Cupcakes and Cookies with the Red Hat Ladies

Red Hat Happiness

For years, and I mean YEARS, the ISAC team has been just dying to connect with the Red Hat Society Ladies and to create a fun filled class just for them! For those of you who are not familiar with the Red Hat Society, it is a social organization for woman over fifty (although, now women of all ages can join) who just like to have fun! Starting back in 2010, Scott had me look into contacting this fantastic organization. Unfortunately, we were never able to connect with a local group and get a class going. Then we hit the jackpot!

In October the ISAC team participated in the Taste of Home Cooking School event in Atlanta. While there, we happened to meet a very friendly Red Hat Lady! Molly and I were so excited that we could barely keep it together; for over four years we had been trying to crack the Red Hat code, and now here was a genuine Red Hat QUEEN (leader or president of the local chapter)! It kind of felt like we had met the girl of our dreams- we wanted to impress her, but not scare her away with our over eager enthusiasm. Luckily, she was very interested in our ideas and agreed to bring in her chapter for a class! YAY!!! Last Friday, on National Wear Red Day, 12 lovely Red Hat Ladies from the Georgia Peachiz chapter arrived at ISAC for their decorating class!

Molly, our resident cookie decorating super star, had created a really wonderful class just for these Red Hatters. Molly began the class by teaching the ladies how to make an adorable cupcake topped with a red hat made of fondant! They used different impression mats to create intricate designs, and PME plunger cutters to make detailed butterflies and daisies to decorate the tiny red hats. After the cupcake, it was on to decorating cookies with royal icing, sanding sugar, edible glitter, and chocolate shoes! The Red Hat ladies went home with five decorated cookies: a high heel, purse, red hat, little black dress, and the final cookie was covered with royal icing and topped with the 3D chocolate shoe!

The Red Hat Lady class was so much fun. Twelve sassy ladies, wearing red and purple, joking, laughing, learning how to decorate cookies. When Molly asked if any of them had any decorating experience, only one raised her hand. Well, I'd be lying if I said there were not a dozen sets of beautifully decorated Red Hat Society cookies at the end of the class.  I was especially impressed that so many of the ladies added to Molly's initial cookie designs. They added extra butterflies and daisies here, added extra glitter and sparkle there, added extra dragees in the perfect places, made their little black dress cookies into little red dress cookies. These ladies may not have decorated cookies before, but they were so very creative and talented! I just loved being able to join Molly and assist her on this Red Hat Lady class!

Let me tell you all a little secret: I LOVE STUDIO B CLASSES! I love Chef Nicholas' classes, of course, but Studio B is my happy place. It's decorated in BRIGHT pink, orange, and yellow (my three favorite colors), it's a fun and laid back atmosphere, I get to hang out with guest instructors, and get to know students. Studio B is where we host classes that are geared to all levels of decorators- from hobbyist up to professional level decorators. We have so many talented students that walk through our doors and into our classrooms. I particularly love classes like this Red Hat Society class. A fun group of people walk into sunshiny, happy Studio B, unsure of what to expect, unsure if they will be able to create the class project (whether it is a fondant penguin and polar bear, or a royal icing decorated cookie). Before these inexperienced students know what hit them, they are having an absolute ball decorating cupcakes, cookies, or cakes. Nothing makes me happier than when a student sits back and looks at their project and says, "WOW!" It makes my heart happy when people exceed their own expectations, and it happens quite a lot at ISAC.

The ISAC team is very much hoping that more Red Hat Society Ladies will want to visit us for classes! They are just a fun and classy bunch of ladies! Thank you Georgia Peachiz! If you are reading this and wishing your group (whatever group they may be) could come take a fun class with us at ISAC, please do just give us a call or email us! We aim to please, and we love teaching new and established students!

NEW CRAFTSY CLASS!!

Guess what? Chef Nicholas' newest Craftsy class has a launch date- March 2, 2015!! He has been sharing lots of sneak peek photos on his facebook page, so if you aren't a fan of the page yet be sure and like his page so that you can see all the teasers that Chef Nicholas be sharing up until the class is released! Would you like a chance to win this new class FOR FREE?! Of course you would! Well, all you have to do is click HERE and you'll be entered to win (you have until March 1, 2015 to enter). I am so very excited that Chef Nicholas has another class coming out, I hope you are all excited too! YAY!

Stephanie

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Winner of the 2015 Craftsy Blogger Award for Best Craftsy Cake Decorating Instructor Blog