Roses - Sanity Sundays

I'd like to introduce you to Sanity Sundays.  To make a long story short, I used to have plenty of time to bake.  Back in August, we got my toddler into an early intervention program (long story) that was four days a week, 15 miles away, so not only was I exhausted from the program itself and the drive, but it left me with only one nap (his, not mine, just to clarify), at which I had to make dinner.  Conclusion:  no time for baking.  After about a month of this, I broke down to my husband that I was worn out, and I had no "me" time to do the things I love.  Enter "Sanity Sunday", or so I've decided to name it.  A few hours on Sunday afternoons that I get "me" time.  I often use that time to try a random dessert I've been wanting to make, but lately I've been using it to sharpen my cookie decorating skills and experiment with new techniques and recipes.

This past Sunday, I decided to practice my flower-piping skills.  It's been awhile, and I'm afraid if I don't do it often enough, I'll lose that skill.  Also, I saw the cutest rose bouquet cookies on Loren's blog that I want to try, so maybe next Sunday I'll make the cookies and decorate them with some of my roses.  Also, I ordered some 101s tips from Wilton and I wanted to try out some roses with it.  Here's the full roses I made.  My icing wasn't stiff enough, so I only made a few before moving on.  The big ones are with tip 101, and the babies are with tip 101s.

I'm having the hardest time finding the proper lighting in my apartment to get the colors to look right.  My beautiful maroon-ish red looks almost brownish and the violet looks bluish.  Oh well.  Someday I'll figure out how to get the colors to come out right.

So then I tried Loren's ribbon rose technique.  I need to practice a lot more if I'm going to get mine as nice as hers.  You wouldn't think they'd be harder than the full roses (above), but they were a bit trickier to me.  I guess I've got a lot more practice with the other rose technique.

Then I practiced my favorite, the rosebud.  I made a ton.  They last forever, so I can use them for the rose bouquet cookies and save them for cookies in the spring or for Easter.  The red came out truer in this picture.

Happy Valentine's Day!