Today, I am going to tell you about something I did that made me panic 2 minutes after I did it. I thought I would share it with you since yesterday was Black Friday and some of you woke up at 2 am to go fight the cold and crowds to buy gifts for people you love. I felt the time was right to talk about shopping. Not just shopping, I am talking about overpaying for something because you get caught up in the moment.
This is “The” cookie that started me on this wonderful cookie path I am on. I saw Dani Fiori on the Martha Stewart Show make these cookies and it was love at first sight. When the preview with Dani showed her with those cute little icing bottles, my heart skipped a beat. I grabbed an old VHS tape so I could record it. I mean this guy was so cute I had to know how to make him.
I popped the tape in and got the VCR working (no easy task for me) and I watched Dani teach Martha how to make Santa. I was mesmerized! I could not take my eyes off them. Once the segment was over, I rewound the tape and watched it again. Then, I grabbed my computer and went to find the Martha Stewart Holiday cutters at Macy’s. NOOOO!!! They were sold out!! What was I going to do? I convinced myself that this was the only cookie in the world I could make!
I did what any crazed want to be cookie decorator would do. I searched eBay! There it was! The set!! THE SET that I had to have or I would never be able to decorate any cookie because this one was the only one I had seen decorated with those cute little bottles!! I had to have it!! I HAD TO HAVE IT! I grabbed my credit card and placed a bid. I could almost hear eBay laugh as I was notified I had been outbid!
I upped my bid! Then, I upped it again and again until, (gulp) I had placed a bid of $60.00!! I did it! Yes, surely that other bidder would not go that high! I wanted them so much more that she did! I clicked the button and waited! I had to win! I was in a bidding war! I needed that Santa cutter! It was mine I tell you!! ALL MINE!!!
What just happened? Did I really spend $60 for a Santa cutter? Oh my word!! I felt my heart sink! But did I stop there? Nope! I began the search for the cute little bottles she was using and I found them at Karen’s Cookies. I ordered several and tips to use with them and I was ready! Then it hit me again! What had I done? Did I really spend $60.00 on cookie cutters that sold new for around $20.00 at Macy’s? Yes I did!
OH NOOOO!! What was I going to tell Alan? He was going to think I had lost my mind! I KNEW I had lost it! What in the world was I thinking??? $60.00??? Holy COW! When Alan came home I immediately confessed. He smiled and hugged me and said if it made me happy it was fine! He encouraged me to do something that I might enjoy! I felt so much better but was still upset that I went that crazy over a cookie cutter.
So now you see why this Santa cookie is so special to me. It is made with the most expensive cutter I own and it introduced me to the wonderful world of cookies and to you! If not for this little expensive cutter, what would I be doing today? I would not have the joy of baking and sharing things I have learned with you! We would not be cookie friends! I can’t imagine that!!
Do you feel better now about how much money you spent yesterday? At least you woke up early and were looking for deals! I have no excuse! I just had a moment when I went NUTs!!! Lesson learned! or was it? I make this little guy every year as a reminder to go nuts sometimes. You never know where your crazy moment will take you! It brought me to you!! 
You can find Dani’s video tutorial here and the template here and if you can’t find the cutter for less than $60 here is the patter so you can hand cut him. Be warned, hide your credit card before you watch it. Santa has magical powers! 
Even if you follower her tutorial, you can still add touches to make him your Santa. I airbrushed mine this year and I like him!
Happy Creating,
Gah! I ADORE you! I’m so glad you found this path of cookie decorating! This guy is stinking cute…. just like you!
You make me so happy Georganne! You are the one that is adorable!!!
I would have done the same thing! I love your santa cookie and I love you!
I love you more Kim!!
I’ve been there! It wasn’t a Santa but a large flower cutter. I love your Santa’s and the way the beard is done. so adorable!
I think we all have gone overboard on a cookie cutter! LOL I have to see this flower cutter you speak of;)
So freakin adorable! I love the faded black outline you added!
Thanks Janine!
They look amazing! I feel like we have all fallen into that trap but at least you’ve been using it. Better than most can say. And what a treat for us to see the cuteness.
I felt like I could justify the $60 if I made it an annual tradition! LOL I haven’t missed a year yet!
I owe Dani Fiori a big 60 million dollar hug because if it weren’t for her, you and I never would have met. Your Santas are so cute and I love that you made the design your own with your own special touches.
I love you Deborah!! You are so precious and I am glad Good Ole Saint Nick made us friends!
Love the Santa. Cute story…think we all have spent too much on something just because we’ve had to have it!!! In this case though I’m so glad you bought the Santa…because now we have you to learn from…Thanks!!! And you found your niche in life….cookies!!!!! Watched the video. Like yours better…love the airbrushing. Will have to try it with my new airbrush. Sent you an email last week…did you get it???? –Katy
Thanks Katy! Can you resend the email? I didn’t get it
Just re-sent!! Thanks–Katy
OMG I have to get those little bottles! Those Santas are the cutest everrrrrr. Need a Santa cookie cutter too… Now I want to bake, and I usually don’t so much. lol
I warned you that this little Santa cookie has magical powers! He is so addictive! I am sorry I got you hooked!!! LOL
hahah He sure does! I even watched the original video and googled those little guys myself – not so easy to find anymore and not willing to pay $60, sorry LOL. I went into Michael’s to see if they had any because they have a MS section…no dice, yet. I’ll find something suitable yet!
I think the only store that carried this cutter was Macy’s. I recently found a set on eBay for $12. I will add the template to the post so you can hand cut if you want:)
Well $12 is much better. Thank you for offering to add the template, I just read in another blog where someone made a custom cutter with roofing flashing to make fimo clay ornaments for their tree, and used different sized round cutters with it for the middle, giving them several different designs in the end. Now, to get my husband on board with this…
The template is added now! I also found a patter if you want to hand cut him!
I suspect you have a lot of followers that will be wishing they had this adorable guy. How big is he? I think I have a Santa cutter in a MS set of 4 cutters, but it’s not very big. I have to dig through the Christmas cutters and see if I can find him. Just in case anyone is interested, here is a template for this Santa:
http://www.marthastewart.com/269945/santa-claus-cookies
Thanks for sharing the template. This little cutter is about 5″ tall and he is about 3″ wide. I love this cutter!
I can totally understand your story and at least the cutter is still getting used, no wonder he means a lot to you. How many years ago did you buy it? I love the extra effect you get from the airbrushing, what an adorable Santa.
Hi Laura,
I got him almost 4 years ago. I actually started decorating cookies in January 2009 the day he arrived in the mail!
When you tweeted the picture of this adorable cookie I had no idea the story behind it. I love this post (and the cookies). Yes, you may have spent $60 on the cutter (gasp) but given all the wonderful cookies that have come from your kitchen to your blog since, I’d say it was a very wise purchase indeed.
You are so sweet Paula! I love this cookie journey I am on. I have met so many amazing people and life long friends!
Cute story! I am so glad you’re making the most of your (expensive) Santa cookie. I like the new airbrush details! It reminds me of the moment I fell in love with cookie decorating via Bake at 350. After discovering her site, I just HAD to try the wet-on-wet technique with Valentine’s cookies.
It is really good to see that most of us got hooked on making cookies because we fell for one specific cookie. I am not a very impulsive person but this Santa make me do crazy things! I guess he knew I should make some cookies:)
I love the Bake at 350 blog. Bridgett is so cute!!
Thanks for sharing your story. We all do go crazy sometimes when shopping for something we absolutely have to have. In reality you made a good buy. You use your Santa cutter each year, and maybe another cutter you spent $20 on sits in a box somewhere having only been used once, so really $60 is not bad at all when you consider what it is worth to you! The cookies are really adorable and I love the addition of the airbrushing.
Oh Beth! I could hug you! I do have a cutter I paid $20 for and have used it once!! I like the way you think!
I’m so glad you shared your fabulous story, Lisa!
And the airbrushing really makes those Santas come alive!
You are so sweet Gail! I am glad you read my crazy story and like me anyway!
Santa started it all for me too but mine was from Karen’s. I can’t wait to pull him out and use him again this year!
I would love to see a picture of your Santa! Will you email it to me?
I love your little santa men. And you know how much I love when you airbrush them too!
glad to know I’m not the only soul that has fallen prey to Martha and her Christmas specials. For me it was the ‘ornament’ cookies…and yes, I HAD to make them. As crazy as it was at the time…so stinkin’ thrilled that I did. Miss you!
Thanks Lizy! I should start a link party and ask every to put up pictures of things they paid WAY to much for! LOL You can add your ornament cutters beside my Santa! Martha knows how to sell things! LOL I miss you too!!!!
he’s so cute, and obviously worth it if you make him every year!!
Thanks Carrie! I love starting the holiday baking with this Santa!
So what do you think I just did? Yep went over to eBay and got the Santa cookie cutter! I loved you story but loved the cookie even more. Can’t wait to bake some for my grandson. Thanks so much for sharing.
I hope you got a better deal than I did!! LOL Hope you enjoy making him!
Oh, my goodness! He is SO cute!!! Love how you did his beard, the touch with airbrushing and everything about him!! He is absolutely wonderful!! (Loved your story too! He is a treasure!)
Just wanted to say that I totally enjoyed hearing your story…this sounds like something that I would soooooo do! Who hasn’t gotten caught up in the moment and did something like this, only to have buyers remorse AFTER hitting the “buy” button! But that thought goes away quickly and look what that one cutter has brought you to…I really enjoy looking at all your creations! TFS!
Haha! You are so cute & so is this santa! I hope it is at least a copper cutter…
NO!!! It is so NOT copper!! LOL But it was a set so I got more than one!
Oh , dear little Santa!
Yes, Danni F and Martha Stewart have a lot to answer for!
I too fell under Danni’s cookie magic spell .Except for me it was the snow globe. Do you know how hard it was to find one here in Aust and let’s not mention the postage, or the trip to Cake n Bake in NY to go wild buying all the supplies I couldn’t get in Aust at the time. ( well, we were going to NY anyway)
Until quite recently, I didn’t know of too many other cookie artists, so I would love Danni’s posts. But oh joyous occasion, I have discovered so many others including your wonderful art. So really, in the big scheme of things, $60.00 is not too much to spend on sharing the love and joy a gift of a well decorated cookie can bring to your friends. And it makes for a wonderful story. Well done. Love the airbrushing.
Dear little Santa…… You really ARE quite Marvelous.
Thanks to your post, I decided to dig through the cutters to find this guy and he is bigger than I realized. I’ve decided that he will be the design for the Church Women’s Club annual party.
Oh yeah… the Santa with airbrushing is SOOO cool and so much better and has more dimension that the one without. You even blow your own stuff away I guess! What’s next, what’s next…
He’s DARLING!!!! (And I can certainly identify the mystic powers of ebay auctions!!) Is there a way to subscribe to your blog? I’ve checked all over the page and cannot find it….or am I missing it? Blessings, Donna B.
That’s the best story ever. My cookie decorating life changed after watching Dani Fiori make Valentine Owls on Martha!!! I found the Wilton bottles at Wal-mart and started that way…then I found Karen’s Cookies and the bottles with tips… I still can’t fill a bottle without a piping bag, but I don’t care. I even taught a class locally, last Christmas, on the basics of wet on wet decorating, using tweezers to accent with pearls and sugars…I bought every bottle Wal-mart had for the event! I hope to do a step two class using the Karen’s Cookies bottles with coupler to teach layered cookies. I watch every youtube I can find on cookie decorating. I’m not where you are yet, but I’m working hard on it! If you look at my 2010 Christmas Cookies vs my 2012 Christmas Cookies, you can (I think) really see the difference. I’m a work in progress. Thanks for sharing your story!!!
Oh Lisa, this Lisa just about did the exact same thing today. I was doing some innocent Christmas gift shopping online at World Market recently when I learned that they sell these nifty sets of plastic square cutters. They’re in graduated sizes, and are reversible – so they have both straight-edged and scalloped edge options. All of this sums up to 10 cutters for $2.99. $2.99 I tell you!!! And to top it off I had a 10% off coupon. Wheee!!! Hold your horses though because they were sold out online. And the closest World Market is 3 hours from my house. So I asked my parents, who’re on vacation in Florida to pick up a set for me. They went to the store, and, sure enough, that store was sold out too. Rats. So then I called every store in the surrounding 3 states and finally found one that had them in stock. But would they ship them you ask? No ma’am! This led to the logical next step of asking the store associate to hold it for me and then mapped out the three-hour route to the store. Unfortunately (or actually it was probably for the best), the mapping website also automatically calculates your travel costs for you. I think it was once I saw it was going to cost more than $60 round-trip that I threw in the towel. My oh my… Maybe Santa will stop by World Market on his sleigh ride and pick me up some.
Anyways, just wanted to let you know you’re not alone in your craziness!
I hate you didn’t get the cutters but, I am so glad you won’t feel bad for years to come! LOL I hope Santa comes through for you!
Now you have added to my desire to learn how to decorate cookies. This is my goal for this next year. Maybe by next holiday season I’ll be ready for this wonderful Santa.
Lisa (poster Lisa),
Check out http://www.goldaskitchen.com for cookie cutters. She had a few sets of the nested squares, although the plastic ones weren’t reversible. Amazingly, she is a Canadian site that ships worldwide (usually its the other way around!). I love love love her site for all my cookie needs..
Tanya