Triple Duty Apothecary Jar

I totally forgot to post this up.  I know it is after the holidays but I figured I mine as well post up these  pictures, just in case you are shopping and happen to find an apothecary jar drink dispenser on sale or something.     I wrote in a previous post on how I use it as a drink dispenser and to display my collection of wine corks.  This Christmas I found another nifty use for it.  I was able to remove the dispenser spout and string Christmas lights into the bottom dispenser hole.   This makes the apothecary drink jar triple duty.  The lights you use should not have connections outlets on both ends (for stringing them together) or else the cord will not fit through the hole.  I purchased my lights at Walmart; they are single stranded with a plug only on one side.  I want to find another one of these jars, but are sold out at World Market.  I'll have to check again to see if they restocked.  For Valentines day, I may do a lighted Valentine's day display by replacing the ornaments with candy hearts or heart shaped cookie cutters.  I love this jar because without the dispenser hole, the lights would have to come up over the top, making the lid impossible to close.  One tip I have is to hide the spout inside the jar, so when its time to use it as a drink dispenser you know exactly where you put it.

Chocolate Dipped Panda Gummy Bears

I've been wanting to make these chocolate covered gummy bears for my cousin Panda for a while now. Yes, I have a cousin named Panda, yes, like the bear, and no her parents didn't name her after a black and white bear. Her name was just lost in translation. In my previous posts I showed you how to make white chocolate covered gummy bears and dark chocolate covered gummy bears.  These panda bears use the same technique as the white chocolate covered gummy bears but I also painted them with cocoa powder.  I thought it would be easy to make paint the black onto the panda bears, but it was difficult to paint white chocolate.  It took multiple coats of cocoa powder (with a wet brush), so I only made her four panda ones and labeled the package albino mix.  I also wished the cocoa powder was more black than brown.  I will have to try with food coloring pens next.

The links above show you how to dip the gummy bears (with pictures), but in case you're lazy here is the basic how to:
Materials:
20 to 30 gummy bears
6 oz of white or dark chocolate chips or cut up chunks
1 tbs of butter or shortening (if chocolate is too thick) optional
mug
spatula
foam board
toothpicks

Place about 6 oz of chocolate chips in microwave safe mug.
Heat in microwave for 30 seconds on medium heat.
Take out and stir chocolate with spatula for 30 seconds. If chocolate is not melted enough heat again for 15 seconds and stir for another 30.  Do not overheat chocolate.  It will get lumpy.  If chocolate is melted but too thick you can add 1tbs of melted butter or shortening to the mixture.
Skewer the gummy bears with toothpicks and dip.  Stick toothpicks into foam board and let dry.

New Year's Count Down Cups

This post is a little late.  But this was a last minute quick idea for count down cups with foamies.  Simply take numbered foamies or felties and stick them on your campaign glasses.  This will also work as cup markers so your guest can identify their cups.  I did two sets, one with white foamies and the other I glue-sticked the surface dipped in purple glitter.  The foamies come out pretty cleanly from the glass cups also.