This weekend was supposed to be simple and sweet. I was in charge of desserts for a birthday gathering for one of my lovely mom friends—a little get-together we’d all been looking forward to. But, as motherhood often reminds us, life doesn’t always follow the plan.

One by one, the texts started rolling in. “So sorry, our little one is sick…” “We’re going to have to skip it, not feeling great over here…” It became pretty clear that this wasn’t the weekend for a celebration. We decided to reschedule, which of course was the right thing—but also a little disappointing.

And here’s the thing: the cookie dough was already made.

Now, if there’s one thing our family doesn’t believe in, it’s letting good cookie dough go to waste. Especially this dough—my husband’s buttery shortbread recipe that he learned from his dad (lovingly known as Poppy in our house). It’s a bit of a tradition now: he preps the dough, and I get to do the decorating, which is my favorite part.

Just when I was wondering what to do with all these cookies-to-be, the sweetest little moment of serendipity happened—I got a call from a florist I sometimes work with on floral pet portraits. Julie from Flower Frenzy had mounds of leftover arrangements from a wedding and offered me the pick of the bunch! Buckets of soft, fragrant blooms in dreamy shades of violet and lilac. It felt like such a gift.

Inspired by those lovely purple tones, I decided right then and there: this cookie batch would be all about violet blooms. 💜✨

✨ A Few Things I Learned Along the Way:

1. Painting is gentler than piping (especially if you're more comfortable with a brush):
   I’ve always been more of a painter than a baker, so picking up a brush instead of a piping bag felt natural—and so much easier. A smooth white icing base made all the difference.

2. A little icing goes a long way:
   I didn’t need much! Just a small amount of deeply colored icing, thinned out for a soft, painterly look. Mixing colors felt a little like being back in art class—in the best way.

3. Freezers aren’t your friend here:
   I thought putting the cookies in the freezer would help set the icing quickly… but something strange happened to the texture. They ended up a little too soft and not quite right. Letting them dry slowly at room temperature turned out to be the gentler, better option.

So no party, no crowd of little hands reaching for cookies… but still, a peaceful kitchen, a warm oven, and a tray of tiny floral cookies made with love and a little help from unexpected blooms. And honestly? That felt like enough. 🌷

Next time, I’d love to try bigger floral cookie cutters—just a bit more room for all the details I want to paint. The tiny ones were sweet and perfect for little bites, but I have so many ideas I’d love to try, and a bit more space would help. I'm still learning how to be precise in this delicate little art form—but it's such a joyful thing to practice.

Here’s to more cozy weekends, spontaneous inspiration, and beauty blooming even when the plans fall through. 💐💗

With warmth and flour-dusted hands,
A mama following sweetness wherever it leads