Valentine cookie decorating play date

I'm going to start at the very beginning to document my first ever sugar cookie baking experience....plus this pink mixer fits in with the Valentine theme and it doesn't get enough attention as I've only used it a handful of times. I may use it more often now because I'm happy to report that the cookies were quite easy to make, tasted delicious, and were so fun to decorate!!

I always think about doing crafty little projects, like having the kids decorate cookies but I never actually DO it, so I invited some of our friends from preschool so that I would follow through...and of course because the Moms are fun and their kids are sweet little friends for mine.

We used paint brushes for the icing because I thought the kids would know what to do with a paint brush and did they ever, they got right to work! No tutorial necessary.

While the kids were sprinkling and painting, I wanted to try out this chevron technique that I saw on good old Pinterest...you paint stripes and then drag a toothpick through it to make this pattern. I just quickly glopped this on with a spoon to see how it would work but now I really want to try this with the proper equipment, like I think I'd pipe the stripes perfectly straight and even width and these could be gorgeous. I did one that was a bull's eye and then I did the toothpick so that it looked like a star burst pattern but I ate it before I took a picture (hehe yum). See on the purple cookie at the top left where white icing is thicker and it looks like a heart pattern? I'd like to try to make nice neat little rows of hearts. Just think of the colors you could do too!!

While I was geeking around with toothpicks, this is what happened to my boy's cookies....oops, dumped the whole sprinkle jar on. I should have taken a photo from the side because David's cookie (the one on the right) has a mountain of nonpareils at least 1.5 inches tall!!

Here are some of the lovely cookies but only after I ate half a dozen and sent others home with our friends...I wish I took a picture of all of them, they were all masterpieces.

After cookies we had some play time until lunch. I love when our vintage Fisher Price airport (1972!) gets some play. I am slightly obsessed with old Fisher Price toys...more on that later.

Next we had lunch. I have been wanting to do a bento box style lunch for a long time so I thought I'd check it off my list in one big crafty food bomb at the play date today! This is what the kids had: Pink (strawberry Hershey's) milk, Soynut butter (nut free PB alternative, Rowan has a nut allergy) and jelly sandwich, cheese, fruit leather heart, pretzel goldfish, carrots, strawberry hearts on spinach leaves and a mini frozen yogurt pop.

Mommies got turkey sandwich and chips and guacamole.

And the two toddlers got tiny soynut butter sandwiches. After lunch there was a little bit more playtime and then home for the little one's naps.

I went outside to say goodbye to everyone and when I came back inside, this is what was going on. Messes aren't so bad when they are pink and tutus are involved...in fact, they are...dare I say..cute?? hehe.

Today was so fun and our little friends are so well behaved and sweet....now I want to think of another art project or craft for the kids to do.

Have you had any crafty play dates lately? What kinds of things do your kids like to do with their friends?