Thursday, December 28, 2006

Blue Christmas























The decorated sugar cookies that you have just viewed are a sampling of the cookies that embellish my dining room Christmas tree. The tree is approximately nine feet tall and I usually bake and decorate about ninety to one hundred cookies each year. Besides the large cookies that you see here, there are also numerous miniature ones. Since I have a rather extensive collection of copper cookie cutters, I vary the selection of cookies each year. As you can probably see, liberal use is made of silver dragees and sanding sugar; they add an extra sparkle to the tree when it is lit. Typical of decorated sugar cookes, mine are first flooded with royal icing then overpiped with a thicker consistency of icing. I also do a bit of brush work (using alcohol) to add some painterly interest.

I am sorry to say that my photos of the full tree are nearly unusable; my digital camera is quite old and indoor pictures, excepting close-ups, taken with a flash are usually of poor quality. Here is one of the best-of-the-worst Blue Tree photos.



The Tree Topper is a copper watering can filled with baby's breath. Apart from the cookies, the ornaments on this tree consist of handpainted blue/white Chinese glass balls, copper chocolate molds, miniature copper kitchen pots, pans and utensils, copper celestial ornaments, miniature copper/blue apples and copper spiral "icicles". The celestial ornaments and spiral "icicles" were made by me from copper flashing left over from my roof replacement and chimney re-flashing. And, of course, there are blue lights...

The Blue Tree was featured in the Dec 2004/Jan 2005 issue of Design NJ Magazine. It was part of a spread which the magazine did of my six Christmas trees.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello. E~ loves your cookies; they are pretty and yummy. E~ especialy likes the RED cookies. :))

Maria Denzer said...

Hi there E~! So how does E~ know that my cookies are yummy? Has E~ been scarfing down cookies when Maria wasn't looking? Does E~'s mouth turn red when eating RED cookies?

Maria

Anonymous said...

Hi Maria,
E~ has had your cookies, that is how he knows they are yummy. You gave E~ some cookies with cinnamon and sugar on top; they were very yummy. E~'s mouth is already red. . . but his mouth does turn blue from the blue cookies. E~ better go, it is past his bed time. bye-bye!

Anonymous said...

Ha, Ha those last messages are pretty funny. Well anyway, I just came back to look at your blog again. You've been busy! Your cookies are just as beautiful as your cakes. Have a Happy New Year!

Earl, Kentucky

Maria Denzer said...

Hi, Earl! Welcome back. We did get kind of goofy. Must be the sugar rush from eating left over cookie dough. Happy New Year to our friend from Kentucky...

Maria

Anonymous said...

u gotta b kiddin they 2 nice 2 b cookies

karla, nyc

Anonymous said...

Yo, Yo Master D is back in the house
to see you've been busy like a mouse
more pimpin cakes and cookies too
is why Master D tips his hat to you

So we meet again...as I stumble across your page for the 2nd time!

Master D, aka Kevin comin' to you from LA

Maria Denzer said...

Yo Master D in LA's smog
welcome back to the Diva's blog
I wanna laugh and howl and shout
for my pimpin' cakes that you rap about

Maria D

Anonymous said...

Hello

True talent and workmanship! Art at its finest.

Wandy

Maria Denzer said...

Thank you, Wandy!

Maria