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

Love Is in the Air

Literally! Julia’s vintage valentines hover above the tabletop, cleverly clothes-pinned as they are to the centerpiece. Others are scattered across the table, adding color, texture, and interest on every level.

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Julia M. Usher

Batmobile

This cookie display doubles as both party décor and party game! Made for the Halloween party chapter in her first book Cookie Swap, Julia attached bat cookies to an eerie branch with royal icing “glue”; then she proposed a game

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Julia M. Usher

Batmobile Redux

A closer view of Julia’s cookie batmobile made for the Halloween party chapter in her first book Cookie Swap! Hang it from rafters or chandeliers, or near the door so that guests can snag bat cookie party favors on their

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Julia M. Usher

Owlsome

Isn’t this double-decker owl-and-moon cookie just awesome?! Julia made it to perch in the crook of a branch in her batmobile cookie display for her first book Cookie Swap! While very simply iced, this cookie pops off the Halloween-black backdrop

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Julia M. Usher

A Vision in White

Who said cookie swaps were just for Christmas? Here’s a sneak peek of Vision in White, a chapter from Julia’s first book Cookie Swap published in 2009, where a cookie swap became an elegant bridal shower. For the table’s focal

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Julia M. Usher

Wedding Cake Boxes

In addition to the large wedding cake boxes that held cookies on the main table, Julia made these mini boxes and filled them with cookies for take-home gifts. Decked with vintage trims, beads, and silk flowers, they fit perfectly with

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Julia M. Usher

Garden in Its Glory

This garden has cookies sprouting up everywhere! Made for the Not Your Garden-Variety Garden Party chapter in Julia’s book Cookie Swap, cookies studded with herbs and flowers and arranged on repurposed garden urns punctuate the moss-laden tabletop.

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Julia M. Usher

May Day Baskets

What better invitation for a combo garden party-and-cookie swap than a May Day basket that is also a cookie?! Here, Julia crafted 3-D gingerbread cornets, decorated them with edible paper and fondant, and then hung them on guests’ doors to

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Julia M. Usher

Growing Repertoire

At Julia’s cookie swaps, guests always take home the cookie recipes along with extra cookies! For this garden tea party in her book Cookie Swap, the recipes were printed on index cards and slipped into repurposed seed packets. What a

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Julia M. Usher

Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Cookie roses, that is! Yes, these lovelies climbing the trellis are actually gingerbread, crafted by Julia as yet another favor for her garden party cookie swap. At the end of the event, each guest got to pick a rose or

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Julia M. Usher

Stop and Smell the Roses

Julia loves edible decór because it appeals to all of the senses. When guests got close to these climbing rose cookies, made by Julia for her garden party in Cookie Swap, they got to fully appreciate their decorative details as

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Julia M. Usher

Flowers or Food?

Who needs bouquets of roses at a Valentine’s Day party when oversized cookie heart pops can stand in as both floral arrangements and food? Not Julia! These cookie centerpieces, crafted for her book Cookie Swap, stood a few feet tall,

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Julia M. Usher

Take Heart

For her Valentine’s Day party in Cookie Swap, Julia lovingly transformed old Russell Stover’s candy boxes into takeaway keepsakes with plush velvet and punchy ribbon trims. A perfect way to show you care – even when it’s not Valentine’s Day!

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Julia M. Usher

Marbled Magic

Everyone knows chocolate is an aphrodisiac, so Julia couldn’t have developed a more theme-appropriate recipe for her Valentine’s Day cookie swap than these raspberry-truffle brownies. A layer of marbled ganache on top adds to their magic. Head over heels? Can’t

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Julia M. Usher

Two Takes on Takeaways

Guests had their choice to take home this party’s Valentine-themed recipes in either a modern or a traditional mode. CDs dressed up with decorative papers and ribbons were one option. Recipe cards, fashioned to look like love notes complete with

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Julia M. Usher

Shadowbox Success

These sleek shadowboxes, originally used to display photos and other memorabilia, made captivating cookie take-home containers at Julia’s Valentine’s Day cookie swap. Jazzed up with shiny red paint (on the outside only!) and personalized metal name plates, they fit the

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Live sweetly, Julia