Looking for an FDA approved EDIBLE gold dust that is still shiny?! What does edible and non-toxic even mean? This post is full of all the explanations and links to my top ten favorite shiny, edible gold luster dusts!!  It can be REALLY CONFUSING trying to navigate the world of "edible" and "non-toxic" and "FDA approved" when you are shopping for gold and silver and other metallic (and even some non-metallic) dusts for cookie decorating. Don't worry though. I've got you covered with...once again...probably more information that you really want to know when it comes to choosing the shiniest edible gold dusts on the planet. And if you want to skip all that good ol' fashioned unsolicited advice and learning -- CLICK HERE to jump to my top ten recommended edible gold dusts.

They go by many names -- Paint-Your-Own, PYO, Color-A-Cookies, Paint-A-Cookies...etc. But whatever you call them, there are tons of options for making them. Use this tutorial to learn all the different ways you can create paint-your-own designs on decorated sugar cookies! Do you guys know Marlyn? She's the brilliance behind the very popular YouTube Channel - Montreal Confections . I LOVE HER BRAIN!!! You guys. Did you know that it's been just over two years since Marlyn introduced the world to her genius idea of PAINT-YOUR-OWN COOKIES ??!

Remember these? I made them just...ages ago. Just kidding. I posted them yesterday. Did you already forget? I'd be disappointed...but the whole "making Valentine's Day cookies until all hours of the day and night and day and night again" thing kind of gets you a free pass for the next 3 months in my book. These two cookies in particular were just something I've been playing around with for a little while. But since so many of you asked how I made that heart...I thought I would just show you really quick how I did it. And then ask you a favor. You know...because I'm all about "fairness" like that.

Between you and me... how many containers of sprinkles you do *really* own? You don't have to say the number out loud...but don't forget to count that "other" box of sprinkles that nobody else knows about. You know...the one you hid in the back of the closet to make yourself feel better about the sprinkles in the box in the front of the closet. And even if we're finally giving those back-of-the-closet sprinkles the love they really deserve...it's just not the same now that there are FANCY SPRINKLE MIXES on the market, right??!! But don't despair. I've got a fool-proof (ish) system so YOU can use up those "hidden" gems to make your very own fancy sprinkle mixes in just minutes. Or hours. It's actually harder to stop making mixes than I originally thought.

I have this... friend ...that may or may not have this itty-bitty tiny (huge) sprinkle problem. I mean, I'm not judging her, but she kind of loses her mind when she sees those brightly colored sprinkles of love and sugar and at this point her "spare" room has more in common with a candy store than a guest room. I think I saw her putting in a "sprinkle slide" last time I was over. I'm not sure if you also have... friends ...with a sprinkle problem, but if you do, it might be time to give them a little nudge. And by "nudge," I of course mean, "reasons to buy MORE MORE MORE!!!" (Just don't tell my husband. I mean...my friend's husband.)

Hello. You have reached the LilaLoa blog.

Sometimes in your life there comes a time where you can no longer remain quiet. I've thought about saying something a lot over the last few weeks, but I stop myself because I don't want to be "that person." I don't want to be misunderstood. And I'll admit, I've been sucked into this myself now and then too. I know there are people who believe strongly on both sides of this issue and I don't mean to say that what you believe isn't true. And please don't be angry with me if you disagree. But I cannot live with myself one more day if I don't put this out there.

CHECK OUT MY TOP TEN FAVORITE FDA APPROVED GOLD LUSTER DUSTS HERE!! I didn't start out trying to cover my entire kitchen in gold spatters, sprays, and streaks. I certainly had no intention of binge purchasing every shiny dust I laid my eyes on. And I did NOT expect to fall in love with an FDA approved luster dust. (The Non-Toxic dusts? I *KNEW* they would be gorgeous!) I just wanted to make some gold "dipped" pastel Easter Eggs. Is that TOO MUCH to ask?

Sometimes when I'm planning a set of cookies, I get an idea stuck in my head and I can't abandon it even if I'm fairly certain that it will never ever in a million years actually work out. And I try reallllly hard to convince myself that it will be a colossal waste of time. And will only end in tears and ice cream. But those sneaky little cookie cutters always seem to find their way into my cutting pile anyway. And between you and me...at least half the time it does end in some gigantic failure. Like, the kind of failure I want to set on fire and then bury in the backyard before anyone sees it. But sometimes....SOMETIMES....they turn out like these fantastic knitted pumpkin cookies. I saw a picture of a pumpkin someone had actually knitted. And I loved it. And wanted one of my very own to hold and love and squish until it told me it loved me best in the whole wide world. As it turns out though...I can't actually knit..no matter how many times my grandmother has t...

So...my daughter ran away a few weeks ago. And not the one you are thinking. Actually, maybe it IS the one you are thinking. I don't really know what you are thinking. Why would you assume that I do? Gosh. I'm not a mind reader. Anyway...it was my 2 year old Little P. We were at the post office minding our own business, playing the ever-entertaining, "Can you find...?" game with the greeting cards. You know, like, "Can you find a card with a dog that is wearing a party hat and also driving a car?" Or "Can you find a card that looks like an amoeba riding a bicycle but is really walrus baking a cake?" They are pretty good at the game. And then finally, it is our turn at the desk. I put my bag down and pull out my packages. I look at my 4 year old and then look in the other direction and there is no Little P. My 4 year old runs around the counter that is in the center of the room and screams, "SHE'S GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The post office ...

It's funny. As a kid, I always thought that when I grew up and bought my own groceries...I would buy SunChips every single time. I would live on SunChips. I would build my house out of SunChips and I would send SunChips Christmas cards that turned into bags of SunChips when you opened them. And then I got older. And learned about these things called "vegetables" and "exercise" and "modeling healthy behavior for children" and I cried inside because I never wanted to be a grown up ever again. And now when I go to the store and feel all "splurgy" and "spontaneous" I end up buying kitchen garbage bags...with DRAW STRINGS. One time, I even went all out and got the kind that smell like lavender. ( FYI -- Totally did NOT smell like lavender. Don't waste your money. Buy SunChips instead.) And then I come home and drown my SunChips sorrows in cookie decorating. Which is kind of ironic because these are "grateful"...

Do you ever just want to lie on the couch clicking "next" on an article called " Hollywood's Top 100 Transformations " instead of actually writing a blog post? Or making cookie dough. Or sweeping the kitchen for the eleventy-millionth time today? At this point in my life, I don't even know who most of them are...it might as well be called, " Total Transformations of Complete Strangers So You Can Procrastinate For Another Hour ." Because you KNOW that after seeing that article for " 25 Secrets From the Set of I Love Lucy " 100 times...you just won't be able to stop yourself. And it's not like your kitchen floor is going to stay clean anyway. And you can just wake up early tomorrow and make that cookie dough...and that blog post is basically going to write itself... Except when it doesn't. And then I have to put my fingers on the keyboard and push buttons over and over again to explain the fact that I just love cookies tha...

We live in the golden era of cookie decorating. For decades, cookie decorators have had to improvise with tools originally designed and created for cake decorators. And we've done a pretty awesome job of it, if I do say so myself. BUT NO MORE!! Our cookie decorators are all grown up and creating product FOR cookie decorators, BY cookie decorators!!! It's fantastic you guys!! In a really sappy way, it just makes my heart happy to see this hobby, this passion become an actual way of life; an industry unto itself. I feel like every new product conceived, designed, and manufactured only strengthens the base of this decorating community. It's the perfect answer for every person who has ever given you that knowing look while condescendingly saying something like, " Hmm. I see. So what do you plan to do with this little hobby of yours? " (Because how ADORABLE is it that we have a hobby?) And as a community, we are quickly becoming our OWN solutions! Seriously, h...

Do you ever have those days where you just can NOT stay on task? Like, let's say some nefarious underworld type creature somehow manages to sneak into my house and take every last cookie cutter, PME tip, and stencil that I own and in his sadistic glee, he informs me that I could have it all back if only I would stay on task and actually accomplish things today... I would pretty much be thinking, " Sweet! Now I can go cookie supply shopping instead of doing ANY of the things on my to-do list ." It's not that I'm procrastinating on purpose today though. It's just that there's so much to get done that I get distracted by the next task before I'm even finished with the first one. Stop me if you've heard this story before. I find my daughter's shoe on the living room floor. (Just one, mind you.) I pick it up to return it to her bedroom, but along the way, I also find a hairbrush and some elastics, and since I'm already headed that directi...

I’m pretty sure this is going to be the longest post in the history of ever. And I haven’t even written it yet. I have, however, procrastinated it for weeks. So that should count for something, right? Here’s the thing. Videos. They’re the thing these days. Everyone is making them. Or watching them. Or wishing they could make them. And I’m here to tell you that you can be anyone of those people that you want to be. Seriously. I’m going to walk you through my ENTIRE VIDEO PROCESS. Painstakingly slow because I’m cool like that. But don’t get all crazy on me if you do it a different way. I like different ways. And totally welcome your comments giving people more options. You know, as long as there is no hatred involved…I’m good. This is my video set-up. I use my regular ol’ half-way broken cellphone attached to a GRIPPY ARM THING . The grippy arm thing is also attached to a tri-pod. (I used to attach it to the back of another chair, but the tripod was just easier to move aroun...

If any of you have met me in person, you know I'm not a stranger to peer pressure. As in... I pressure people to do things all the time. It's shameful. And I should stop. Except that peer pressure totally works. And usually I only peer pressure people into doing things that deep down, they just really want to do anyway. And then everyone is happy because I'm happy. Or...something like that. Basically, that's how I met Delorse . She makes amazing cookies. AMAZING cookies. But she didn't have a Facebook page. So I relentlessly pressured her into making one until she gave in just so I would stop bugging her every single day of her life. And really, you should all be thanking me because I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but that girl is AMAZING. You've probably seen her gorgeous bow cookies everywhere. I'm obsessed with her bow-style!! Like, I want to squish my computer every time I see a new cookie. As it turns out, she didn't hate me for pres...

Wanted: Laundry-doing person. Must be able to put clothes in the washing machine and start it on a regular basis. And by "regular basis" I mean more than once or twice a month. Every day is ideal. Knowledge of washing temperatures is a plus, but really - if you can shove the clothes in that thing, somehow manage to add soap and press "start"- I won't complain. Transferring clothes to the dryer before they mold is negotiable but preferred. Helping the cleaned clothing find its way home while pretending that the rest of my house is in perfect condition is an absolute requirement. A signed confidentiality agreement will be signed regarding the state of the kitchen before work or payment can occur. Payment to be made in decorated cookies- payable on Saturday mornings or in chocolate cookie dough - payable on Tuesday evenings. Or you could just come over and talk to me while I avoid doing laundry altogether. Or starting cookies. I'm okay with that too...

I am the last person on earth that would claim perfection in parenting. I mean, just TODAY-- I lied to my children and told them the juice was all gone...when in fact it wasn't. I pretended I couldn't hear my children calling for me while I was in the bathroom. My little P was quiet for 20 whole minutes before I went to check on her. I let my Princess A wear her purple dress-up gown to school drop off so I could go yet one more day without doing laundry. I made scrambled eggs, quesadillas, and cut up apples for dinner. I bribed my children to clean up the living room...with cookies. But for all my shortcomings, there are two things I have done right as a mother. The first one -- I taught them to hold juice pouches at the top two corners. Even my little P knows how to hold them without squishing juice all over the front of her shirt. I'm not going to lie, I'm super proud of that. And the second thing -- bedtime is book time at our house. We have a ...