this photo her brushed royal icing designs are spectacular.  It looks like it wouldn’t be hard to achieve but there is a true touch required to make it look like this!

1.  When did you start baking?
Well I would have to say I've been baking as long as I remember. My dad owned a restaurant when I was a baby so I grew up in a foodie household. I just preferred baking to sautéing.  Made my first decorated sugar cookie in February 2010 for a friends bridal shower and just kept going
2.  When did you start blogging?

I started blogging in 2009 (December I think?) because my mom nagged me to. I had nothing to write about at the time

3. What is your favourite dessert other than cookies?  
Dessert. Jeeze. I would say.... Cake I think. I love cake. Sometimes I crave cake. I just can't make a very pretty one. :)
4. What is your favourite blog at the moment?
That's a hard question. I have my standby favorites:  Sugarbelle, Glorious Treats, Haniela’s, Sweetopia, Lila Lola, Cookie Crazy, I am baker...  But recently I have discovered Confessions of a Cookbook Queen (I know, I've been under a rock) and Sweetapolita. Also love Sweet and Saucy. If I could make cakes I would want to make cakes like that.
5.  Have you ever heard of National Sugar Cookie Day?
I have only heard of National Sugar Cookie Day recently like this year haha!  But I'm in full support of this holiday. It should be national holiday and people should be able to stay home from work to either bake sugar cookies, or make themselves sick on them. :)
Cookie Crazie
Pam at Cookie Crazie is crazy with what she can do to a cookie.  Her plaid cookies are awesome but recently she posted Christmas ornament cookies that I wanted to share.  Take a tour through Pam’s site and you too will be in awe!  Her tutorials are easy to follow and she always has a great countenance in her writing style and makes you feel at home.

1.  When did you start baking?
As a little girl, my family and I always baked sugar cookies and decorated them for Christmas. I continued that tradition with my own girls, and the love for baking and decorating grew.
2.  When did you start blogging?
February 2008. It seemed the right thing to do when I was completely enthralled with cookie decorating and couldn't get enough of it. I'm so glad I started when I did.....because over the last three years, my decorated has transformed quite a bit.....and now I have a chronology of the process.
3.  What is your favourite dessert other than cookies?
I love dessert. ;) But my favorites (after cookies) are cheesecake, donuts, cobbler, pie. See I told you I LOVE dessert.
4.  What is your favourite blog at the moment?
Sweet Sugar Belle
5.  Have you ever heard of National Sugar Cookie Day?
Yes....I believe it was a couple of years ago, I joined a Flickr group that emphasized National Sugar Cookie Day. What a great idea! :)
Sweetopia
Marian at Sweetopia doesn’t sell her cookies because really she has a pretty full plate, but boy does she make a fabulous one.  Her blog is an amazing reference on how to decorate cookies in so many ways.  A fellow Canadian and Torontonian at that, Marian details her blog with amazing pictures and that makes the trip around her blog ever so addictive.  She also has a cookie decorator directory, which will help those in need to amazing cookies find amazing decorators! 


1. When did you start baking?
My fascination with sugar design began eight years ago, when an illness (ITP), prevented me from engaging in physical fitness; what I had previously spent much of my free time doing. I needed to keep busy, and as I had always been charmed by gingerbread houses, I decided to try my hand at one. The first house I made wasn’t the prettiest, but I was hooked! The possibilities were endless, and the more I made them, the more I found there was to learn. Thank goodness the ITP only lasted about six months, and I’m grateful for it now, because it led me to find one of my favourite hobbies.
Eventually, I began delving into decorated cookies, cupcakes and am now starting to learn about making cakes. It’s a hobby in which the learning and possibilities are endless; I have so many projects that I’d like to try, I know I’ll be busy for many years to come.
2. When did you start blogging?
I started blogging in February 2009 as a response to people often asking how I made my cookies, cupcakes etc. By no means am I an expert! There are so many people with much more talent and skill than myself, but I can share what I know, even if it’s a yummy recipe or which tools I use to make my sugar crafts.
3. What is your favourite dessert other than cookies?
Right now, Nanaimo bars. Oh wait, straight Nutella is right up there too!
4. What is your favourite blog at the moment?
Oh, there are too many amazing blogs out there to pick one! Lately, what’s been capturing my interest, is pinterest ;-) I find it inspiring, fun, and even relaxing somehow. The only thing is, I think I’m spending too much time on there! http://pinterest.com/sweetopia_net/
5. Have you ever heard of National Sugar Cookie Day?
Yes, Emily Reiman of Sugar & Meringue has been so kind as to feature some of my cookies on National Sugar Cookie Day, for the past two years. Last year, she created an e-book with several bakers in order to raise money for The Great American Bake Sale.  http://sweetopia.net/2010/08/cookies-for-a-cause/

Bake at 350
Meet Bridget!  Her blog, Bake at 350, is too much fun!  Her tutorials and demonstrations are amazing and her sense of humour is evident when she writes. I loved the post “You might be a baking enthusiast when…”.  I came across Bridget’s site while doing research for creating my blog.  I mean I had my blog created but needed to know how to truly make it work and her site was inspiration!  As you can see from Paula’s answers, I’m not the only one!  I’d like to show you her Harry Potter cookies.  These are the cookies that inspired me to make my own version for my nephews birthday this year!  Aren’t they amazing!

1.  When did you start baking?
I've been in the kitchen ever since I was a little girl, although I don't know if I was baking so much as licking the beaters.
2.  When did you start blogging?
2007
3.  What is your favourite dessert other than cookies?
Tiramisu *sigh*
4.  What is your favourite blog at the moment?
Oh gosh...I have so many favorites...but did you see the July 4th cake from i am baker?!? Truly amazing!
5.  Have you ever heard of National Sugar Cookie Day?
No, but it sounds like it should be a major national holiday to me!
These are but a few of the best out there, here are a few more.  Please browse at your leisure:
Cookies Are My Canvas
The Painted Cookie
Occasional Cookies
Haniela’s
One Tough Cookie - Thinking Outside the Cookie
And since this is a post about cookies, I’m going to share with you what I made for Frosting for the Cause.  An awesome site that brings baking and raising money for Cancer research together.  It’s also the brainchild of Miss Paula at Vanilla Bean Baker!  My post will be July 31st and since I’ll be in Washington DC I got a head start on my post.  So here’s a little peak!

I’d like to thank the ladies I’ve focused on here for inspiring me and others to strive to be as good as they are.  Thanks for looking and Happy National Sugar Cookie Day!!!


Linking with:
Weekend Wrapup
Show and Tell Saturday