Layered Still Life

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Photo by: Julia M. Usher

These luxe layered still life cookies are yet another application of Julia’s rubber-stamped fondant appliqué technique. Here, the flower vases and butterflies were stamped on fondant, cut out, and then allowed to dry before being dusted and attached to the cookies. However, these cookies have another couple of techniques going on. The background pattern was airbrushed and stenciled using a combination of two of Julia’s stencils! For an in-depth video tutorial showing how these cookies were made, visit Julia’s YouTube channel, and for Julia’s recommended tools, see the “RELATED PRODUCTS” links.

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Corner Plaque Cookie Cutter

Julia popularized this classic Corner Plaque cutter design by using it in so many of her cookie stencil releases. It’s definitely one of her faves! While it can be oriented any which way relative to the design on the cookie top, she loves it in the “diamond” position (first photo), because it allows the best exposure of her background stencils. This cutter is available in three sizes; the price reflects the smallest 2-inch size. Julia most often uses the 4-inch size.

Tsukineko Uninked Foam Stamp Pad

Rubber-stamping is a great way to quickly add lavish detail to cookies, making it one of Julia’s favorite decorating techniques. Over time, she’s tested countless ways to rubber-stamp, and she’s found she gets the sharpest imprints and most uniform coloring across imprints by applying the coloring first to an uninked stamp pad. This Tsukineko pad is by far her favorite for a couple of reasons.

Chefmaster Buckeye Brown Liqua-Gel Food Coloring

Julia’s other favorite rubber-stamping tool (in addition to Tsukineko ink pads) is this food coloring! It’s the only brown, of any brand or type, that she uses because she loves its rich, chocolately hue and lack of flavor, even when used in large quantity to make saturated hues. Plus, because it has some body (unlike airbrush coloring), it gives her very precise, smear-free stamped imprints as long as she spreads it very evenly and thinly on those awesome Tsukineko ink pads!

Petal Crafts Dazzler and Petal Dust (Set A) Combo Pack

Get double the dust fun with this combo pack that includes two compressed dust palettes by Petal Crafts with 48 colors in total: (1) 24 Set A petal dusts and (2) 24 Dazzler luster dusts. Each easy-to-open container offers up 24 gorgeous colors, without any of the flyaway mess that comes with the pry-off lids on loose dusts. Julia most often applies this product to dry royal icing with a dry chisel blender brush, but the dust can also be extended with vodka to create paint.

Petal Crafts Dust Palette (Set B)

Dry-dusting is one way Julia loves to add subtle color to her cookies, and these compressed petal dust palettes by Petal Crafts are the bomb! The easy-to-open container offers up 24 gorgeous matte colors, without any of the flyaway mess that comes with the pry-off lids on loose dusts. Julia most often applies this product to dry royal icing with a dry chisel blender brush, but the dust can also be extended with vodka to create paint.

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