Do you decorate the cookies by hand?

Yes... but I use tools to do it... After the cookies are baked and cooled, I top-coat them with a smooth layer of frosting. When they are completely dry (overnight) I use an airbrush, food safe coloring, and stencils to apply the basic design. When they are dry, (2-3 hours later), I use stencils and royal icing to apply accents, words, and phrases. Again after that dries (2-3 hours) I apply the dots with Piping bags and royal icing... It's a process that takes time and something can go wrong at virtually every step, so there are cookies that don't make the cut!