Just when I thought I had liberated myself from my own holiday cookie idea torture, I received an email asking if I could create a group of Saint Patrick’s Day goodies.
Saint Patrick’s Day cookies for ‘Real Simple’, a website heralded for its modern, highly functional design ideas for all our everyday living needs, to be precise.
“Sure I can”, I typed back with one hand to the editor, while wiping the sweat that was trickling down my forehead with the other.
After that panic and sweat subsided, the idea came to me. Shamrocks & clover: simple in form, decorated in graphic patterns, celebrating the kind of aesthetic that is ‘Real Simple’.
It worked. They liked it.
And this is the result. I’m over the moon about it!
Do you see the cookie that says ‘Lucky’? That’s how I feel today. Lucky that I can do what I love to do and be paid for it. Lucky for my family, my friends, my good health, my everything.
To celebrate my luck, I want one of you to be lucky, too. I’m letting go of my brand new copy of Julia M. Usher’s most recent book, “Ultimate Cookies”. It’s THE ultimate in cookie decorating. Anything and everything you’ve ever imagined (or in my case, not imagined) is in this book along with detailed, step-by-step instructions for achieving these glorious designs. It’s perfect now for wonderful Easter ideas and other spring holidays.
It can be yours, too. A winner will be chosen at random by Thursday, March 8 and announced on Friday, March 9. Leave a comment here telling me why you should be the lucky winner of this book, and tweet about it. (follow me, too, if you don’t). If you’re new to my Facebook page, ‘like it’.
Celebrate your individuality, your creativity, and of course, your own luck!
I would love to win this to better my cookie decorating skills… cupcakes and cakes I can handle… cookies are still left to be defeated!! ha!
I retweeted your giveaway post @sugarbutterbaby
I’m not entering the contest but just had to say Congratulations!!! Your shamrock cookies are beautiful and the feature in Real Simple is awesome. I know it’s tradition to kiss the blarney stone for luck but if I was handy to you I’d be kissing you for luck
P.S. May lots of shamrock cookie orders rise up to meet you.
I would be honored to learn more about cookie decorating by using Ultimate Cookies as a resource.
I follow TheToughCookie on Twitter & subscribe to your blog. Your “lucky” cookies are inspiring! Congratulations!
Congratulations Deb! YOU WON THE BOOK! I’ll put this up on Twitter and FB, too! DM me your address and I’ll put the book in USPS. Happy Cookie-ing!
I would love to give this to my wife to continue her cookie decorating habit.
I’m feeling lucky to have found your website, so that I can learn and grow as a baker and decorator!
You opened my eyes to the beauty of cookie decorating and I simply can’t get enough of it. So when you say this is the ULTIMATE … I MUST have it.
Not entering the contest either, I own and love Julia’s books, but had to say I love your post. “Real Simple” is not what I would think of when it comes to you, Gail, or to One Tough Cookie, but you did a beautiful job with your assortment for them!! xo
I would love to win this….would be great inspiration and always love to learn more about making such fantastic cookies!!
So I can get started on making some awesome cookies featured in this book
I think I should be the lucky winner because well its just a wonderful, awesome book! Thanks for doing this giveaway!
Great cookie design! I love it. The book would be inspiration to get the cookies baked, the icing mixed and in bags/bottles and to just spend an afternoon being creative.
Congrats, Gail!! Love the design, and seeing you are doing what you love!!!
Oh how awesome would it be to win this???? Thank you for considering me!!!
In starting my own cookie business!
I would want this book because I want to grow in my skills as a decorator. I need all the help I can get.
I LOVE this book. I gave my free copy to my friend who was hosting a fan appreciation giveaway. It was hard to part with, I loved it so much!
Because I aspire to be as good as you some day…of course, the book won’t be as good as learning from you in person, but since that dream came true (and one of my favorite days EVER)…a book is the next best thing. Oh, and I am your biggest fan =) oxox
I want to win! I love decorating cookies – I’m the court jester of cooking decorating while you my dear are the queen. I follow, like etc. because I love you. xo
My kids would flip if I could make cookies like that. Plus my oldest is really into decorating cookies so it’s something we could have fun learning to do together.
I started decorating cookies approximately 1 year ago and have learned so much from books! Never took a class, just been reading books, blogs and youtube. When I make my cookies and give to my friends they say, “To Pretty to eat!” “You did this?” I laugh and say YES! check out my Facebook Coni’s Cookies it has my Leprechaun masterpiece, well first attempt that is.
Your blog hates me, I think. This didn’t show up in my email subscriptions. Fortunately I came across it on twitter. This book looks so awesome. It is one of the many hanging out on my list of “I WANT!”. Off to “like” you on facebook…not sure how I don’t already!
I would LOVE this book. I decorate cake and need to improve my cookie skills and who better than Julia Usher to learn from!
Would love to have this book to try to make these beautiful works of art!
I would love to win this book. Cookie decorating is my favorite thing to do, but i would love to learn some new ideas.
I would love to learn from the best! This would be the next best thing from taking a class directly from you. Being able to create cookies this beautiful and share them is the best!
I would love to win this book. I have been salivating over it for a while, but can’t go buy it right now because I am a poor graduate student!! By the way, your cookies are fabulous! – and I wish my market here would support $38 for 7 cookies.
I have been a fan for quite a while. Love your tips and suggestions. One thing I wouldn’t do with the book….let it collect dust! I would look through it, sigh, and hopefully just pick a page and make whatever my hand lands on! (or have ingredients in the cupboard for!)
I think i should win the book because I am new at this and need all the help I can get. I also have zero cookie cookbooks. I have been blowing the budget on cutters, tools abd supplies. I would love to just sit around one day soon and curl up with a cookie book by the fire and learn and be inspired.
I bought your new book and love it. The only thing is, I loved it so much, I gave it away to my good friend. What goes around, comes around!
Decorated sugar cookies seem to bring such joy to every event. My mother learned to bake in a school in Easteen Europe, specifically Slovakia. Her legacy was her extraordinary cookies. I would love to follow the joy she shared with others through cookies that look as amazing as yours.
My daughter would absolutely love this book. She loves to decorate cookies and cakes.
I’m so glad you’re doing this contest – what a wonderful book to pass around and share
I should be the lucky winner of this book because it would be a privilege (sp?) to learn from Julia and to receive a book from you, o very creative one. LOL.
I’d really love this book. It looks so amazing. Thanks for the chance!
I’m the only one in my family who can bake, so I would love to be able to make them so new, good looking, treats!
I’m just starting to decorate cookies and this bOok would be a great resource.
Would love some inspiration for better cookie baking/decorating – my achilles’ heel! And love the St. Patty’s day cookie – great for my Irish husband
First, how did I not see this? I hate when I get behind on my Google Reader updates.
CONGRATS on this. You are amazing, my dear Gail. Simply amazing.
I would love this book because I adore making cookies and I love making them with my grandson.
Those aren’t cookies – those are edible art! I’m in awe. Besides, it’s my birthday tomorrow, so I would LOVE your book as a surprise gift!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shamrock cookies!! Why am I lucky? I’m lucky because I have the privilege of knowing YOU! (And I swear I’m not trying to kiss up…just being brutally honest.)
Enjoying you site. Keep up the good work!
March 8? I mean how did I just get the email alert about this post?
But I love the cookie – and lucky indeed you are to be able to do what you love for a living. But, then, you are so divinely talented xo