Good Things by David

There is nothing like the colors of our American flag.  I love seeing that combination throughout the year, whether it's on people's porches, lawns or home decor, but I especially like it in the summer for flag day and around the Fourth of July. This year I decided to make some American flag-inspired cookies in various shapes in order to celebrate this country's red, white and blue.  With a few cookie cutters and some citrus-flavored royal icing, I quickly began to decorate cookies worthy of any patriotic get together this summer. What's nice about working on this type of project is that you can keep the cookie decorations and designs to a minimum.  What's important is to capture the spirit of America through the use of a rich, dark blue and a deep, dark red so that the cookies don't look too cartoonish. If you're handing these out to individuals, I highly recommend getting clear-topped boxes or clear cellophane bags so that the cookies can p...

A good friend of mine who is perhaps one of the most passionate jadeite collectors I know, recently showed me his jadeite bowl exhibition at the local county fair in his area.  Nick Stein is my go-to teacher and advisor when it comes to collecting jadeite, pricing jadeite and using one's vintage jadeite.  It never ceases to amaze me how much he knows about this subject. Nick tells me that he has been entering his jadeite collection at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, California for several years.  This year's exhibit was all about showcasing every single jadeite bowl set that was offered from the three major jadeite manufacturers in the United States, dating from the 1930s through the 1970s.  These manufacturers include Fire King, Jeanette and McKee.  Nick says that he loves collecting jadeite mixing bowls because, "they have multiple pieces which makes it fun to hunt for, and some are very rare!" Take a look at his wonderful display. * Italicized ...

The 'Ring and Wedding Cake Cookie Cutters' from the former Martha by Mail catalog are perfect for baking and decorating wedding cookie favors any time of the year.  These highly-collectible cookie cutters measuring about six inches by five inches are made of solid copper, and are constructed with closed backs and handles, making it possible to create very memorable cookies for you or for a loved one. Stamped with 'Engagement Ring' on the handle, the wedding ring shape cuts out large diamond rings.  The wedding cake shape, stamped with 'Pedestal Cake' on the handle, cuts out a three-tiered cake set on a pedestal cake stand.   The front of the original Martha by Mail cookie decorating card shows a wedding ring iced in plain white royal icing, with accented cuts on the diamond, and a ring band covered in miniature silver dragées.  The tiered wedding cake is iced in a light-green royal icing, and is accented with multi-drop scalloped borders and silver dr...

You know how it is when you're out vintage shopping or antiquing.  As a veteran shopper you may not have a clear mission or agenda when browsing through aisles, displays or tables, because items that you already collect will immediately grab your attention when you come across them.  It's almost inevitable for that to happen to us vintage/antique collectors. If I ever come across a vendor who has cookie cutters while shopping at antique malls or flea markets, I make it point to look through the selection just to see if anything seems good enough to take home.  On this particular day, I noticed a zip-top plastic bag chock-full of old tin cookie cutters, so I gave them the once-over and purchased the lot because they seemed to be in good condition, and they were shapes I didn't already own.  It wasn't until I closely inspected the individual pieces later in the day that I noticed their significance.  A few of them still had their original labels. An ...