Marvelously Messy

Thursday, August 16, 2012

How To Make Cake Pops: Guest Post

How to Make Cake Pops

Cake pops are a delightful way to celebrate a special occasion by blending the delicious flavor of cake with the easy accessibility of lollipops. Currently, cake pops are a popular option for providing refreshments at occasions for people of all ages. A large reason for their popularity is how easily the flavors, colors and toppings of cake pops can be altered to appeal to a person’s specific tastes or to the theme of a party.

Additionally, the process of making cake pops is fun for everyone. The following information will help anyone who is interested in making cake pops get started on making these tasty treats:

Where to Buy Ingredients and Materials

The cake portion of a cake pop simply requires the same ingredients as a person would need to use when making a cake. This is also true of the icing. Boxed cake and icing mixes can be purchased at a grocery store, or the cake and icing can be made from scratch using basic ingredients from the kitchen.

Cake pops also will need a chocolate or candy coating. Melting chocolate and dipping chips can be found at craft stores or large family retail chains. In order to present the tops, many people prefer to wrap them in ribbons and fabric from a place such as HartsFabric.com where fabrics can be found in a variety of patterns and colors to fit the theme of a party.

Basic Cake Pop Instructions

The first step to making cake pops is to bake a cake and let it cool. Then, the cake should be crumbled and mixed with enough icing to make the cake stick together. Once the cake and icing are mixed, then it will need to be formed into balls that are approximately one inch in diameter. Lollipops should then be placed into the balls.

The balls should then be cooled in the refrigerator for long enough to get them chilled. Once the balls are cold, then they should be dipped into melted candy coating, and then stood up in foam to allow drying. It is important to avoid lying the cake pops down as it can cause the candy coating to come off of the pop.

Adding Special Touches

Once the cake pops have been made, finishing touches can be added to make the cake pops even more festive. Chocolate in a contrasting color can be drizzled over the balls, or the cake balls can be rolled in sprinkles before drying. Additionally, different cake and icing mixes can be experimented with to create exotic flavors. For example, a cherry cake mixed with chocolate icing can have a very different flavor from a traditional vanilla cake mix.

When making cake pops for a special event, it is important to experiment with different flavors, sprinkles and fabrics to create a unique effect. Serving cake pops at any type of function is certain to generate excitement while highlighting a person’s culinary creativity.

Contribution provided by Becky W.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Fall Activities To Do

Photo of Upcycled Owls from Flax and Twine

Falling into Amazing Fall Activities with Your Kids

Since fall time is on its way it’s time to start thinking about all of the fun fall time activities you can do with your kids! Some may be obvious, such as buying pumpkins and decorating them or teaching them how to rake the leaves. However, there are still many other fall time activities to explore too, such as revamping an interior or simply encouraging your kids to keep their room organized more. With the fall times comes endless possibilities, so start dreaming up some fun activities and have a blast with your children when it gets a bit colder outside!

Falling for Fall Time Crafts

It’s easy to fall in love with crafts during the fall time because it gives you a nice excuse to pull on your favorite sweater and drink some hot cider. Set up the perfect work station for you and your kids and have them color pictures out of a coloring book of pumpkins, decorate small pumpkins with embellishments, or create pretty leaves with sparkles. Whatever you have your kids create during the fall time, the point is to assist them in having fun with amazing crafts. Plus, you’ll love watching them create and they’ll love the finished project.

Revamp a Room and Add Special Elements

Since interior design trends come and go, sometimes fall time is a good time to revamp a space and add something extra to it. If your room is currently a tropical haven but it seems to be missing a main element, why not incorporate an aquarium? Stock up on aquarium supplies and set up an aquarium during the fall time. Not only will it remind you of the warmer days to come (even though it may seem far away right now), but it will also teach your kids the responsibility of taking care of fish. In addition, you might want to teach them how to clean out an aquarium indoors when they can’t go outdoors as often because it will be a lot colder.

Trick or Treat and Thanksgiving Memories

Of course two of the most anticipated activities during the fall time happen to be Halloween and Thanksgiving. Both holidays offer up the opportunity for you to be creative as opposed to spending a lot of money. This means perhaps making costumes for your kids as opposed to buying expensive ones at Target and for Thanksgiving, instead of buying a ton of decorations, why not make some yourself? Be creative this fall time and cut back on the spending. You’ll have a beautiful home filled with fun fall time projects and your kids will also have an amazing time creating and adding to a lovely home during the magical fall time months.

Sierra is a freelance writer and lover of fall time and fall time crafts. Not only does her birthday fall during the fall time, it just so happens to be her favorite season of the year too. Connect with Sierra on Twitter and find out what fall time activities she’s been up to.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

A Marvelous Mess #74 and Features!!!

We just got back from a two night camping trip in northern Maine. Can I just say I love this state? Not just the state of Maine, but this state:

The state of relaxation and a closer *connection* with nature.

I totally recommend it.

Here are my fave's from last weeks party:

Olympic Cake Pops from Pint Sized Baker. So adorable.

And, the post I'm going to feature for a week on my sidebar is....

Chocolate/ Carob Chia Pudding from Balanced Platter. Doesn't this look delish??? Toally going to pin this recipe.

Thanks to all of you for linking up to my party. If I featured you in this post, feel free to grab this button:

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Putting the Functional in Tablecloths

Photo from http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/

Putting the Functional in Tablecloths

Having small children is both a joy and a lot of work, so that’s why it’s ideal to have functional home elements that easy to use. Tablecloths look lovely in a home, but they also are very useful. If your children love to play games or color, having a washable tablecloth will help prevent staining on your expensive furniture. Don’t fret about the possible mishaps that might happen when you’re not around to supervise your kids 24/7. Decorate to your heart’s content and enjoy functional elements that will add to a space. It’s time to get functional with tablecloths.

Kids Love to Play – Let Them Have Fun!

Do you find yourself getting uptight about not allowing kids to sit on an expensive sofa or spend time at a nice table? If you find yourself getting stressed out when you don’t need to, why not implement a tablecloth? It will be a lot easier for them to sit down and play their games or play with play dough there without you worrying about the possible messes that will most likely take place. A machine washable tablecloth is very convenient to use and is also made for daily use. Allow your kids to use their imaginations and have fun. If an accident happens, it won’t be the end of the world because you’ll have a washable tablecloth to back you up.

Tablecloths Also Add Sparkle to an Interior

Besides using practical tablecloths on a kitchen table so that your kids can create without constant supervision, tablecloths made out of pretty patterns and a nice cotton blend will look stunning in an interior. Glam up your dining room area and find colors and patterns that will make a room come alive. Elegance starts with a tablecloth and ends with all of the other elements that you can add to a dining room as well, such as a pretty painting, flowers in a vase, and stylish dinnerware.

Tablecloths Work Perfectly for Holiday Events

Having a variety of tablecloths to use for upcoming holidays is another way to get functional. Find French tablecloths and other sparkly table elements and have fun coming up with a table setting that you and your guests will love. In regards to a tablecloth, find a tablecloth that suits your needs. Choosing from a variety of colors and patterns will be easy to do and pretty soon you’ll have a lovely ambiance in your dining room and other interiors that will look nice for any holiday or special occasion.

Sierra Greenman is a freelance writer and she loves to write about a variety of topics, from fashion to interior design. She loves revamping her home and figuring out functional ways to decorate by finding tablecloths and more at RHBallard.com.