Wilton Halloween Crafts Part 1 ~ Candy Necklace Kits

Wilton has many easy to create craft kits for you to make with your children.  From candy necklaces to gingerbread houses to cookie pops.  I do attempt to make a lot of things from scratch, but sometimes having a kit comes in handy.  Besides, sometimes purchasing the kits makes it cheaper than trying to create them yourself.

If you are looking for a quick and easy project to do with your children, Wilton offers a wide selection of Candy Necklace Kits.  They have themes for just about every holiday, as well as many Disney characters.  I wrote about how we create these (and some quick tips for making them easy to make for little ones) in my post Wilton Easter Candy Necklaces and Crafts with the Girls. I am sharing this today because I found several kits on clearance at our local Michael's store for $1.99!  You can also purchase them at Wal-Mart for $3.24.  Joann Fabrics has them at regular price for $3.99, but you can always find a 40% off coupon online, which make them just $2.39.

Wilton Helps Bring 4th of July to Your Celebrations

Here we are on the 4th of July
last year getting ready for the
fireworks over Lake Winnipesaukee

It is hard to believe that we are just about to the 4th of July.  As I am starting to make our grocery list and menu for the holiday, I thought I would look up some fun ideas for a themed dessert.  Of course, my first stop is always Wilton's.  You may have noticed from some of my previous posts that I really love their products, and they are a great resource for inspiration.

As with every holiday, they have plenty of ideas to choose from.  You can see all of them at Celebrating the 4th of July with Delicious Treats and Fun Decorating Ideas from Wilton.  They have plenty of ideas for cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more.  I am leaning toward the One Flag for all Cupcakes, but we will see as it gets closer.

Which of the 4th of July ideas did you like best?  Are you going to give it a try for your 4th of July celebration?

Wilton 2012 Yearbook Update

My Wilton Romantic Castle
Cake creation ~ Sleeping Beauty
July 2009

Good news! 

You can now order the 2012 Wilton Yearbook online with free shipping for $14.99.  The site says that if you order online, it ships within one to two days.  If you want to wait, it will be available at local retailers sometime in July.  For more information, you can head over to the Wilton website:

2012 Wilton Yearbook

Candy Seashells and Starfish

Today's project is not new to me, but it is my project for the day. Last week I created some candy seashells and starfish for Hayley's Little Mermaid cake for her upcoming birthday. I thought I was getting ahead by getting a few of the edible decorations done, but unfortunately, the kids and I have tasted several of them to make sure they were still fresh (ok, they were fresh, we really just wanted to eat them!), and as a result, I needed to make a new batch because there just weren't enough left.

Candy making is one of my favorite things to do. For these seashells and starfish, I used Wilton's "Seashells" candy mold, Wilton white candy melts and Wilton pink candy melts. First I melted the pink candy in the microwave. There are other methods, but this one seems to work the best for me. Then, I did the same with the white candy melts. While the white candy melts were in the process of melting, I used the plain pink to fill the starfish shapes. When the white candy melts were done, I placed 3 or 4 drops of the pink into the white. I then used a knife to cut the pink in without stirring. This will give the shells a marbled look. I then filled the remaining seashell shapes, and let them set in the refrigerator until hardened.

These are great decorations for a Little Mermaid cake. Plus, my cake decorating skills are not the best, so these shells can help hide any of my frosting imperfections. Just a side note, I used the pink to marble the shells because it is for my daughter's birthday, but I have also used orange or brown to create just as nice of a look when I have brought them to parties and family gatherings.

Here are links to the items I used to create these candies:
Wilton Candy Mold: Seashells
Wilton Candy Melts