Peep Chocolate Bar

I've seen peeps dipped in chocolate, and it got me thinking.....why not an entire row?  I mean...a marshmallow filled chocolate bar?  Sign me up! 

I grabbed some melting chocolate, and a row of chicks. 

 Melt the chocolate at 30 second intervals, stir, repeat until it's smooth (about a minute and a half at most).  I dipped the bottom of my peep bar first, let it drip on wax paper under a wire rack, and repeated to the top layer, tapping off the excess chocolate. 

Peeps: On-A-Stick

 The Peep peeps actually sell these, but....I thought I'd share anyway, because really, is there anything wrong with something served on a stick?  It's easy, and fun.  Thread those puppies...or rather peepies up.....package 'em pretty, and ta da. 

Peeps: Bunny in a Hole Push Pop

 Last year the push pop craze began, and I ordered a few...hundred.  I saw this idea on Craft Gossip.  I used the same method for filling the container.  Two mini cupcakes sandwiched between layers of icing. 

 Add the top of a peep bunny head. 

 Dispose of the bottom of the bunny carefully :gulp:..and tada....a bunny hole.  You could add grass, but around Easter my grass comes in pastel colors...not that boring green stuff. 

Peeps: Sugar Cookies

 A week of peeps definitely needs to include sugar cookies, right?  I knew I wasn't the first, and in my hunt on the net, I found this tutorial that even includes a free template you can use to carve out the peep shapes.  I found this cookie cutter at Hobby Lobby last year. 

Cut cookies, ice, add the traditional sugar sprinkles....and I've got a peep...slightly more tasty than the original. 

A Week of....Peeps

Peeps.  Need I say more?  Below are two post I threw up last year in honor of the little Easter treats, and I'll be adding a few more I've put together for this year over the next few days, also seen below-I'll attach the links as the week progresses.  In addition, I have a little file of ideas I want to try out over the next few weeks.  The only thing better than a week of peep post is TWO weeks.  Clearly, these sugar coated marshmallows are life changing.  And classy.  Clearly.
Chocolate Dipped PeepsBunny Stew

Sugar Cookies

Peep Pop

On-A-Stick

Chocolate Bar

A Gift From the Garden

I made a basket of garden 'stuff' for one of my favorite people on planet earth, Nicole.  She has a green thumb.....I.  Do.  Not.  I'm bringing a new version of this gift to share today on Good Morning, Texas today.  It's spring, time for some spring-ee house warming/hostess/adult Easter basket gift ideas.  I'll add links later to the tutorials.  I'm doing two segments today, and I've added some additional things to the original basket idea that I'll be sharing. 
I'll be sharing this idea for baking bread in bpa  free tin cans (it should say this on the side of the vegetable tins before you use them).  This is the original post, complete with one of my favorite bread recipes. 

I'm also making these super simple chalkboard spoon markers.  Here is the original post, it basically serves as a tragic warning-what NOT to do, and then the simple solution that would have saved me a lot of time, but wouldn't have made for quite as interesting of a story....

I also made these seed starters for the basket.  I shared the tutorial last week. 

Last up, I am making some super simple cupcakes, so simple....this IS the tutorial. 

 Basically, I baked up some chocolate cupcakes, ice them, rolled them in crushed oreo cookies, and added some sugar flowers I let somebody make, package, and sell to me a la the craft story.  I found some baby pots, and they slid right inside.  I bagged these up as well in cellophane and put them in the basket o' garden fun. 

Paris Shower Invitations

My friend Sarah is getting married this June.  She loooooves Paris, and pink and blank, and so....we merged those all along with her love for the man she is marrying, and came up with a suitable theme.  I've been looking forward to this shower for awhile, and I can't wait to see how all the details come together.  I'll be blogging about it all in just a few short weeks, but here is a sneak peak....the invitations.  I can't wait to share the favors.....it's something new I've never seen/done before.  :O)!!!! 

For the invitations I just googled 'free pillow box printable.'  I found one, enlarged it as big as it would go on a regular size sheet of card stock, and used it as my template for the hot pink card stock. 

I only folded one side (and glued it with hot glue to make it REALLY stick).  The chocolate and invitation were a little too long to fold both sides.  I added a 3.5 inch band of scrapbook paper to the outside as well to give it some color.  I used double sided tape to get it to stay. 

 I printed off a little invitation to slip inside, and made some pink chocolate eiffle towers in a mold I bought (you can find them on Amazon). 

 I used some bags (you can find this size in the jewelry section of most craft stores) and slipped them inside along with the invitation. 

 I punched a hole in the top and added a tag to the top.  These are for gals at work, so we decided to give these out by the grade level.  I inked the edges of the tag, then added ribbon.

 This is the mold I used.  I had to make one special eiffle tower (after I finished up the chocolate version).  You see, Sarah....:gasp:, doesn't like chocolate.  It's taken years of therapy, but I think our friendship will survive.  So....this will be the last of any chocolate you will see related to this shower, and she never had to see it.  We have a different eating plan for Paris themed menu.  For the inside of her favor I used a cube from melting soap and added a drop of scent and a drop of pink coloring to make her a soap.  I used the steps I always use for making soap, and it popped right out. 

 I made an extra one to toss next to the sink in the house during her shower. 

Seed Starters

 This is a super simple, and fun craft for giving out 'seed' packets that I discovered over on Danamade.  I recently bought a big box of wildflower seeds, and I wanted to divvy it up among some little kiddos in my life that love to garden.  This is a fun way to send some seeds that are pretty kid friendly. 
The only thing you need is a mix of shredded paper and tissue paper cut into thin strips.  You want about the same amount of each. 

 Add water to the mix, and squish it all together. 

 Take a cookie cutter (this would be cut in a house shaped cookie cutter as a good housewarming gift as well).  Squish the wet paper into the cookie cutter.  Pack it down firmly.

 Place the squishy paper and cookie cutter in a strainer and press out as much water as you can. 

Place your seeds on a piece of cardboard to help pull out the excess water.  Add a little teaspoon of seeds on top.  These will dry and stick to the biodegradable 'starters.' 

Bag these up, and when you are ready, just toss these into a pot filled halfway with potting soil, cover it with more soil, and water.  The paper and tissue should dissolve, and the seeds should grow.  'Should' is sort of the 'key' to this whole scenario....it takes, like, water and sunshine and other stuff, and I usually forget two out of two of those things around my house....which is exactly why all my seed starters will find new homes.  It's best for all parties involved.   But really, this is so much better than handing over a packet of seeds to a three year old....or a 32 year old and asking them to aim for a dark indention in the dirt.  Even I could probably get this little heart shaped starter tossed in the general vacinity of the garden.  Assuming one had a 'garden'....and by garden, I do count the dandelions and clovers that grow where there used to be grass around my yard. 

Adult Easter Basket Treats

 I love Easter.  I love making baskets for kiddos...and adults.  I have 450 of these berry baskets.....or I did.  That's not even an exageration, they only sold them in bulk, and I, clearly, 'needed' them!  I've given away some, and used some, but I still have at least 400, so I decided this would be the perfect way to deliver some of my Easter gifts this year. 
I put Nest Cookies, Carrot Shaped Cookies, and Lindsor Chocolate Bunnies in each basket. 

 Cellophane, and tags....because cellophane is my new obsession, and I'll use any excuse to whip it out. 

Next up....summer fun for these baskets...

Bird's Nest Cookies

 I made these cookies for some friends for Easter.  There is a gal that makes these every Christmas, and I decided these would be perfect for Easter.  I bought some Robin's Egg candies for the middle, and later saw I'm apparently not the only one with this idea, but....it's still fun. 
These are super easy to make, and really tasty. 
Bird's Nest Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:  1 cup peanuts, 2 c. butterscotch morsels, and 2 c. chow mein noodles, chocolate eggs. 
Instructions:  Melt morsels (it took about 1 min and 20 seconds for mine to melt).  Stir in the peanuts and noodles.  Drop onto wax paper, add eggs, and let it dry before bagging.  I was able to make 12 large cookies out of these ingredients.  You could certainly make them smaller, but it always sounds better when you can say, "I only ate one cookie."....you gotta think ahead about these things. 
I bagged some of these cookies up individually. 

 I also used some berry baskets and made little 'family' packs of some of the offerings.