All about CookieCon...

Have you ever wanted to spend 4 days surrounded by thousands of cookies? It's not a dream, my friends, it is a reality.

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!)

• 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

*Say Hi to Andy, Pam, Lisa, Gina, and Nancy!!!*

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???

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