DIY Wedding

credit – Sarah Parrott on flickr

When one thinks of summer one of the first things most people think of is… the beach! What’s one thing that one finds at the beach? Sea glass! That’s why I thought this diy candy recipe would make a perfect wedding or party favor for those having a summer, beach or waterfront wedding or event. Like a lot of the ideas on my blog the recipe is fully customizable to give you the ability to tweak it to fit your special day. There are so many flavors and colors to choose from and also a variety of pretty packaging options!

First things first, lets start with the recipe so you can make your own sea glass candy right at home!

DIY Homemade Sea Glass Candy

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon flavoring oil, depending on strength of flavor – You will want to make a test batch to get the color and flavor intensity just right! *See notes below for links to some sites with a HUGE selection of delicious flavor oil options. You can also try baking, craft or your local grocery stores!
• Liquid or gel paste food color (Gel Paste Colors tend to be more intense!) Available in most craft and baking supply stores or online. *See notes below for links to sites offering a wide selection of colors.
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and place on a wire cooling rack.
2. Stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat just until sugar dissolves.
3. Without stirring, boil until candy thermometer registers 300-310 degrees which usually takes about 30 minutes. You can test by dropping small amount into ice water; syrup should separate into threads that are hard and brittle when ready!
4. Immediately remove from heat and wait a minute or two for boiling to stop.
5. With a wooden spoon, stir in flavoring oil and food color until well blended. Immediately pour onto prepared cookie sheet.
6. Let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
7. Lightly dust slab of candy on both sides with confectioners’ sugar, brushing off excess sugar.
8. Break into small pieces.

Store airtight. Makes 1 pound, 6 ounces(4 cups)

 
That’s it! Make one color/flavor or a few batches of different coordinating colors to make pretty mixes! Pack them in little tins, bakery bags or bakery boxes with some pretty ribbon or twine and maybe even add a cute label or sticker with your names and wedding date, your wedding monogram, etc. The possibilities (as always!) are endless. Let your creativity explode! (Need twine or custom designed labels or stickers to personalize your yummy sea glass treats? Check out my shop website and I can help you out!)

It’s so simple and delicious. The hardest part will be not eating it all up before the wedding!

*Note – Helpful web links!

• Wilton – Large Selection of Food Coloring
• LorAnn Oils – Huge Selection of concentrated super strength flavors plus they have food coloring too!
• Layer Cake Shop – Another great selection of yummy flavoring oils and food colors too!
• Weddings*n*Whimsy – My stationery, paper products site – Custom designed paper products for weddings and events such as tags, labels, place cards, table numbers and more! Plus much sought after luxe baker’s twine in a huge assortment of colors.

credit- Sarah Parrott on flickr.com

Summer is here and who doesn’t enjoy a fresh, cold glass of homemade lemonade? These custom homemade lemonade wedding favors are presented in pretty italian glass swing top bottles that you can customize with a label, tag or pretty ribbon! I got this great idea browsing pinterest and I stumbled on photos of lemonade favors done by Jordan of Ohhappyday.com (see photo above!). I did more research into a recipe and supplies and will break it all down for you below so you can send your wedding or shower guests home with their own refreshing bottle of lemonade. It’s extremely affordable and your guests will love how pretty they are (and how yummy they are too!).

You will need…

• Your favorite homemade lemonade recipe (If you don’t have one see below for a yummy recipe that I use!)
• Italian Bottles (She used some from Ikea (SLOM bottle with stopper) but I know some of us (including me) aren’t fortunate enough to live near one so I found a fantastic place online that you can order from that offers them in 3 different sizes! That way you can decide if you want a single serving bottle (250 mL), 2 serving bottle (500 mL)or more of a family size favor size (1000 mL). The more you buy the more you save! – Check out ebottles.com!)
• A funnel
• Custom Labels, Tags or Ribbon (Make your own or I would be more than happy to create custom labels/tags for you if needed! – weddingsnwhimsy.com)

Make your lemonade, fill up your pretty bottles using the funnel and then customize them with a label or tag, or some pretty ribbon!

Here is a recipe for homemade lemonade I have used and it comes out delicious!

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
Makes 2 quarts which should be enough for 8 of the 250 mL bottles, 4 of the 500 mL bottles or 2 of the large 1000 mL bottles. Multiple recipe as needed!

• 1.5 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice (Usually about about 4 lemons!)
• 7 cups of water
• 1 cup of granulated sugar

Just mix the ingredients above and you will be all set to fill your bottles! Want strawberry lemonade instead? Try mixing in 2 pints of pureed strawberries to the recipe above. You could also try adding a tablespoon of grenadine!

Yum! I think I am going to have to break out the recipe and enjoy some this weekend. It’s delicious and I love it during the summer – and I think you and your guests will too!

credit – amanda *bake it pretty* on flickr

As the cold of winter is upon us a lot of us indulge in things during our free time that scream warm and cozy. Soaking in a hot bath is one of things that comes to mind for me and adding some relaxing bath products like homemade bath fizzies or bath bombs just ups the comfy cozy factor. That’s why I thought they would make an awesome affordable diy project for all of you looking for a favor your guests will be excited to take home and use to relax after partying the night away at your wedding or party!

They hardly cost anything to make (fantastic for your budget!) and if you wrap them up in a cellophane bag or shrink bag with a pretty ribbon or even drop them into cute little jars with a label and directions they will look really cute at your guests seat or on a favor table! Plus since you are making them yourself you can make them in colors and shapes to match your theme! (Think pretty soft green and aqua blue seashells for a beach wedding or icy blue snowflakes or snowballs for a winter wedding!)

I found my recipe on the Martha Stewart site and wanted to share!

You will need…

• 1/2 cup citric acid (You can often find this at a local authentic indian food markets or home brewing (wine/beer) supplier. If no luck there search on google and a ton of options come up!)
• 1 cup baking soda
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
• About 6 drops food coloring or gel tones
• 10 to 15 drops essential oil(s)
• 2-ounce travel-size spray bottle (filled with water or witch hazel – Some recommend the witch hazel instead, saying they turn out better!)
• plastic pipette
• baking, candy or ice cube mold(s)

Let’s get started!

credit – MarthaStewart.com

1. Stir together citric acid, baking soda, and cornstarch in a glass measuring cup.
2. Pass mixture through a fine sieve or a flour sifter into a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar.
3. Fill spray bottle with water (or witch hazel), and add food coloring. Spritz mixture lightly (it should become damp but not fizzy) until you can pack mixture with your hands.
4. Using pipette, add oil, 1 drop at a time, until strength of scent is to your liking. Using a metal spoon or your hands (you will want gloves so you don’t risk staining your hands!), mix ingredients until color is even throughout (mixture will begin to dry out; when this happens, spritz until packable again).
5. Spoon into mold, pressing firmly. Let dry at room temperature overnight. Pop out of tray gently.

Then you are ready to put them in jars or bags and pretty them up! Add some ribbons, labels with name and directions and you have yourself completely customized wedding favors your guests will love!

If you would rather watch a video showing how to make your own fizzies I found a great one on youtube by DIYBathBodyandHome. Her recipe is very similar only she also adds soluble dextrose which helps make the fragrance in the bath bomb last longer (Can’t go wrong there!) and she adds sweet almond oil so the bombs are moisturizing. She also oils her mold with the almond oil so they slide out easily. Great idea!

If you use these instructions to make bath fizzies for your wedding please send in photos so we can share!

credit – MarthaStewart.com

credit – doitoutsidethebox on flickr

credit – ealancas on flickr.com

Who doesn’t love a good cupcake? One may ask how does one improve on the idea of such a delicious sugary treat? You make it more portable by adding it to a jar! (Plus – you can add a pretty coordinating label or hang tag to match everything else at your wedding reception or special event!) Cupcakes in a Jar couldn’t be more simple and your guests will love  the creativity and deliciousness in a portable pretty package.

I also love the ability to express yourself as a couple in the flavors you choose cupcake capsule! Red Velvet and cream cheese frosting? Double fudge chocolate with classic vanilla butter cream? It’s all up to you. Don’t even get me started on sprinkles and toppings!

You will need -

• Cupcakes baked without liners
• Frosting
• Sprinkles/Toppings (Optional)
• 8 oz. glass jars with lids – Find some here (Ball Jars could work nicely here too!)
• Wooden Spoons – Find some here
• Bakers Twine, Jute Twine or Raffia (to tie the spoon on!)
• Pastry Bag (Or ziploc bag) and decorative tips
• Knife

Let’s get started! First you need to bake your cupcakes. Use any cake mix or cake recipe you want! Maybe there’s a family recipe you could use to add to the personalization of your favor!  Just mix up the cake batter and spoon it into cupcake pans sprayed with non-stick spray. (Fill each cupcake cup about 2/3 of the way with batter!)

Unsure what cake recipe to use? Here are some delicious sounding high rated recipes to try:

• Dark Chocolate Cake
• Banana Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Vanilla Cake
• Coconut Cake

Bake your cupcakes according to the recipe or package directions. Then allow your cupcakes to fully cool and slice them all in half so you have a bunch of bottoms and a bunch of tops.

Place a bottom into each of your jars. Then take your pastry bag of icing and pipe in a dollop of frosting. (No pastry bag? Scooping in a dollop with a spoon works too! I have also wondered if it would be a neat idea to add a spoonful of filling in this step instead of the frosting but haven’t tried it yet! I’m not sure if it would still look as pretty but it may be worth trying some cherry, strawberry or lemon curd filling here too!)

Need a frosting recipe? Here are some highly rated recipes!

• Vanilla Buttercream frosting (from Sprinkles Cupcakes)
• Chocolate Buttercream frosting
• Chocolate Frosting/Icing
• Lemon Frosting
• White Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• White Chocolate Buttercream frosting
• Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting

Now, place the top of the cupcake onto your frosting dollop and gently press it so the frosting spreads/smooshes out. (Make sure when you add frosting in the previous step that you put in enough! When you add the top of the cupcake it needs to smoosh/spreads out enough so that you can see a pretty layer of frosting from the outside of the jar! ) Gently flatten/smash the top of the cupcake so it is more flat and less rounded. This helps when adding frosting in the last step and gives the cupcake in a jar a neat layered look from the outside!

Pipe a swirly dollop of frosting on top with your decorative frosting tip (or spoon it in if you are without the bag and tips). Then you can add some pretty colored sprinkles, chopped nuts, sugar crystals…Anything  you want that would further customize your cute cupcake favor.

When that’s all done screw on the lid and you are ready for the finishing touches! Add a personalized favor label to the lid of the jar or hang a personalized favor tag to the jar when you tie on the wooden spoon. That’s it!

Cupcakes in a Jar are a fun, whimsy (not to mention DELICIOUS) favor idea for your big day. Your guests will be so excited to see their very own cupcake concoction waiting for them at their seat or arranged pretty on a favor table. Some guests may dig in right away (how could they resist?) or they may save it for later when they have danced the night away and want something yummy on their way home. Cupcakes in a Jar are tasty and so easily customized to fit your big day and you both as a couple. They are guaranteed to wow your guests – young and old!

As always if you use our instructions to make up your own jars of deliciousness we want to see pics! Keep calm and cupcake in a jar on!

Note – Some photos show more layers in their jars – You can do this if you want, it is just a matter of preference! I figured the single layer would be just as tasty and save you some time but if you want to add more layers just cut the cupcake into thirds and repeat the layering steps!

credit – rbkcupcakes on flickr.com

credit – angryjuliemonday on flickr.com

My friend Ana from Craftification shared a great idea with me that I thought everyone here would love! Candy Lollipop Centerpieces! These would be great for a candy or sweet themed wedding, a wedding/bridal shower, baby shower or even a birthday party like a sweet sixteen! Use them on the guest tables or as extra decoration for your Candy Buffet Table! Lollipops come in such a huge variety of colors an flavors you are bound to find the perfect combination of delicious sugary goodness that will liven up any table..(And be edible afterwards! A great take home present for your guests.)

You can go as big or as tiny as you like with these lollipop centerpieces depending on your event and table size!

All you will need are…

• Lollipops (or suckers) – The big swirly ones are stunning to look at and add a real POP to the design…But don’t forget you can add in some small ones as well like Blow Pops and Tootsie Roll Pops (or a favorite of mine..Jolly Rancher! Yum!) too. The Rock Candy on lollipop sticks would look amazing as well! Cake Pops may work too! See my post here for instructions on how to make your own.
• A container to display them in – So many options here! A small fish bowl, a chunky glass square vase, a (clean) flower pot, a shallow rectangular tin, a bucket..etc. Use your imagination! If you end up using a bucket or metal tin or bucket of some sort you may want to spray paint it to match the rest of your theme (think bright or pastel colors!). Leaving it as is can look pretty too depending on the rest of your theme. Sometimes a plain metallic finish or clean, simple white will work best. Use your judgment/creativity!
• Styrofoam or floral foam
• A little hot glue (might be necessary if you are using large lollipops!)
• Cotton Candy or Loose Candy to fill the container and hide the foam. Some loose candy ideas would be – Gum Balls, Mike & Ikes, Jelly Beans, Gummies, etc! Chocolate pieces like M&M’s can work too..just make sure it won’t be so hot they will melt!
• Optional - Design or purchase 2″ round labels for the face(s) of your big swirly lollipops with your names and event date! (Many girls seem to be using publisher to make their own stickers and labels. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that you can check out my design site where I offer custom labels/stickers for purchase!)
• Optional - A little ribbon to tie bows on your lollipops for extra pizazz. A little tip if you do – Wrap ribbon tightly around the lollipop stick twice before tying a bow. It helps the bow stay put and look more professional!

Now all you need to do is put the foam at the bottom of your container, put a little bit of glue on the tips of your lollipops and stick them in. (You may want to play around with the arrangement before using the glue!) Then, when everything is how you want it to be fill up the container with your loose candy or cotton candy to hide the foam used to anchor the lollipops. Done! SO easy and yet so eye-catching! It will have your guests drooling and unlike flower arrangements they are a built in favor (and won’t wilt!). Love it!

As always if you use these instructions to create a yummy lollipop centerpiece of your own please share your photos with me!

Credit- Carol Browne on flickr

Cake balls are a yummy treat that have been around for a little while but has been gaining a lot in popularity the past year. And why wouldn’t they? These delicious little cake ball bites are both yummy and snack size..making them perfect for a delicious wedding favor, something pretty for your wedding treat table or something fun for your kid’s table.

There are so many different options and variations on these cake ball treats that I’m sure you can find one (or two..or three…) that will fit perfectly into your big day edibles. Your guests will love these tasty little treats! The cake ball recipe below is so easy.. Let’s get started!

Wedding Cake Balls Recipe (Can be made into Lollipop Cake Balls or Cake Pops too!)

You will need…

• 1 18.25 ounce package of cake mix
• 1 16 ounce container of prepared frosting
• Chocolate for Melting and Dipping
• Wax Paper
• Toothpicks
• Optional – Lollipop Sticks if you are making cake pops, Parchment Piping Bag to pipe melted chocolate
• Optional – Sprinkles, Chopped Nuts
• Optional – Mini Chocolate Chips to mix into the cake and frosting mixture
• Optional – Flavored Extract such as peppermint to add to the cake/frosting mixture (Be creative!)

1. First, bake the cake as directed on the box and then crumble it into a large bowl. (Some people recommend trimming off the edges to make crumbling easier!) Allow to cool just slightly.
2. Stir in frosting (and optional mini chocolate chips) until well blended. (You can do this by hand or using a hand mixer) Add half of the frosting first and then add more as necessary (Sometimes only half of the frosting is needed to make a nice tacky mixture without being too mushy!)
3. Put mixture into the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Overnight is fine too! This makes rolling them into balls much easier.
4. Once the mixture has been cooled line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper (aluminum foil is fine too if you do not have wax/parchment paper). Then use a melon baller or small cookie scoop (or your clean hands!) to form small balls of the cake and frosting mixture. Place on the lined baking sheet.
5. Freeze the balls for an hour or two. (If you are short on time you can skip this step but it makes dipping them in the chocolate much easier and cleaner!)
6. Before removing balls from the freezer melt your chocolate.
7. Remove balls from freezer. Stick them with a toothpick and dip in the melted chocolate. Use a second toothpick to gently push the ball off the first toothpick and onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (If the balls slide off the toothpick into your melted chocolate they weren’t chilled long enough in the freezer!) If you are making Cake Pops stick the ball with a lollipop stick instead of the toothpick and allow to stand on the baking sheet.
8. If you are adding sprinkles or chopped nuts and candies do so now!
9. Put in the fridge to set!
10. If you are drizzling or piping melted chocolate onto the chocolate coated balls do this after they have had time to set in the fridge and then put them back in the fridge to set again.
11. That’s it! You’ll have a bunch of yummy cake balls you can wrap in transparent bags with ribbon, place into clean white boxes with a specially designed label or pile them high on a pretty plate to serve to your ravenous guests!

I know you’ll have a great time coming up with a delicious combination of cake mix, frosting, chocolate and sprinkles to perfectly suit your wedding day. Here are some ideas to get your creativity brewing!

• German Chocolate Cake Mix – Pecan Coconut Frosting – Chocolate Almond Bark
• Chocolate Cake Mix – Chocolate Frosting – Dipped in Milk Chocolate sprinkled with Andes Candy Bits (Like Girl Scout Thin Mints!)
• Strawberry Cake Mix – Vanilla Frosting – Dipped in Dark Chocolate(Like chocolate covered strawberries!)
• French Vanilla Cake Mix – White Chocolate Almond Frosting – Dipped in White Chocolate
• Chocolate Cake Mix – Butter Cream Frosting – Dipped in Milk Chocolate
• Cherry Chip Cake Mix – Cream Cheese Frosting – Dipped in White Chocolate
• Fudge Cake Mix with Peppermint mini chips mixed in – Fudge Frosting – Dipped in Dark Chocolate
• Lemon Cake Mix (Optional mix in mini white chocolate chips) – Lemon Frosting – Dipped in White Chocolate
• Red Velvet Cake Mix – Cream Cheese Frosting – Dipped in Milk Chocolate
• Carrot Cake Mix – Cream Cheese Frosting – Dipped in White Chocolate

If you use this recipe to make your own delicious wedding edibles be sure to send us some photos! We would love to feature your work

And on a personal note – Sorry I haven’t updated in so long! I promise I haven’t forgotten about the site. My hubby and I were lucky enough to have our first baby 6 weeks ago so I had been consumed in the pregnancy and now taking care of our little goober. I will continue to update as often as I can though..The site hasn’t been abandoned!

Credit – Elena’s Pantry on flickr

Credit – freakgirl on flickr

Credit – gesika22 on flickr

Fortune cookies are always one of my favorite parts of ordering chinese take-out..Who doesn’t love the fun of reading a random, fun fortune and eating a delicious crisp cookie along with it? I found a delicious well-reviewed diy fortune cookie recipe on the food network for some yummy fortune cookies that would make perfect wedding favors!

You will need…

(Makes 6 cookies..You will need to multiply the recipe depending on how many cookies you will need.)

• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp melted butter, cooled
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 2 1/2″ x 1/2″ fortune strips (Already printed, cut and ready to go!)
• Optional: Food Coloring
• Optional: Chocolate and sprinkles/nuts/colored sugar (SugarCraft has a huge variety of colored sprinkles!)

Let’s get baking!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet thoroughly.
2. Whip the egg whites on low speed until light and foamy. Blend in the sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
3. Pour in the melted butter, flour, salt, and extracts; mix until well combined. If you want to color your cookies add a drop of food coloring to the batter and mix well!
4. Drop a tablespoon of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. Using the back of a spoon, spread the batter evenly into very thin 3-inch rounds. Alternatively, use the lid of a jar with a 3-inch circle punched out as a template, pour the batter in the ring, and remove. Because you must work quickly to shape these cookies, bake just 3 at a time.
5. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the edges are a light golden color.
6. Optional Step – Once cooled you may decide you want to dip your yummy cookies in chocolate and then either roll the dipped cookies in fun sprinkles, crushed nuts or colored sugar. If this is the case melt your chocolate in a double boiler or microwave following the package instructions. Then just dip, roll and place on a piece of wax paper to cool! Sooo delicious! Plus, you can further customize the cookie favors to your wedding theme by dipping them in colored chocolate to match or rolling the dipped cookies in sprinkles or sugar to coordinate with your wedding. Maybe you’ll get a little crazy and do both! Heehee.

Once your cookies are cooled off and the chocolate has set just wrap them in a little cellophane bag or favor box, tie on a pretty ribbon and add on a cute favor tag! Your guests will love these homemade treats and they will be so impressed you made them yourself!

Some tips….

• Visit Fancy Fortune Cookies for some wedding themed fortunes for your fortune strips!
• Make sure when you drop the batter on the cookie sheet it is spread very thinly. If it is too thick you will not be able to fold them!
• When pulling the cookies out of the oven work quickly! If you allow the cookies to cool they will crack and crumble when you try to fold.
• If the cookie is too stiff or brittle when trying to fold place them back in the oven 2-3 minutes and try again!
• Place cookies in a muffin tin after folding to help them keep their shape when cooling.
• Practice makes perfect! Be prepared to have some screwy cookies at first until you get the hang of it

Lastly – If you have issues with the recipe or are tight on time you can by prepackaged fortune cookies, unwrap and just dip them in the chocolate and sprinkles to skip the whole baking process. They may not have wedding fortunes but it will obviously save you a lot of time! Then just wrap up and tag and you are set!

Recipe modified from Foodnetwork.com, photo credits: nofussfabulous

credit: rockYOface on flickr.com

Sometimes when all is said and done the bride and groom are left with a bunch of favors left behind by their guests. This won’t happen if your favor is an edible! I found this delicious recipe for diy oreo truffles on the kraft website ad thought it would be a perfect diy favor idea for all of you planning your own wedding!

They only require a few ingredients so they are extremely affordable and they don’t take very long to make! Here’s the recipe!

Oreo Truffles (Makes 42 individual truffles!)

• 1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
• 1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted (Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate..Choose your fav!)
• Optional – Candy sprinkles for additional customization – find some in your wedding colors!

1. MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.
2. DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. (Here is where you can also add some of your candy sprinkles to add some color! You could also wait till after refrigerating  and further decorate your truffles with different colored chocolate by piping pretty designs or swirls on top!)
3. REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

credit: Kraft Foods

That’s it – you will only need to wrap them up for your guests! Some cute packaging ideas would be individually wrapping each truffle in cellophane (clear or colored) with a pretty bow to match your theme and a favor tag. You could also put them in pretty favor boxes!

If you make truffles for your big day using this recipe please be sure to send us the pics! We would love to see!

credit: talekinker on flickr.com

credit: ladybugbkt on flickr.com

credit: cakewalkbu3 on flickr.com

(Here is a quick mock-up so you can see what they look like, I’m sure you can do a prettier job embellishing! )

I found this fantastic video on youtube by tommr1 showing how to make your own wedding favor seed envelopes very easily and affordably! You only need a few items to craft these cute little envelopes. Your guests will love these little seed favors and can think of your wedding every time they see the little plant they grew from your special favor.

You will need:

• 8 1/2″ x 11″ Paper (Standard printing paper size) – You can use parchment paper, scrapbook paper or plain colored printing paper. Choose something that would compliment your wedding theme or colors!
• Scissors
• Seeds
• Optional: Embellishments such as a rubber stamp, pens/markers, glitter, crystals etc. to adorn your envelope with after folding

Here is his informative video showing how to fold your paper into an adorable seed envelope…

Once you fold your envelope you may choose to embellish the envelope with your names and wedding date, a themed rubber stamp, your monogram, or even a little wedding poem pertaining to seeds and growth. (Click here for an excellent group of wedding seed favor poems that would work great on your handmade favors!)

The seeds you use can also reflect your wedding colors and/or theme. For example, if you are using gerbera daisies as your main flower for the day then daisy seeds may be a cute favor! Another idea may be pumpkin seeds if you are having a fall wedding.

Here are some other ideas for seeds…

Daisy Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Wildflower Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Forget-me-not Seeds
Carnation Seeds
Love-in-a-mist Seeds
Evergeen tree Seeds
Herb Seeds

These handmade paper seed envelopes are not only affordable and cute they can also be considered green favors, especially if you go the extra mile to get recycled paper for your envelopes!

Make sure you send in pics if you make these seed favors for your big day, we love seeing our visitors beautiful work!

credit: mrk_photo on flickr.com

Food is the perfect wedding favor (it never goes to waste!), and what would be more perfect for an edible wedding favor in the fall than do it yourself homemade candy apple favors? These yummy chocolate caramel covered apples will leave your guests drooling when they see them at your place setting, and they are quite darling wrapped in cellophane with a colored bow to match your theme! You can even attach little tags with your names, wedding date..even your personalized monogram! They are so easy to make and can be customized in so many different ways to create a delicious favor all your own.

You’ll Need…. (This recipe creates 5 apples, multiply as needed to treat all your guests!)

• 5 large Granny Smith apples
• wooden craft/popsicle sticks
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 14 oz. package of individually wrapped caramels (unwrapped)
• 7 oz. chocolate candy bar broken into pieces (Milk chocolate, dark chocolate or even white chocolate will do! Or, you can do without it completely if you only want your apples covered in caramel!)
• tbsp Shortening (if also dipping in chocolate, ignore if only dipping in caramel)
• Goodies/topping to further decorate your treats – chopped nuts, sprinkles, coconut, chopped pieces of candy/candy bars (chopped peppermint candy or even heath bars!)
• Wax Paper
• Cooking Spray

Let’s start!

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and dip each apple in briefly to remove any wax that may be on the skin from the grocery store. Wipe dry and let cool.
2. Insert craft/popsicle sticks into each apple, through their core.
3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spray with cooking spray to prepare a place for your apples to cool.
4. Melt unwrapped caramels in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave with the two tablespoons of water. Cook on high two minutes, stir (be careful it gets hot!), and continue heating and then stirring in one minute intervals until the caramel is completely melted.
5. Holding each apple by the stick, gently dip each apple into the melted caramel and then carefully transfer it to the wax paper you prepared earlier. If you are going to be dipping your apples into chocolate, refrigerate for 15 minutes. If you are only dipping your apples in the caramel skip ahead to step 7 to coat your treat with nuts, chopped candies or sprinkles instead of allowing to dry and then refrigerate to set.
6. Next, heat chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave with the tablespoon of shortening until melted and smooth. Dip each caramel coated apple into the melted chocolate to cover the caramel and then hold apple over the bowl allow the excess chocolate to drip off.
7. Once you have allowed the extra chocolate to drip off, gently roll in the chopped nuts, sprinkles or chopped candies you chose to decorate your apple treats.
8. Set on wax paper and allow to set (If you skipped chocolate, it’s best to set your apple in the refrigerator)…and you’re done!

That’s all you need to do to create these delicious autumn themed favors! Once the apples have set wrap them in cellophane (clear or colored to match your theme!) and tie with your favorite colored ribbon. Place one at each guests place setting or gently arrange in a big basket for your guests to grab on their way out. It’s so easy to make, and they are so delicious! Your guests won’t leave these treats behind and their tastebuds will thank you

credit: erica8431 on flickr.com

credit: eric_kilby on flickr.com