Candy Buffets

Everyone has to agree that the best part of any party is the goodie bag.  Remember when you were a kid and how happy you were when you received a handwritten invitation by your friend's parents, inviting you over for a few hours full of fun?  You were excited to be included, spend time with your friends, and participate in a fun activity.  


Most importantly, we all know that the part you looked forward to most was finding out what's in the goodie bag.  Am I right?  As soon as you saw the goodie bags lined up, you were dying to find out what was inside! Well, I don't know about you, but I still get excited when there are goodie bags at parties, especially those that you can make your own, courtesy of the Candy Buffet :)

Candy Buffets are really where it's at.  Weddings, birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, quinceaneras, baptisms, baby showers, and wedding showers are really SO much sweeter when there is a candy buffet present.  

To ensure that your next party is sweeter than any other, here's some steps you need to take to pull that off with that scrumptious and unforgettable Candy Buffet.

*Know your theme*

*Pick your colors-keep it simple, 2 or 3 colors is best, unless you want to do a Rainbow theme!*

*Buy fun and fancy jars and stands to put the sweets into/on*

*Pick out your favorite candy with the colors you chose*
*Other things sweet such as Cupcakes, Cake Pops, Cookies are always a favorite*
*Hand out clear bags with ribbons and tags to enhance the fun*

This particular Candy Buffet was for a birthday party, as you can see the color theme was pink and yellow, and all the sweet treats coordinated so nicely.  Decorate any way you'd like to make a lasting impression on your guests, just like this party made on me!  Happy Birthday to Mirmy! :)

Just a Cup o' Nerds Cocktail

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  Yeah, yeah, I know it's the highlight of your week!  Might as well just say TGITT (Thank goodness it's Thirsty Thursday!)  Since the best day of the week has finally come, let's get down to business.  This week, we are making a drink called, Just a Cup o' Nerds.

It is delicious, let me tell you!  Here's a little bit about the drink:

*Fruity*

*Dangerous-Almost like there is no alcohol in it!*

*Refreshing* 

*Super Tasty-tastes like Fruit Punch but is a greenish color*

*Scrumptious- not too sweet. For those of you that don't like sweet drinks, you need to try it!*

Ingredients

1 oz Midori

1 oz Blue Curacao Liquor

Lemonade

Instructions

Cover the rim of any fun looking glass with Nerds candy.  Pour Midori and Blue Curacao into glass.  Fill the remaining space with lemonade.

  

This drink is the perfect drink for grown ups with that still "have the kid in them." The colorful greenish potion combined with the Nerds around the rim of the glass will brighten anyone's day.  It is such a fun drink, perfect for a hot summer day.  And did I mention, it takes about 60 seconds to whip up?  Life can't get any better.  

Enjoy!!! 

Thank you to Candy Crate for the yummy idea and for supplying me with the recipe and candy :)

Rock Candy Martini

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  Would you take a look at this sweet and sophisticated drink?  Doesn't it look delicious?  Well it tastes just as good as it looks.  Today we are making Rock Candy Martinis.  

Talk about easy to make!  These three simple ingredients let you whip things up fast and enjoy almost immediately.  Each sip will make you smile.  

This aqua blue hue brings that tropical Caribbean water to you.  Pretend you are on a tropical island taking in the oceanic view with beautiful rocks surrounding the beach.  Then, imagine yourself soaking in the sun rays enjoying a blue stick of rock candy that is sold in those big, translucent glass jars in local candy shoppes.  The image is picture perfect, which makes this drink such a fun candy cocktail!

Ingredients

2 oz. Hpnotiq

1 oz. Vodka

Splash of Pineapple Juice

1 Blue Rock Candy

Directions 

Mix ingredients, shake well, and pour into martini glass.  Add the rock candy stick for a fun decoration.

Enjoy this Thirsty Thursday with sophistication and style! 

Photo and recipe courtesy of http://www.hpnotiq.com/recipes/roq-candy/, Rock candy photo courtesy of http://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/bulk-candy/rock-sugar-swizzle-sticks/light-blue-crystal-cotton

Gummy Lightning Bugs

Only a few short weeks until School is out for the Summer!  That means long days at the beach, sitting on porches until the sun goes to sleep, walking to the local candy shoppe, and spending time with those you love.


Sometimes, it is hard to think of fun things to do in the Summer.  Here's a great idea for you, throw a Gummy Lightning Bug party!
                                                  
Never heard of Gummy Lightning Bugs before?  You NEED to try them! 


These chewy gummies come in two great flavors: Strawberry and Lemon. Each individual package comes with magical tweezers that bring the gummies to life!  Their electrifying colors taste sweet and tangy.  Of course, both are delicious but my favorite is the Lemon, because as always, that is my flavor of choice.

The great thing is that upon tasting, children, teenagers, and adults all equally enjoy these illuminating treats.  So when throwing a Gummy Lightning Bug party, everyone will get a kick out if it!  

Party Tips:

-Send out invitations for this special event 

-Order the candy from an Online Candy Store

-Have the party start twilight so the bugs will glow all night long

-Set the place settings with Gummy Lightning Bugs at each seat

-Use the tweezers to light up the bugs and anything else in sight afterwards!

I promise you this will be a hit!  Especially for those locations that unfortunately do not have the pleasure of catching lightning bugs on hot summer nights.  Bring the lighting bugs to those areas to let everyone join in on the fun!  


Even if you do live on the East Coast where the fireflies are a summer staple, this candy will bring back all those childhood memories of spending countless hours capturing lightning bugs in your hands and peeking through a small hole to watch them glow! 

Look how cool they look!!! Enjoy!!! 

Blow Pop Martini

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  This Thirsty Thursday we are not only making one drink, but 12 for you and 12 of your closest friends!  Who doesn't want to throw a Blow Pop Martini Party?  So go out and grab your pals and let the fun begin!


The flavorful taste of this sweet martini brings you back to the days when you would count how many licks it took to get to the gum in the center of the yummy Blow Pop!  Adding the flavor of a Blow Pop and mixing it with a martini equals nothing but happiness, and it's perfect for a pre - summer concoction! 

Here are the ingredients:

2/3 cup frozen lemonade, thawed

1 1/2 cup bubble gum flavored vodka

1 1/3 cup water

4 tbsp sour watermelon, sour apple, or berry blue sour liquer

12 lollipops to decorate the drink

Pop Rocks for the rim

Directions:

Combine liquid ingredients and shake.  

Cover martini glass rim with Pop Rocks.  

Pour liquids into glass.

Put a lollipop in each glass.

Serve immediately 

All I have to say is Y-U-M!

Photos and recipe courtesy of http://taste-for-adventure.tablespoon.com/2011/03/24/blow-pop-martini/. Thanks for the yummy idea!

Candy Songs

It's almost Summertime!  Only one more month until the sweetest part of the year begins.  Summer is filled with watermelons, laughs, sun, and fun times!  While lounging on the beach with the hot summer sun pounding down on you, there is one crucial step that needs to be taken.....importing fun candy jams to your Ipod! 


You shouldn't take a chance on bringing your candy to the beach because it could melt, so the second best option is listening to candy jams!

12 Songs you need to upload to your Summer Candy Jams 2011 list:

"Sugar, Sugar"- The Archies

"I Want Candy"- Bow Wow Wow

"The Sweetest Thing" - U2

"Candy Shop"- 50 Cent

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" -Def Leppard

"Candy" - Mandy Moore

"Honey"- Mariah Carey

"The Candy Man"- Sammy Davis Jr.

"Sweet Escape"- Gwen Stefani

"Pure Imagination" - Willy Wonka

"Candyman"- Christina Aguilera  

"Candy"- Snoop Dog

Get ready for a Sweet Summer!

Photos courtesy of http://www.insidesocal.com/greenspirited/2008/06/, http://www.craftycrafty.tv/2009/06/how_to_make_ice_cream_cone_cup.html, http://stylishcuisine.com/?p=2546

Starburst Candy Wrapper Prom Dress

It's Prom season!  Do all the high school senior girls you know already have their dresses?  Are any of them made out of candy wrappers?  Well, one high school senior's is.  Tara Frey, a senior from Wisconsin, wore a dress made entirely out of Starburst's candy wrappers!  Check it out!

Talk about a sweet dress!  Could you think of a better dress for a "Candyland" themed prom?  How perfect is that!?  


Tara's mom made this by hand, buying 20 bags of Starbursts at a time, and was handing them out to everyone in town.  The only requirement was to make sure the wrapper was returned in mint condition.  To make the dress, each wrapper had to be folded, braided, glued, and sewn onto fabric.  Such meticulous work!


Along with the dress, shoes, bracelets, headbands, earrings, a vest for her date and a clutch purse for Tara were made.  She and her date were definitely the sweetest couple in America.  And they are "going green" by reusing all these wrappers that would be trash to anyone else!  There's nothing sweeter than going green!

This is just another sweet idea that makes candy even more fun than imagined!  Would you ever wear a dress made of Starbursts wrappers?
Photos courtesy of http://www.inforum.com/event/image/id/293879/headline/Tara%20Frey%20poses%20in%20her%20Starburst%20candy%20wrappers%20dress/, http://www.newrichmond-news.com/event/image/id/16036/headline/Sweet%20dress/