Saturday, December 31, 2016

~TASTE-TEST: PIXY STIX CANDY CANES





I decided I just had to try Pixy Stix Candy Canes before the holidays had passed me by.  

I spotted them at both Walmart and Kmart and began to wonder what they were like.  They taste sweet and tart, and the powder on the inside is compressed (in other words, you can't pour it out of the candy cane).  However, you can feel the grains of powder come apart in your mouth a bit if you're paying attention.






I'd have to say that these are a tasty and creative take on Christmas candy--go get some for yourself, especially since they'll now be on sale ☺.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

~BEAUTY PRODUCT TUESDAY: PUT THE KETTLE ON




Lip Smacker's Kettle Corn balm smells soooo good and the scent is spot-on!  I've enjoyed wearing mine during the holiday season and think it would also make a fun Valentine treat .




Snack-time tip...

The best kettle corn I've ever eaten is by Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP.  There's a perfect blend of the two seasonings (sweet + salty), and to make matters even better, it's all-natural.  I've only ever seen this flavor of Angie's popcorn at Target, btw.

Caution:

If you decide to use this snack for a Christmas garland, more will probably end up in your tummy than on your tree ☺.


*Original images are in the public domain and were altered and added upon by me.  Rose graphics are property of me and lip balm pics are my own. 

Sunday, December 18, 2016

~CANDY CANE CRAFTINESS





Several cute Christmas ideas...

I think the vase above is sooo sweet!

How-to:

"Stretch a rubber band around a cylindrical vase, then stick in candy canes until you can't see the vase.  Tie a silky red ribbon to hide the rubber band.  Fill with red and white roses or carnations.  Good hostess gift for holiday parties."

Poinsettias would also look festive--scroll down to see that look here.  This crafter chose to glue (with a hot glue gun) her candy to a tin can.  Inexpensive glass vases can sometimes be found at The Dollar Tree or at craft stores though (for those that would prefer glue + glass).

*I think green and white candy canes would look festive with poinsettias!




Simply glue three candy canes together in order to create an easel, though I suppose they could also be rubber-banded together.  I guess a hot glue gun would work the best, though super glue might adhere these semi-weighty candies pretty quickly as well.  

I think larger candy canes would work well to hold, say, a menu or poem.  Little ones could carry name cards for individual place settings or cards that have the names of foods that are being served on them (these could be put beside dishes at get-togethers so people would know exactly what they were eating).

I might just have to Rose & Robin-style these little easels sometime in the future (hint: there are visions of pink and white--and maybe even turquoise--candy canes dancing in my head).

I think these definitely look cuter with the wrappers removed.  They could probably be stored for future use in zip-lock bags in a not-too-warm environment.  I'd think they could even be sprayed with matte or glossy sealant.

Here are some more examples...







{source, above three}






{buttons are always a bonus}








Here's another style of place card holders for table settings that are adorbs...



What about a l♥vely wreath!





Candle holders!




~CUTTIN' A RUG...IN A FLOWER SHOP





I've never seen "Little Shop of Horrors," but I think this DWTS number was adorably done ☺

Monday, October 31, 2016

~YOU'LL GO BATTY OVER THESE HALLOWEEN GOODIES




I recently came across a pic of some cute 'n spooky cheese crackers on pinterest.  Small Halloween-themed cookie cutters were used to make them festive.  

Then, I happened to spot a little bat cookie cutter in the Halloween section of Target, so I decided to Rose & Robin-style this snack by using white cheese instead of orange and adding a layer of pink strawberry jelly to the mix.






Pepper jelly would probably also work well (either red or green), and there are both spicy and non-spicy varieties.  Though I've always eaten it along with cream cheese on crackers, it would probably taste good with hard cheese as well.  Orange pumpkins would look really cute on the green jelly.

I think orange pumpkins would also look good with grape jelly, while white ones might be adorbs atop orange marmalade.

Apple, pear, and luncheon meats could also be cookie-cuttered and are yummy with cheese.




This snack could be made more or less adult-oriented based on what type of cheese and crackers are used.  I spotted these crackers at the grocery store and liked how they have both white and black sesame seeds on them--they're a bit fancier than Ritz.  I see this company also makes an "everything" cracker, which would probably be tasty and autumnal.  

As for cheese, I used Havarti sandwich slices because I happened to have some on hand.  I like how its fissured texture looks on my bats.  Lacy Swiss would probably look reallly cute (dots!), and Colby-Jack would be fun, as it is marbled with both orange and white.  

A cheese that I really like is Parrano; it's tart, nutty, and delish, but it might not be the kid-friendliest cheese out there.  Another option would be to put fresh mozzarella atop crostini along with tomato, arugula, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Here's to biting on bats and things in celebration of Halloween ☺.



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