I’m still eeking this one out on St. Patrick’s Day, but only because PST and Hawaii have the grace to be so many hours behind me. 😉

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, my friends!

This shamrock was my first piece in my return to tatting back in 2007. I was surprised I could even remember how to hold a shuttle, as I hadn’t made lace in over 10 years!)

My mom is a beautiful redhead with pale, creamy, lightly-freckled skin, but alas, I don’t have the Irish look about me. In fact, the one (and only!) time I ever dyed my hair, my BFF and husband teamed up together to choose the most garish shade of red. There are no pictures of this day because – TRUST ME – it was not a moment to be remembered. I simply have to be content having a gorgeous, Julie-Andrews-look-a-like for a mom, and allow her to sport the brilliant red tresses for our family. ♥

I’ll just make the green sweets instead. 😉 Like these cookies, for example:

These were made for a handful of my most special “Sugar Sisters,” as my offering in our St. Paddy’s Day Cookie Swap. I used Georganne’s famous fancy square cutter as my starting point, and I kept things very simple. I made my first “real” royal icing transfers (I’d done small dots once before, but nothing of any true size), and in the process, I developed an even greater awe of Paula’s skill, as she works with RI transfers to a means I cannot ever comprehend!

I needed 9 of these cookies (8 for the swap, and an extra for shipping “just in case”), and because I had heard that RI transfers can be very delicate & tricky, I made 15 shamrocks in the beginning. It’s a good thing, as six of them broke when I tried to peel the paper from the back, and I ended up with exactly the nine I needed!

In making these transfers, I also used disco dust for the very first time! Bridget hasn’t been kidding when she says it gets EVERYWHERE, and I tried to emulate Marian’s style, as her transfers are always picture perfect! I will say that, although six of the transfers broke, the disco dust finish made it almost imperceptible to tell once I carefully applied the pieces to a cookie. Here’s a picture of the extra cookies I mailed my friend, and you might not even be able to tell a difference at all. 🙂

I just love how these cookies turned out, and I’m glad to have learned little lessons throughout the process, too!

But I didn’t just make cookies for St. Patrick. I also surprised Jack & his classmates with some easy-peasy cupcakes I whipped up, too. 🙂

A simple yellow cupcake is topped with this easy, rich & creamy buttercream frosting. Over the years, I consistently make this buttercream, sometimes tweaking it to suit different tastes & styles. It’s pretty perfect on its own, and it’s hard not to dig in with a spoon!

Easy Buttercream
(recipe by Nicole Cleghorn)

• 1 cup butter, softened (no substitutions)
• 1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted
• 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (regular or clear)
• 4 Tbsp. milk

 

1. Cream butter until light & fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, and mix until well-combined. (Frosting will be coarse & crumbly.)
2. Add vanilla extract and milk. Beat until smooth & creamy, and use as desired for decorating.

If you want to change the buttercream, try using different extracts for different flavors, or substituting the milk for other liquids, as I did for my Cherry Buttercream in these cupcakes. You can add less liquid (milk, etc.) for a stiffer buttercream, or more if you would like a creamier frosting. This recipe is very adaptable!

For these cupcakes, I opted to add 10 drops of green food coloring to the buttercream as well. I piped using a smaller star tip, and I dusted the cupcakes with green sanding sugar. See? Easy-peasy! 🙂

Lastly, one more fun trick I played on my boys tonight. We were hosting a sleepover, so I picked up a 2-liter bottle of Sprite for the festivities. I chose Sprite because the plastic bottle was already green, and I knew my boys wouldn’t notice anything suspicious. I opened the brand-new bottle, added about 10 drops of green food coloring, and then closed it up tight & tucked it into the fridge. I absolutely LOVED seeing each of their faces as they began to pour their own glasses of Sprite for dinner, only to be completely surprised that it came out green instead of clear! 😀