Finally Finished

I have been wanting to build a bench in my upstairs playroom since we have moved into our home 6 years ago. With much scared hesitation I did it. I really like how it turned out and the best part is it only cost me $40 and it hides all of the plastic boxes, but still lets the kids find what they are looking for.

I also finished the rain gutter book shelves. It was the easiest thing that I have done with such a great impact.

Added some great old wooden crates to hold books for my little one to grab. I also made throw pillows for comfort. The larger pillow was made by two dishtowels from Anthropologie. This is a great way to find fun fabrics and it will fit the size of a 16 x 16 pillow perfectly. The middle pillow was inspired by the lotus pillow from Anthro. Using all of the rement fabrics from my vintage fabric collection. The small pillow was just something fun.

Best Sugar Cookies

These have to be the best ever sugar cookies ever. I have made them several times and they turn out fabulous each time. The frosting turns hard(sounds kinda dirty) so you stack the cookies without them sticking (get your mind out of the gutter).
Thanks Kat for finding this delicious recipe.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt


Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Frosting (I double the recipe)

Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup (makes the frosting hard so you stack the cookies without them sticking.)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.