Oz-Inspired Birthday - Lollypop Guild Cake Pop

"We represent the lolly pop guild---" What's a birthday without a bit of birthday cake?

Using one of the Cake Pops I had made I secured it in plastic wrap then colorful tissue paper to give a festive appearance.

Cake Pops! First Try

My sister is getting married (and ignoring the fact that she is being a bridezilla) she decided she wanted cake pops for her wedding favors. After a discussion with my Mom, I decided to to try to make some myself. And using a pineapple cake - I did.

Crumbled pineapple cake

With cream cheese icing added - rolled into balls

Sticks added - dipped in colored white chocolate - some with sprinkles.

Some dipped in colored white chocolate and some with milk chocolate.

And they are yum!

Sharing the Orang-ie Goodness

What's the use of creating things if you can't share them and give some away? Since, I often find myself inspired to make candy or other goodies, I have found that they make great gifts. As with many things, presentation is key.

Orange peels simmering in syrup.

There is an older woman I know through church with my grandmother as well as theater For her birthday I wanted to surprise her with  homemade candied orange peels (she mentioned a love for them) and a bottle of orange infused simple syrup (a sweet bit left from making the candied orange peels).

I candied the peels of two oranges, about a cup worth of clean peels, drained them, then let them dry before rolling them in raw sugar and dipping part of them in melted semi sweet chocolate. They are a lovely treat. (The preperation process takes out the bitterness.)

The process leaves an lovely orange infused simple syrup, that is perfect for tea or other beverage use. I bottled this syrup in a clean glass bottle I had emptied for something else (You never know when things like this might come in handy.)

The dried and chocolate set candied orange peels were packaged in a plastic bag I labeled both the simple syrup and the orange peels, then packed them in a small lunch bag with colored tissue paper and a card.

Candy making usually involved simple ingredients, with precise use of technique and ingredients. I love it!

"Chinese Take Out Swan" Favor

I'm always trying to come up with new ideas and themes for favors and gifts, especially for opening night gifts when I do theater. In a recent show there was a key reference and ongoing references to a Chinese restaurant. I was inspired to go with a Chinese Take Out theme and my tradition of some type of homemade candy. (I love to make homemade candy, something that can be both a science and an art.) I already had some mini Chinese style take out boxes on hand, but decided to add a mini aluminum swam full of candy.

For these opening night gifts, I used magic markers to add names and notes to the outside of the mini boxes and filled them with no bakes made from the crunchy noodles found in the Oriental foods aisle.

I started with a regular piece of aluminum foil. I wanted them about the size of a favor to fit in the palm of the hand, so I cut the piece of foil in half, making a rectangle. It needs to be rectangular for the swan to work. (The supplies are simple for this... aluminum foil like you find in your kitchen and something to put inside it. You don't need tape or glue to secure it, the foil will do it all by it's self.)

I placed the candy on the center of the foil, towards one side like in the picture. One end of the rectangle will be the tail (it's the short side) and the other will be the swan's head and neck (it needs to be the longer side). In this case, I used homemade candied orange peels mixed with semi-sweet chocolate chops for the inside. You want enough to give it body, but not too much or you won't be able to close it securely. (They are often dipped in chocolate, but I liked the appearance of the orange peels and chips for this case.)

I started with securing the foil by wrapping it around the candy pieces and folding into itself to keep the candy secure inside. Once again, make sure one end of the foil if longer than the other, one side for the neck & head, the other for the tail.

Roll the neck/head side to to create the elongated neck and shape into a slight hook with the neck leading to the head. Be careful not to tear the foil. (There is no need for any tape or anything else to secure. The crinkling of the foil will be enough.)

Pinch the other end (the tail end) slightly to secure the bottom end from the candy escaping. Fan out the bit of foil to create a fanned tail shape.

Just a few twists and pinches of the aluminum foil and you have a swan ready for any table setting or dressing room table. My mini swans and mini Chinese Take out boxes were a hit with my cast and crew. (The homemade candy inside was a huge hit as well.)

Anything and everything can be used as inspiration. For this I used something that might seem common place to many people, but when personalized, miniturized and filled with homemade candy it was proof that you can find humor AND inspiration anywhere to fit any theme.

Crepe Paper Carrots

My family does holidays in a big way - big family, big food spread, a big gathering. When things in your life are often big (like family and holiday dinners), it's nice to remember the details. This year, I got inspired by Martha Stewart's Crepe Paper Carrots and decided to make a basketful to share with the many bunnies in my family.

As usual, I took a bit of creative freedom and read the comments & suggestions added by people since there wasn't much to the directions I found. Then I came up with my own way of working with what I have and found. (As much love as I have for Martha and her website, some of her projects include little or no usable instructions and you have to figure things out on your own, this was no exception.) Mine don't look exactly like Martha's, but I'm not worried. I'm sure they will be appreciated just as they are.

I started with a selection of candy, small toys, and temporary Easter tattoos (most of which I picked up at a local dollar store) for the filling. (Suckers, licorice, pixie sticks, some gummy bunny teeth, bubbles, little horns, frogs, etc.)

To help give a base shape (and with an unneeded concern for running out of crepe paper),  I started with cut squares of white tissue paper that I folded in half diagonal, to make a triangle. Using a long toy or piece of candy I started the basic shape in the white tissue paper, wrapping it up in a cone (or carrot-like) shape, using dots of hot glue to secure the end. (I love my mini hot glue gun!)


Using green tissue paper I cut the leaves for the top. (I folded the paper, cutting them into strands that resembled grass, then cut the sections apart.) I secured the leaf tops to the top of the basic white cone with a dot or two or hot glue. (This was done at the top of the white tissue paper or along the side of a plastic wrapper on the top.)

Starting from the bottom, I began wrapping the crepe paper upward, tucking more candy, toys, or temporary tattoos as I went, helping to keep the shape with the bottom more narrow and the top wider. I secured the crepe paper around the top (adding dots of hot glue as needed, but remember not to overdo it), then wrapped downward. Wrapping each carrot upward once and downward once, I was able to give each carrots a center wrap tissue paper with two layers of colored crepe paper, tucking in little presents as I went. Using another dot of hot glue, I secure the tissue paper along the bottom or side, tucking as needed.

The carrots are nicely arranged in a basket (at least for now), sitting on some green netting I had on hand.

The rolls of crepe paper I got went a lot further than I thought they would. I ended up getting about 35 carrots from about 1 1/2 rolls of crepe paper and about 2 sheets of green tissue paper (for the leaves). The white tissue paper was something I already had on hand and was cut in wide strips from another project.

These are going to make great favors for our family Easter this year, adding something special to the tables.

I have this weird desire to come up with other vegetables full of little present and made of crepe paper and/or tissue paper for a garden themed party.