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
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
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
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
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,
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!
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
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
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
It’s hard to fully appreciate the tablescape at Julia’s Christmastime cookie swap without getting the floor-to-ceiling view. Julia always aims to keep her guests engaged, and one sure way is to put décor where it’s not expected. Here, Julia dangled
Instead of opting for the expected pure-white snowflakes in the flurry of cookies hung overhead, Julia chose a muted palette of cream, green, and gold to tie into the colors of her dining room. And to give this cookie swap
Julia loves introducing an element of surprise into every soirée. And this Christmas cookie swap was certainly no exception. Paper invitations are passé as far as Julia is concerned, so she created ones out of kitchen towels. She made iron-on transfers
Edible décor is another trick that Julia often uses to create her signature elements of surprise. At this cookie swap, guests were greeted with this cookie wreath, which they merrily nibbled as the event carried on.
Yet another nod to Julia’s original Christmas cookie swap for St. Louis AT HOME magazine in 2005! Once again, Julia collected the party’s recipes and then tucked them into pastry blenders for easy handing-out to guests. But, this time, rather
Leave it to Julia to make edible boxes for carrying cookies home after this swap! These containers were fashioned from gingerbread and left largely un-iced to contrast the more fully iced cookies tucked inside. The party’s color scheme also found
Julia styled this colorful Fourth of July fête for St. Louis AT HOME magazine from start to finish, beginning with the invitation and working through every element of the party décor. Fortunately for Julia, the party was set on a
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