These fancy schmancy salt dough tags will add pizazz to your DIY wedding favors. They’re fun and easy to make too! If you have stamps with individual letters, you could also use these as name cards.

Here is what you need to make these salt dough tags:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup of water
• heart cookie cutters
• stamps (Amazon has a great selection of stamps, but the ones I used for this tutorial came from Michael’s)
  
• ink pad
• bamboo skewer or straw to make hole in tags
• ribbon
• sand paper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients.

Add water.

Mix, or get a couple of helpers to do the messy work:)

Roll to 1/4 inch thick.

Ink your stamp. Press stamp into dough.

Press cookie cutter into stamped dough.

Place cut-out on a baking sheet.

Using a bamboo skewer, chopstick or straw, make a hole in the top of the tag.

Bake in 200 degree oven for six hours.

Remove from oven. Sand edges.

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Add ribbon. Fini!! If you want to get extra fancy, paint the tags, add glitter, then varnish.

This recipe for hot cocoa on a stick is easy to make – and the results are delicious! You can wrap the hot chocolate on a stick with cellophane bags and give as DIY wedding favors, or simply leave them out at your dessert or beverage station.

They key is to use good quality chocolate and to make sure your milk is steaming hot before swirling the delicious blocks of cocoa.

Recipe and Tutorial for Hot Cocoa on a Stick

(From King Arthur Flour)

Yields 25 – 36 blocks (Depending on how big you cut them. I got 25 blocks.)

Ingredients

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate (chopped chocolate bars or chips)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate
• wooden sticks (I used coffee stir sticks)

Learn How to Make Ice Shot Glasses Inspired by Quebec’s Hôtel de Glace

I’ve always wanted to go to the Hôtel de Glace in Quebec. In fact, my husband and I had reservations there 11 years ago, but had to cancel because my dad was in the hospital. Thankfully my dad made a full recovery – but we never re-booked. Every winter I gaze longingly at online photos of the Hôtel de Glace. “Maybe next year,” I tell myself. (My six-year old can’t quite understand how we wouldn’t freeze to death  while sleeping on a block of ice.)

I decided to use the hotel’s notorious ice bar as inspiration for this tutorial. I always thought it would be ultra cool to swig back a shot of Grey Goose in an ice shot glass (even though vodka straight up usually makes me shudder.) Hell, even 7-up out of an ice shot glass would be cool.

Making a shot glass out of ice is a cinch. I actually used two flavors of a Kool-aid-like beverage to make these glasses; blue raspberry and blueberry pomegranate. Not only do they make the ice shot glasses a lovely shade of blue, they taste good too. However, they do leave a bit of residual stickiness on your hands. If you don’t want your hands to get sticky, but you still want color, simply add a bit of food coloring to the water.

Ice Shot Glasses Tutorial

You will need:

• water or Kool-aid like beverage (if you go with the Kool-aid, water it down so it doesn’t end up too sticky)
• 3 oz Dixie cups
• 1 oz plastic cups or Dixie cups
• small rocks
• duct tape

Pour beverage into larger cup about 2/3 full.

Place smaller cup inside the cup and push it down until it is about level with the rim of the larger cup. Add a stone to help to weigh it down.

Place a piece of duct tape over the two cups.

Repeat until you have desired number of shot glasses. Place inside freezer for 6-8 hours. (I set the filled cups inside a loaf pan before placing inside the freezer just in case they overflowed.)

Remove from freezer. Fill the small cup with hot tap water, being careful not to let it overflow onto the ice. Let sit for about 30 seconds. Remover inner cup. Run outside of larger cup under warm water until the cup loosens from the ice. Turn over and push gently on the bottom of the cup until the ice pops out. Bring shot glasses outdoors for your winter party and fill with beverage of your choice.

DIY bath salts are probably the easiest and most economical DIY favors known to man, er woman – especially with this bath salts recipe. Talk about bang for your buck! Which of your female guests wouldn’t love a luxurious soak in a tub filled with gorgeous aromas and pure, skin-softening salts?

I especially loved this DIY wedding project because it gave me an excuse to open my potions cupboard. You see, way back when I used to be a soap maker extraordinaire and I still have all of my luscious essential oils tucked away in a cupboard. I jump at any chance to unscrew the lids and inhale deeply:) Aromatherapy indeed!

I think this would be a fabulous shower gift. You could even make up a bunch of different varieties (I made pink grapefruit, bergamot, lime and mint) and have your guests fill their own containers with their desired fragrance. You could call it a ‘spa station’ and offer up other spa goodies, like handmade soap and DIY bath bombs. (This could get expensive, so if you are on a tight budget, the bath salts would be just fine on their own.)

Bath Salts Recipe (Fills two 150 ml containers)

3/4 cup Epsom salts

1/2 cup coarse sea salt

1/4 cup baking soda

8 drops essential oil

food coloring

Mix all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl.

If there are lumps, crush them. Add food coloring and essential oil.

Using a whisk, mix in the essential oil and food coloring.

Scoop bath salts into airtight containers.

It looks like a cake pop, it smells like a cake pop and it tastes amazing – but don’t be fooled dear readers; it’s a fake. Underneath that pretty shell of chocolate and sprinkles is a Timbit (aka donut hole.)

These fake cakes, as I call them, are not only just as adorable as cake pops – they take only a fraction of the time to make!

The idea to use Timbits instead of baking my own cake pops came to me while I was driving home from Christmas shopping. I’ve always loved the idea of cake pops as DIY wedding favors, but after making brownie pops and realizing how time consuming they are, I had no desire to attempt a DIY on cake pop favors.  I figure that brides are frazzled enough without having to add the stress of homemade cake pops.

So, there I was with my two girls in the backseat hankering for something sweet, when I saw a Tim Horton’s sign in the distance.

“Timbits!!! I can use Timbits.”

Instead of making a beeline for the drive-thru, I headed straight home and Googled Timbits + cake pops; I quickly realized that I am not the only one who has thought of this ingenious idea. But that didn’t stop me. A few days later  I bought a 40-pack of Timbits, some cake pop supplies, and I got down to business.

Here’s how I made my first (but not last) batch of Fake Cakes or Cake Pops for Cheaters:

You will need:

• Timbits, or donut holes (I used chocolate glazed and plain. The plain ones were easier to work with because they are denser and the lollipop stick stays in place better. The chocolate ones are REALLY delicious though.)
• wafers for melting
• sprinkles
• lollipop sticks

Melt your wafers over a double boiler.

Put your melted chocolate wafers into a dish. Dip end of lollipop stick into chocolate, then insert into Timbit about half way through.

Dip donut in melted chocolate, making sure it is completely covered. Let excess chocolate drip into bowl. Carefully shaking or tapping the stick will help this process along. This is the most time consuming part of the project.

Add sprinkles.

Poke holes in a piece of styrofoam using a bamboo skewer.

Insert cake pops into holes. Let chocolate set.

Place the ends of individual cake pops into small boxes (as shown) and give as wedding favors.

Want to learn how to make bath bombs? Not only are bath bombs a great way to enhance an already pleasurable activity (who doesn’t love a warm soak in the tub!), they also make for fantastic shower or wedding favors.

Bath bombs smaller than these sell for  $6.45 a pop at Lush. If you take lots of baths, your money will dissolve pretty quickly.

Before I go on to tell you how to make bath bombs, I have a confession to make: this is the third bath bomb recipe that I’ve tried – and the only one that worked for me. I nearly gave up after my last attempt turned into a crumbly mess – but something in me was fiercely determined to succeed. And that I did!

After doing some heavy duty reading on how to make bath bombs, I’ve realized that perfecting a bath bomb really does take practice. You might not get it right the first time – and if that’s not okay with you, then you might want to hop on over to Lush to purchase your bath bombs, instead of making them.

If you don’t have all the ingredients to make this recipe, all you really need is baking soda, water, citric acid and essential oil. I suggest you read this guide to making bath bombs before you proceed.

If you are making bath bombs as favors, you’ll probably want to get smaller molds or just fill half the mold for each one. This recipe makes 2.5 eight ounce bath bombs.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. baking soda
• 4 oz Citric Acid
• 4 oz. corn starch
• 4 oz. Epsom salts
• 3/4 tsp water
• 2 tsp. essential oil (I used peppermint)
• 2.5 tsp almond oil or other light oil
• A few drops food coloring
• sugar flower (the kind you use for decorating cakes)
• round, snap-together plastic ornaments

Gather your dry ingredients.

Dump all of your dry ingredients into one big bowl and stir.

Place wet ingredients in a small jar and mix.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir, using a whisk. Mixture should clump together in your hands.

Place sugar flower upside down in one half of the baubles.

Pack mixture tightly into first half of plastic ornament. Repeat with second half. Pile mixture loosely on top of filled second ornament and press both halves together. If you find that the mixture is not packing well, place back into the bowl and add a WEE bit of water. This is tricky, because too much water will ruin your bath bomb.

Carefully release from mold. Place bath bombs on a fluffy towel covered with wax paper (this will help to eliminate the flat spot on the bottom of the bomb) to dry. Let dry for 1-2 days before wrapping.

If you are giving these as DIY favors, place in a cellophane favor bag or wrap with tissue paper.

I hunted high and low for a maple walnut fudge recipe – and this one is fantastic. The key to making this maple walnut fudge extra awesome, is to use fresh walnuts. I bought a big honking bag of walnuts at Costco and I keep them in my fridge. They are, hands down, the best walnuts I’ve tasted. They really make this fudge delish!

Unlike the easy homemade fudge favors recipe, this recipe might be a wee bit tricky for first time fudge makers – but please, don’t let this put you off from making it. Just make sure you have an accurate candy thermometer and don’t get too impatient with the process.

This fudge would be a perfect addition to a fudge station at your wedding. Or simply cut into squares and place inside a favor box. This recipe yields 36 squares or 1 1/4 pounds of fudge.

Ingredients for Maple Walnut Fudge

4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup genuine maple syrup

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups of miniature marshmallows

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (you could also use pecans)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gather your ingredients.

Line pans with waxed paper.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, butter, maple syrup, milk and mini marshmallows.

Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally until a candy or digital thermometer reaches 225-235 degrees F. (I took mine off the heat at 225 degrees) or until it forms a soft ball when a little of the mixture is dropped into cold water.

Remove from heat. Let cool to 115 degrees F. Add nuts and vanilla extract. Mix at medium speed with an electric mixer until the mixture loses its gloss and starts to harden around the edges of the saucepan. Knowing exactly when to stop mixing is the trickiest part of the process. If you wait too long  the mixture will be too difficult to pour.

Pour mixture into lined baking pans.

Place in fridge for two hours. Remove from pan and cut as desired.

Take it away Mel!

If you want to incorporate some DIY wedding craftiness into your intimate wedding, check out these DIY ribbon boutonnieres for the groom!  You can also use them as hair clips to add some colour to your girls’ outfits.

DIY Ribbon Boutonniere Tutorial

What you’ll need:

Ribbon
Scissors
Needle and thread
Iron
Button Covering Kit and scrap material

What to do:

1. Start by making an accordion formation with your ribbon. I made folds every inch.

2. Knot one end of your thread and push the needle through one edge. Then bring each side over so that both ends of the thread meet, and knot them.

3. Now comes the fiddly part – make your folds evenly spaced and push down so that the fold is in one direction only, then iron flat.

4. Now to add some flair to your medallion. Cut a length of ribbon and attach to the back of your medallion with glue.

5. Finally, we’ll add a patterned button to the center. You can either use a vintage button for the center, or cover one using a kit.

6. Glue the covered button into the center with a hot glue gun and you’re finished. How cute is that!

My mother-in-law emailed me this easy homemade fudge recipe a few days ago, and given that fudge makes a delightful Christmas gift (not to mention, wedding favor!), I gave it a whirl. Super yum! And honestly, if you can melt chocolate, you can make this fudge. You don’t even need a candy thermometer.

If you are giving these as DIY favors, simply place two or three pieces inside a favor box, wrap with a ribbon or baker’s twine and add a thank-you tag.

Ingredients for Easy Homemade Fudge

• 1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1.5 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• Dash salt
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Gather your ingredients.

Line pans with waxed paper.

If you are adding walnuts, chop or pound into smallish chunks.

In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt.

Remove from heat; stir in nuts (if you are adding them) and vanilla.

Spread evenly into wax-paper-lined pans.

Place in fridge for two hours or until firm. Cut in slabs or squares. Place inside favor boxes.

Chocolate pretzel rods are fun and fabulous DIY wedding favors. They’re easy to make and perfect for brides on a budget.

The key to great tasting chocolate pretzel rods is to not cheap out on the chocolate. I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips. Also, to ensure freshness, I wouldn’t make these more than a few days before your wedding.

Chocolate Pretzel Rods Tutorial

You will need:

1 bag pretzel rods (Depending on where you live, pretzel rods might not be easy to find. I hunted high and low and finally found them at Micheal’s. I’m guessing that they are are a popular Christmas treat because I got the last bag!)

1 bag of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

chocolate sprinkles, nuts or white chocolate chips

Place chocolate in a double boiler and melt.

For easy dipping, find a tall glass or vessel in which to pour your melted chocolate.

Dip pretzel rod into chocolate, leaving about an inch at the end.

Let excess chocolate drip off of the end of the pretzel rod.

Place chocolate pretzel rods onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. The chocolate will pool underneath it, creating a flat side to the pretzel. This is normal and nothing to fret about. Also, you can shave off any excess chocolate with a knife once it has set.

Add chocolate sprinkles or nuts. I brought the chocolate pretzel rods outside into the cold air and let the chocolate set just a wee bit before I added the sprinkles, that way the sprinkles didn’t slide off the top. You can also drizzle them with white chocolate, but make sure you let the semi-sweet chocolate set first. If you are giving these as wedding favors, simply place inside a cellophane bag and add a tag.