Yesterday, I returned home from a trip to my first ever CookieCon. (That is a conference all about cookie decorating.) This year's conference was the third one...and my first time attending. (I was also a speaker. < insert profuse sweating here > ;)
It was held in beautiful Salt Lake City. SLC, I've fallen in love with your low humidity.
Here's my big takeaway from CookieCon: Cookie people are GOOD people.
To be perfectly honest, I was nervous and intimidated. These ladies, these ARTISTS, make incredible, jaw-droppingly gorgeous cookies. Cookies I can only dream of making. (I'm am not fishing for compliments here...I'll be sure to let you know when I'm doing that ;). It's true; their cookies are AMAZING.) Well, in addition to possessing mad cookie skills, these women are also the most gracious, warm, and welcoming bunch imaginable.
It must be the sugar. ♥
Before I get into more pictures, can we just agree that hotel ballrooms and conference rooms have the worst lighting ever? Ah, so glad I got that off of my chest. Let's proceed.
What do people DO at a cookie conference?
- pre-classes: smaller classes where you can learn techniques hands-on from cookie experts
- sessions: larger classes on specific techniques, how to run a business, blogging/photography/social media (that one was mine, full list here)
{Here's what I did after my day of teaching 8 sessions. Is there anything better than room service? Is there anything better than room service and Modern Family on TV while wearing pajamas? No.}
- enter cookies into the "sugar show" for judging
{ALL of the cookies were my favorites. Here's just a sampling...}
Those BlueBell ice cream cookies stole my heart, of course.
- cookie tastings!!!
- attend open decorating and try your hand at things like airbrushing, painting, and stenciling.
- SHOP!!
{My hotel bed covered in just a few purchases. They seemed small, but my suitcase weighed 12 pounds more than when I left home.}
- go to open demos
{I'm obsessed with Springerle molds now...and in love with Patrice from Springerle Joy. Can't wait to show you guys more of these.}
- decorate a mystery shape cookie (each attendee had the chance to decorate a mystery shape cookie...)
{These cookies were all the SAME SHAPE!!! Incredible!}
This curly haired one (top left) was said to be inspired by a certain someone's hair. *ahem*
(If ONLY my curls looked that good!)
(If ONLY my curls looked that good!)
- compete in cookie decorator face-off!
- make new friends and get to see people in real life whose cookies you've admired over the internets
Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Mike and Karen Summers...the founders of CookieCon. They made the event such a success and made everyone feel welcome. Also, the "purple apron people" were absolute treasures!
So, who wants to go next year???
