Making cookies is a great thing to do around the holidays. But, you can make any kind of cookie you want to design all year round. With the right cookie cutter, some icing and a little know-how you can become a creative cookie designer.

My Grandmother had aluminum cookie cutters. She gave them to my Mother at some point. I can remember using the gingerbread man, the angel, the holly leaf and the holly wreath as we made Christmas cookies each year.

Making cookies is a great thing to do around the holidays. But, you can make any kind of cookie you want to design all year round. With the right cookie cutter, some icing and a little know-how you can become a creative cookie designer.

I'd Like to Be a Cookie Decorating Designer

Usually, I can find a cookie cutter for any shape I'm thinking of. But, I tend to stick with the standard gingerbread people, snow men and women, a house, an angel and round cookies which I can add some icing and sparkles. I'd love to try something like the cookies you see looking so perfect in the magazines and on the shelves at the local coffee shop.

So this season, I'm going to whip up another batch of my sugar cookie recipe and then follow the instructions to become a cookie decorating designer. I'd especially like to work on houses. I could turn them all into any season or style I can dream up. They would be a great way to work out the technique and, probably, let me hide at least some of my mistakes.

Be Your Own Tinsmith and Make Your Own Cookie Cutters

I think making your own cookie cutters would be a great new project. There would be a trick to planning the design to be just an outline yet still make sense. Also, it has to be something you can cut cookie dough without having it stick or come off with tiny pieces still stuck to the cookie cutter. I'd start with extra simple designs, like a cartoon with easy, basic lines.

Unique Ways to Use Cookie Cutters

Don't just use your cookie cutters for cutting cookie dough into shapes.

Keep your cookie cutters handy next time you feel like getting a bit fancy:

• mozzarella cheese for pizza toppings.
• sandwiches for kids.
• set melted chocolate in cookie cutters.
• rolled dough for mini pizzas.
• jack-o-lanterns.
• marshmallows for hot chocolate.
• fruit for salad.
• mini pie crusts.
• ice cream to be added to hot pie.
• fry an egg inside a cookie cutter.
• cook a pancake inside a cookie cutter.

Cookie cutters can be used for crafts to cut out fabric shapes for wreaths and other projects. You can also tie or glue a selection of cookie cutters to make a holiday wreath.

See More Cookie Cutters

People collect vintage cookie cutters especially. But some just like finding something interesting and unique. Not all of these groups will be active but I found them all to have something worth the visit.

A photo of a few of my own cookie cutters.

I am a dragon, by birthdate, we are supposed to have a hoard of treasure. I'm sure that's how I seem to end up surrounded by piles of stuff, all kept in one special room. Unfortunately it's also my bedroom, work room, computer room and living room. All one room because I only have one room to myself in the house. It's also my storage room, but that's pretty obvious.

My family think I'm keeping too much stuff, that I'm just not putting things away, etc. They don't say the word, hoarder, but I do. Usually just to myself because no one wants to be a hoarder, especially not after seeing some of the worst case scenarios on TV.

I read that a couple of the signs that you may be a hoarder are having clutter around you in piles, especially paper things. Another sign is that you buy storage containers and other methods of storing things and yet you still have more stuff which you need to store. I do buy storage things and I use some of them. Some don't work out as I hoped but I don't take them back - they get added to the clutter cause I might find a use for them. To be fair, sometimes I do, but a lot of the time I don't.

Tidy Your Books and Reward Yourself with Bookends

Why Do We Keep Stuff?

We keep things we think we will need to use later. Or, things we plan to use later. But, later takes a long time to come, a bit too often.

We can't decide on what to keep, what to get rid of (or give away/ recycle) so we keep everything. Trying to be a perfectionist and have everything we could ever need for any reason.

We have a sentimental attachment to a thing or a memory from that thing and we don't want to let it go, in case we forget. (In this case I have learned to take a photo of it and post it on my blog, keep it on the computer hard drive or a DVD disk).

Stop Procrastinating - Start Motivating

Don't keep procrastinating. Find yourself some motivation and begin dealing with your hoard today. My motivation is that I'm just sick of dealing with all this stuff. It's taking over too much of my personal space and I'm really tired of moving stuff out of my way. There isn't much here that's really worth the frustration of dealing with it all every day.

Pick apart something smaller from the mass. Don't put pressure on yourself, expecting to succeed in dealing with all of it in one day.

The other day I tidied up my computer desk (just a bit late for Clean Off Your Desk Day) and the area around it. I got mostly everything moved off or out of the way but a lot of it really had no where to go from there. Some things were easy, like hair clips and a vitamin bottle. They have other places they can be put away.

Next up are clothes and the clothes closet. There are clothes I won't wear or don't fit (for size or style reasons) and I shouldn't be keeping them. It's not easy to make hard decisions about clothes, some of them have been around long enough that I remember something nice happening when I wore that sweater, etc. But, it's really just a sweater, with a few holes in it. I don't even want to wear it out any more.

That's my plan for the day. I'm going to stop writing now and get to it. When I finish writing this post I will (hopefully) have that much done and have given myself that much more space and breathing room (not to mention walking room).

Of course, the bigger job is still left... all that hoard of paper and books. But, that will be another day.

A Tidy Desk Can be Rewarded with a Desk Set

Keep the Hoard from Coming Back (or Ever Starting)

When Bringing Stuff In...

Before you even buy something new (or bring something new home) consider whether you really need it or just want it. Is it worth spending money on, do you have the money to spend on it? Are you going to use it, or just leave it somewhere and forget about it?

Get in to the habit of not bringing in more than you need. Don't bring in something new unless you have used up or finished with something old. You won't have a hoard if you keep a balance of stuff in and stuff out.

Put Your Stuff Away...

Don't leave things packed in bags when you bring them home. Begin using them (something like a replacement part) or put them away where they need to be right away, not later.

Put things away once they are used. Or, after they are washed from being used. Get into the habit of not leaving the small tidying up for later and it won't build into a much bigger job over time.

When you finish a job, like laundry, making and having dinner, home repairs, etc. don't consider the job to be finished until you have done the clean up and put away your tools. Don't leave the clean up for later - later might be later than you think.

Be sensible about putting things away. Things you use together can be put away together. Especially basics like shampoo, toothpaste - things you would use in the bathroom should be kept together in the bathroom. This will make everything easier to find and quicker for you to get things done without looking for the things you need (if they were scattered around in different places).

Don't use more than a minimum amount of space for storage. If you go over the space you have, make some decisions about the stuff you are storing. How much of it do you really need? When did you last actually use it? Could you use something else you already have instead?

Don't Keep Too Much Stuff...

Become a recycler. Live by the 3 R's: recycle, reuse and reduce. I also like the fourth R - repurpose. It's about using what you have to make what you need, usually changing it to suit a new purpose. With anything paper especially, recycle it - don't keep it longer than you really need it. Don't build up piles of paper into mountains of paper.

Keep a donation box or bag around, probably in a closet. Once a month, plan to donate books to the second hand bookstore, clothes to the thrift stores, unwanted gifts to a charity, etc. This is a great way to let you keep a balance of old things going out and new things coming in.

I bought myself pot holders from the department store. I loved the colours, that's why I picked them. But, the colours faded after a couple of washings. Disappointing. It would be smarter to just make my own I decided.

I liked the pot holders made with upcycled/ repurposed jeans. Doubled over, they would be nice and thick for picking up hot pots and pans. But, I still think they need a layer in between for keeping out more heat, plus, keeping them dry rather than letting water soak through. If you have ever picked up a hot pan with a wet pot holder you will know why a pot holder must be dry. Fully dry, not even just a bit damp. I feel pain just remembering.

So, when you are making pot holders, be aware of the wet/ dry issue. Consider fabrics or yarn which keeps dry and does not melt in contact with heat. A safer thing would be to have a middle fabric in your pot holder which would prevent both sides getting wet at all.

Of course, you don't want a pot holder made of anything too thin. Another element with crochet or knit pot holders are having gaps in the pattern which you could poke a finger through while picking up a hot pan. If you use a lacey knit or crochet pattern give the pot holder a backing which will keep your hands safe from burns.

Another nice thing about pot holders is how washable they are. It's pretty easy for them to get something slopped on them. My pot holders double as a something I can always sit the hot pan on once I pull it out of the oven. If I don't get something on them from the pan while taking it out of the oven, by the time dinner is done someone else will have dripped and dribbled something on them while serving themselves. This is why I stopped using anything not easily washable as a pot rest (do they have a real name of their own?).

I love scented shampoo, conditioner, body wash, shower gel and all the rest of them. I spend extra to make sure I get better soaps and shampoos so my skin won’t have a problem. This means I’m spending more on them. But, it’s worth it to me. I love the different smells I pick out and I like seeing them all together. When I go in for a shower it’s like choosing which garden flower I want. Though I mainly pick scents like vanilla, mint, peach and orange. But, they are my flowers and every time I shower I feel like I’m treating myself to a little luxury. When I smell the mint, peach or citrus on myself later it gives me some of that feeling back.

So, I like to have a way to keep all my selection organized and stored in a way that I can see them and yet not have them take up too much space. I do have space on the bathroom shelf, with the towels in the linen cupboard. But, I can’t really see them all in there, only the few in front are displayed.

My brother’s girlfriend gave me the wonderful idea of using a shower caddy (as it is sometimes called). She gave me the perfect shower caddy/ shampoo organizer for my birthday one year. I had it for years until I lost the hanging metal part during a move from one place to another. I still had the fabric part with all the pockets so I tucked it away somewhere. I just eventually forgot where. I have been missing the shower caddy for ages.

One day I was poking around, browsing in a department store (in the bathroom section) when I noticed a shoe rack across the aisle in another section. It was full of pockets and meant to be kept over the door, just as my shower caddy had been. But, the clear plastic pockets would not be a great choice for wet shampoo and soap bottles.

But, I was on the trail of an idea and I went looking for shoe organizers which were made of fabric, could be seen through and hung up on the back of a bathroom (or bedroom in my case) door. I found a few which were meant to hang on the shower rod. I don’t want anything extra hanging from the shower rod though – same for the shower head (I’m not messing with the plumbing).

What to look for in a great shower organizer

• It is mesh so the bottles in it will be able to dry and not stink with mildew at some point.
• It looks like it can hold up to the weight of shampoo and soap bottles (not every shoe organizer can).
• I can hang it over the back of my door so it is out of the way and yet visible.
• Also, the pockets look deep and wide enough for bottles versus some which are on the narrow or shallow side.

Besides journals (diaries) and of course, books,  writers tend to keep:

• scrapbooks
• found objects
• photographs
• quotations
• newspaper/ magazine articles

Which of these do you keep as a personal interest or creative inspiration, or both?