{GIVEAWAY} Candy Making for Kids by Courtney Dial Whitmore

The talented Courtney Dial Whitmore of Pizzazzerie has come out with her second book, Candy Making for Kids. Courtney is doing a Blog Book Tour and I am so excited she's making a stop here.

I love making lollipops and candy and I can already see my girls showing an interest in candy making. Anyone who makes candy knows that boiling hot sugar is not something young kids can work with which is why I am so excited about this book.

Filled with fun and easy recipes, it would make an awesome gift for the budding candy maker. None of the recipes require a candy thermometer so it's great for kids of all ages. 

You can get your copy of Candy Making for Kids on Amazon  and Barnes & Noble 
As an added bonus,  Courtney is offering book plates if you want your book signed. You can email Courtney at courtney@pizzazzerie.com with the subject line BOOK SIGNATURE.  In the email, include a  proof of purchase (screen shot of Amazon order, picture of receipt, etc) along with your address and who to make the greeting out to and she will send it your way.

OR your could try to win a copy here!

Courtney is giving away ONE copy of Candy Making for Kids to one of my readers. This is open to all U.S. residents, age 18 and over. A winner will be chosen on Friday, August 10 at noon (pacific time).

To enter the giveaway:
Head over to  Lollipops & Paper's facebook page and "like" it (or let me know if you already like it), then "share" this post and comment on who you will be making candy with.

How awesome is that?!


Photography by Zac Williams

Summer dessert table ideas

Summer is in full swing at our house which means lots of swimming, tantrums and planning for my oldest daughter's birthday in September. Last year, her Tangled Garden party at the park fell on the hottest day of the year.

Apparently, our city was the hottest area in all of the county.  I think it reached 110 degrees that day. A news crew doing their heatwave story stumbled upon our party and interviewed us.  For my 15 seconds of TV fame, I was sweaty and yucky. Oh Well. But you know what, my dessert table was in tact despite the heat because we loaded up on treats that could hold up to the weather.  YAY!

So today, as I plan her mermaid themed swimming party, I am sharing my favorite things to include in a sweets table that I've used over the years. The temperature can easily reach over 90 degrees in our area so I have several go-to things I use when I know it will be warm. While almost anything will melt or go bad in extreme heat, I've found that the following hold up really well.

 I hope this helps some of you as you plan your summer parties. Please keep your fingers crossed for us that the news crews and heatwave stay away from us this year.

 In the jars from left to right: marshmallows, popcorn, wafer sticks.

Animal crackers and pretzels are also great.

Popcorn and Goldfish crackers are in the apothecary jars.

The basketball was a Rice Krispy cake which also holds up better to heat than cake.

Rice Krispy cake by Cupkits Edible Creations

Cookies with royal icing,  fondant decorations or left uncovered hold up really well. The important thing is to not use chocolate.

Silhouette cookies by Cupkits

Licorice  and sour candy (either belts, gummies or other shapes)

Gumballs

And lastly, I almost always include my hard candy lollipops

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer

Bee themed teacher gift tags - FREE PRINTABLE

I love teacher appreciation week. It was hectic for me because I'm Room Mom but it's my way of giving something back to my girls' teachers. While we did various things for their main teachers, I also wanted to give something small to other teachers they interact with- (they each go to a different teacher during reading time).
I also wanted to give something to their Sunday school teachers for all that they do in helping my kids grow in their faith.
A while back I posted a baby shower bee free printable. That project left me some bee themed ribbon that I wanted to use up, so these gift tags were born. So here are some gift tags that I'm sharing. While they don't have actual bees on them, I think the theme is still clear.
 I attached mine to some hand soap from Bath & Body Works. These would also be cute on a jar of honey and some tea bags.

I was hoping to share these in time for Teacher Appreciation week but I was so busy. But here they are, in time for end of the year gifts for teachers.

   Enjoy!