Blog: Vertical

Need one of Julia’s foolproof recipes? Some stunning cookie decorating ideas? Or a quick fix on Julia’s latest news and events? Well then, you’re in the right place! Here, you can stay up-to-the-minute current on everything that’s happening in Julia’s kitchen and studio – and in that always-churning mind of hers! IMPORTANT: Julia is still formatting blog entries prior to 2021 to conform to the new site layout. Please don’t be surprised if some back entries look a little wacky, and please be patient as she edits them over time.
Julia M. Usher

Double the Deliciousness

Not one, but two cakes – wrapped entirely in hand-piped chocolate! The one in the background has additional chocolate details that were hand-piped after the acetate was removed from the chocolate wrap. But those details are completely optional; these wraps

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Rich With Detail

Royal icing transfers and stamped fondant elements commingle here to create a richly textured look. The inside of the bottle is also lined with stamped fondant, making a luxurious bed for tiny sweets or other treasures that can be tucked

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Surplus of Sugar

Julia loves to dabble in cast sugar art (like her panorama eggs elsewhere in this gallery). But she often ends up with lots of leftover sugar mixture after those projects, and she hates to just toss it. So what does

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Sugar Sculpture?

This sugar structure may look like a modern art piece, but Julia created it simply to demonstrate the wide array of shapes that can be made with cast sugar – a very simple mixture of granulated sugar, water, and (optional)

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Bridal Bouquet

Made specially for one of Julia’s early cookie decorating classes in Spain, this completely edible cookie design demonstrates Julia’s love for working in 3-D! And what a great and unexpected bridal shower gift! For assembly details, see this YouTube video

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Beautiful Bundle

Here’s a closer view of one of Julia’s bigger cookie bridal bouquets. Let’s review its many and varied details, shall we?! The roses on top are handpiped royal icing; the leaves are dusted and embossed wafer paper; the ribbons and

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Delicious Doily

Not yet ready to tackle one of Julia’s multicolor chocolate cake wraps pictured elsewhere in this gallery? Then try your hand at a technicolor chocolate doily instead. This doily (used as an underliner for dessert) is substantially smaller than a

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Bud Vase Beauty

Julia used the wet-on-wet marbling technique for the flowers and leaves in this project, whereas she stenciled the vase with royal icing and then accented with beadwork-consistency icing. For details of the stenciling technique, see Julia’s stenciling basics video. And to

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Tiramisu in a Cup

Julia welcomes a respite every now and then from the painstakingly detailed cookie decorating work that she does. It’s at those times that she turns to simple but supremely satisfying recipes like this dessert. With alternating layers of crunchy espresso

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Needlepoint Nicety

Give this cookie as a special wedding favor, or cluster a few together for a never-before-seen wedding table centerpiece. Either way, the intricate needlepoint detailing is sure to amaze. For 3-D cookie cake assembly tips, check out Julia’s YouTube video.

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Precision-Piping

Both the cookie wedding cake and platter shown here were decorated using the needlepoint technique – basically outlining and flooding taken to the extreme! For more details about this precision-piping technique, check out Julia’s YouTube video where she applies the same method

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Embroidered Finery

Another standing wedding cake cookie using the impressive and intricately piped needlepoint technique! For needlepoint technique tips, check out Julia’s YouTube video where she uses this same technique to create a stacked and stuffed stocking cookie. For more about stenciling

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Pink Pedestal

A top-down view of Julia’s pink cake pedestal cookie better reveals the elaborate stenciling on top. Long before cookie stencils became a thing, Julia was adapting larger cake stencils for use on cookies, just as she did here. For all

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

May Day Marvels

Made specially for one of Julia’s early international classes in Spain, these vintage-style May Day baskets filled with wafer paper flowers make marvelous Mother’s Day, birthday, or hostess gifts. For all of the decorating and assembly details, check out Julia’s YouTube

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Tie Up Loose Ends

Every wafer paper flower bouquet needs a bow to tie up the loose stems. And, of course, every wafer paper flower needs a leaf or two. In this YouTube video, a companion to an earlier one about wafer paper flowers,

Read More »
Julia M. Usher

Techniques in Tandem

Julia focused her early YouTube videos on beginner cookie decorating techniques that provide a lot of lavish detail with a minimum of effort. The subject of one such video, these cookies show two beginner techniques in tandem: stenciling for the

Read More »

Cut to the chase! Quickly filter Julia’s blog content by selecting the most relevant category.

Categories

Categories

RSS

Never miss one of Julia’s posts! Click here for the computer-readable web feed of Julia’s blog.

SEARCH THE SITE

Be the first to hear about my latest events, tutorials, and product announcements by subscribing to my newsletter! 

Schedule willing, I release one each month, roughly mid-month. And, guess what else?! Once you subscribe, you’ll receive a special one-time coupon code for 20% off my online tutorials. The code will be delivered in your subscription confirmation email, so keep your eyes peeled (as it cannot be resent). Thanks in advance for subscribing!

Live sweetly, Julia