Lemon Tree Patisserie: Life after V-Day

So it's come and gone and you're saturated with pink, red (and every shade in between), chocolates, roses (though one can never receive too many roses), and love. So what now?

That's the question that hits me the day after every holiday or big event. My mind has to shift out of one gear and sometimes reluctantly into another. Quick! Get every heart-shaped cookie cutter out of my sight! Pack away the hot pink glitter and hide the conversation hearts lest they tempt me to draw out the theme long after it's appropriate.

A good black & white theme ought to shake the pink out of me. These are monogram cookies I designed for a little girl's birthday dessert table put together by Elle & Yolanda of Sweetfix. Check out their website, they are doing some pretty glamourous things here in Toronto.

And speaking of monograms, I made these cookies, petit fours, and macarons for a couple who were expecting twins a while ago. It was definitely a departure from the usual pastel baby theme - very designer, just like the parents-to-be. The treats were part of a huge congratulations gift box that Sweetfix also put together and delivered to their door. It was a dessert-table-in-a-box. So clever and truly sweet!

Since there is always extra royal icing when decorating sugar cookies, when I have the time I try to put the excess to good use. Peggy Porschen is always a good source for inspiration in this case. Her butterfly templates from her book Pretty Party Cakes make the perfect sugar decals that can be made well in advance of needing them. Now I just have to find the perfect use for them. Cupcake toppers? I think so!

Alright, I think I'm cured of pink hearts now, but I think I'll hold onto just one thing going into the next wave of inspiration. Colour!

It's about that time in this part of the world where the scenery is looking very bland and everyone is very much wishing winter would release it's cold clutches and let the sun and warmth do their work.