Hot chocolate spoons and Heart Marshmallows!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  Hot chocolate spoons and homemade heart marshmallows are the perfect gift for friends and family.  Homemade marshmallows use simple ingredients and are easier to make than you might think. The taste of homemade marshmallows is unbelievably rich compared to the store-bought variety. You'll make them again and again and you'll be amazed every time, we promise! 

 Directions for Hot Chocolate Spoons:

We used wooden spoons from the shop and had the kids decorate them using ink pads and letter stamps.  Melt down chocolate chips (we used the microwave) and using a small metal spoon fill the wood spoon with the melted chocolate.  Tap the filled chocolate wood spoon on the counter to get the chocolate spread evenly.  Add some cut up marshmallows or heart sprinkles. Stick in the refrigerator to harden.  Warm up a cup of milk and stir with your chocolate spoon. 

Directions for Marshmallows:

We have tried different recipes over the years and we always go back to our favorite, Martha's Marshmallows. This recipe is easy to work with and delicious.  Even if you don't like marshmallows, you'll love these! A stand mixer works best because of the lengthy beating time. 

Ingredients:

• 4 envelopes unflavored gelatin 
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Spray a 9-by-13-inch (or bigger if you want thin marshmallows)

glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Line with parchment or foil, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Brush parchment or foil with oil and set aside.

Put 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle in the gelatin.  Let sit while you cook the rest of the ingredients.

Put granulated sugar, salt, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Once sugar is dissolved stop stirring and cook until mixture registers 238 degrees on a candy thermometer which will take about 8 to 10 minutes.

Using your whisk attachment, beat hot syrup into gelatin mixture.  Gradually raise speed to high and beat mixture for 15 minutes or until it is very stiff.  It will look gray at first but keep mixing and it gets white and thick.  Beat in vanilla.  Pour mixture into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula or a piece of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray.  Set aside, uncovered, overnight or until firm, at least 3 hours.

Put some confectioners' sugar onto a work surface and unmold your marshmallows onto the sugar.  Use a small heart cookie cutter (or any shape of you choice) to cut out.  You can also use a sharp knife and cut into 2-inch squares.  Dip your cookie cutters into sugar or spray with cooking spray to help with the sticking.  Sift remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and roll each marshmallow in the sugar to coat.

These cuties are so good.  Your friends and family will love them!  You can also dip them in chocolate for an extra special treat.

Put a couple of your Hot Chocolate Spoons and Marshmallows in a cello bag, add a sweet paper straw and a fun note, and you will have a great Valentine's Day gift for all your special friends!

Enjoy!

Wood Spoons, Bakers Twine, Paper Straws are from The Sugar Confetti Shop.

Heart Tote Bag

These cute Heart Totes will come in handy for packaging treats and goodies for those special people in your life this Valentine's Day.

We used the "freezer paper" stencil method to get the hearts perfect. 

  Materials

Freezer paper
Iron
Tote bag (we got ours from Hobby Lobby for $1.99)
Craft paint

Foam brush

   Instructions

  Step 1 

Trace and cut the shape of a heart into the freezer paper. 

  Step 2 

With a dry iron set to medium heat, iron the freezer paper stencil (shiny side down) onto the tote bag.

   Step 3 

Slip a piece of cardboard scrap or a piece of freezer paper inside the bag so the paint won't bleed through and then dab craft paint onto the tote bag.  

   Step 4  

When your paint is dry, peel off the freezer paper and full with all sorts of goodies for your friends! 

See our Glittered Heart Goodie bags for the more ideas! http://thesugarconfettishop.blogspot.com/2014/01/glitter-heart-bags.html

Valentine's Day Party

February is almost here, and love will soon be in the air!  Looking for some fabulous ideas for Valentine’s Day?  We've got you covered.

Valentine's Day Table

We used heart stickers and toothpicks to make the cupcake toppers.  Dress up our Wooden Spoons with a heart sticker, and stick a ring pop on it.  

Our Elizabeth Cake Stand is perfect for Valentine's Day treats.

Our new Milk Bottles are adorable.  We used a heart sticker to decorate the bottle, and don't forget to add a Paper Straw from the shop.

These are our new Mini Balloons on a Stick.  Add some fringe, and they make a great gift for everyone to take home.  You can also give them out as Valentine's for the class.

We decorated our mantel using this DIY tissue heart (tutorial coming soon) and heart doilies glued together with our Bakers Twine.  

We also set up a dessert table.  Use Tissue Fans and Heart Balloons to decorate the area.  The La La Love printable was from Pinterest. 

Pink popcorn is everyone's favorite treat.  We love to use Berry Baskets to hold our treats. Get the recipe for Pink Popcorn here: http://thesugarconfettishop.blogspot.com

We love Goodie Bags at a party!  We used our new Heart Paper Fasteners to dress up these cuties!  

Berry Baskets and Ice Cream Cups are perfect to hold all the treats!  Add some pretty Doilies and confetti around the table! 

Berry Baskets, Twine, Ice Cream Cups, Cake Stands, Doilies, Treat Bags, Heart Fasteners, Milk Bottles, Paper Straws, Tissue Fans, Heart Balloons, Cupcake Wrapper, Wooden Spoons and Confetti all from The Sugar Confetti Shop

Old Fashion Pink Popcorn

This pink sweet popcorn is a great treat for Valentine's Day! 

It is seriously delicious, and easy to make.

Ingredients

• 14 cups popped popcorn 
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup whole milk or 1/2 and 1/2
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5  drops of red food coloring or more if you want a darker shade of pink

Instructions:

Place sugar, milk or cream, corn syrup and salt in saucepan over medium heat. Stir well and cook until sugar has fully dissolved before allowing mixture to boil.  Continue to cook stirring occasionally until reaching 230 degrees or soft ball stage. Add vanilla and food coloring.  Mix well.  Pour over popcorn, and stir until well coated.  Spread out on parchment lined cookie sheet to dry.  You can also place in a 200 degree oven for 15 minutes to dry. 

Enjoy!

Pink Berry Baskets, Bakers Twine and Doilies are available from The Sugar confetti Shop.

Glitter Heart Bags

These decorated muslin bags are just right for giving treats on Valentine's Day.  You can customize the bags using freezer-paper stencils.  Yep, freezer paper has another use besides storing food in the freezer...

Freezer-Paper Stencils

These custom-made stencils are great for decorating any cotton fabric.  We used our muslin bags from the shop for this project.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Craft punch (we used a heart) or draw your own image
Freezer paper
Iron
Muslin bags 
Craft paint

Glitter
Foam brush

1. Use a punch to cut a design into freezer paper to create a stencil.  You can also draw or print out an image.  Use an x-acto knife to cut out.  

2. With a dry iron set to medium heat, iron the freezer paper stencil (shiny side down) onto the muslin bag.

3. Slip a piece of cardboard scrap or a piece of freezer paper inside the bag so the paint won't bleed through and then dab craft paint on muslin.  We used glitter paint but you can use anything you like.  

4.  Sprinkle on the glitter, and tap to remove the excess. 

5. Carefully peel away freezer paper while paint/glitter is still wet.  We used Modge Podge when the paint/glitter was dry.  Modge Podge seals the glitter so it won't get all over your home!  Don't worry, it will dry clear.

Pretty cute!

Fill with Valentine treats, and hand out to your friends, loved ones or the kid's classmates.

DIY Apothecary Matchstick Bottle & Candle

One of the teachers from our school got married a couple of weeks ago, and my daughter wanted to make her a candle as a wedding gift.  It would have be much easier to buy one, but a homemade gift is always special especially when it comes from a student.  As promised, we set out to make some candles and while we were at it we also made cute apothecary matchstick bottles to go with it.  I'm sure you have seen the matchstick bottles before but did you know you can make one?  The bottom of the bottle is the match strike pad. 

Matchstick bottle supplies:
Bottle to hold matches (Michaels or Hobby Lobby sells them for $1).
Matches-must be strike anywhere matches not only strike on the box. 
Sand, Glue or Mod Podge

Mix the Mod Podge with some sand and paint it on the bottom of the bottle.  Let it dry completely.  You should have a rough surface when dry.  You can also use etching cream instead of the Mod Podge and sand.  Both ways will work.

Fill your jar with strike anywhere matches and add some twine and a tag.  

Supplies needed for candles:
Mason jelly jars (We used 8 oz.)
Glass "liquid fill" paint by Martha Stewart (I tried others...this is the only one that will work).
100% natural soy wax (We used Country Lane because it is microwavable.)
Pre-made wicks
Pouring pot and wooden spoon
Scent if using
Skewers and rubber bands to hold wick in place while drying

Paint your jelly jars as directed on the glass paint.  After they dry, cure in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
Here is a great DIY for painting the jars.
http://somethingturquoise.com/?s=candle&submit=Search

Next, place your wicks in center of your tinted jar between 2 skewers secured together by rubber bands to hold the wick in place.  Melt the wax in your microwave checking every 15 seconds until melted and clear in color.  

Add your fragrance and pour into jelly jars.  One pound of wax should yield two 8 oz and one 6 oz candles.

Let let the candle sit for about 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.  When the candle is ready, sip your wick, and you are done.

We used a 2 inch paper circle punch and a heart stamp to top off our candles.

Wrap up in a cute berry basket and some twine from the shop, and you have a great gift for the perfect "Match".