Confectionary Commentary

Tomorrow I will begin the new

Candy of the Month Club!

Each month I will feature a different confection and each month Candy Club members can post a comment to enter themselves in the monthly prize drawing!

The candy of the month will be posted on the first of each month - with the random drawing for the prize winner happening on the 5th of each month!

WARNING!!!

This club will not for the faint of heart! There may be some SERIOUS sugar consumption involved in club participation.

The candy of the month will be the real deal.

We are talking artificially flavored, colored, corn syrup laced, refined sugar!

There may be chocolate on occasion - but for the most part we are talking candy at its purest here, the kind of stuff kids spend their pocket money on and moms spend their time confiscating!

There is a "loop-hole" however, -if you happen to be diabetic, or on a diet for health reasons, or have valid reasons for not being able to eat sugar, you may choose to "SHARE" the Candy of the Month with others - and post about their reactions/your experience/thoughts.

July's prize is REALLY GOOD! - check back on the first for all of the "Sweet and Juicy" details!

- Sweet B

SpookyTime Jingles

Scheduled for the 13th of JULY!

A fabulous new marketplace dedicated to Halloween and Christmas art YEAR ROUND!

The site is scheduled to debut on July 13th. There are some really talented and exceptional artists participating in this, and I am excited to be offering my work along side them. Actually, I am a little nervous about participating - these are some SERIOUSLY talented people!


I went a little crazy and started a very detailed piece for the debut - HOPEFULLY I can finish in time. We have a little family trip planned for the fourth of July - so I'd better get to work!

-Sweet B

Artistic Avalanche

Ok - I know I haven't posted for a while - but with good reason!

... well, here's my story (and I'm sticking to it!).

.....A few weeks ago I was inspired by various bloggers (naming no names) to organize and "Spring clean" my studio. This was a daunting task - and it took me several days of serious contemplation before I could even get started. (I have A LOT of stuff)

Once I committed to the idea of ORGANIZING (a concept completely foreign to me and my family) I rolled up my sleeves and immediately began reading the magazines and clippings that I had been saving in piles under my desk. (Mary Engelbreit Magazines are even better the second or third time around!)

Roll the clock forward two days - Finally finished browsing through old literature, pawing through costume jewelry stash, and folding stacks of felted wool, and decide to move onto the closet. This is a regular closet, not a "walk in", although it holds as much as a walk-in closet does - especially when I stack, shove and cram my supplies in there.

Here's where I made a BIG mistake. The top shelf of the closet had originally held LARGE baskets full of neatly folded fabric, baskets - which were now buried under months and months of accumulated flea market finds, e-bay rejects, extra supplies, and unfinished projects.

Reaching up to the top shelf and pulling down a spool of feathered garland triggered a MASSIVE avalanche of stuff, under which I was buried with no hope of rescue.

For two weeks I lay trapped under the crushing weight of french flour sacks, vintage yardage, wood blocks, and a box of yarn spools (I had been looking those!)

While trapped under this tonnage of treasure, I managed to find sustenance in an old box of miscellaneous candy I had been saving for a gingerbread village I never got around to making.

Finally, after our deep freeze had been emptied of frozen meals, a search party was sent out to find me.

I never will forget the day I saw my husbands face peering over the top of the mountain of millinery under which I was trapped - I was SAVED - Hooooooray!

"When are you going to clean up this room?"

"Just get me out of here...."

And THAT'S why I haven't been posting to my blog!

-Sweet B

Check out this new Etsy Shop!

Speaking of "Seriously Cool" - you MUST visit this new Etsy Shop - Kim Hardt Originals - filled to the brim with wonderful little Halloween goodies by the talented miss Kim Hardt! She must have locked herself in solitary confinement for months! - how else could someone make so many wonderful pieces!! - Get there fast because I have a feeling these little cuties won't last long.

- Sweet B

Halloween Hoopla!

Here are photos of my Pfatt Halloween listings for this month - "What's all the Hoopla" you ask... well - Pfatt is themed Halloween in June - because Christmas is ALWAYS in JULY.

Anyway - This Tree is SERIOUSLY cool - it is sooooooooo hard to take photos of these pieces, but I can assure you - the tree looks fabulous in person. Layers of paint give it depth - and the nose and chin are really "gnarly". It is hard to tell in the photo, but the two front branches are arms - with long spindly twig fingers . Can you tell this is one piece I wouldn't mind keeping!! I used vintage crystal gems from a broach for my Owl eyes - and the compartment inside the tree goes all the way to the bottom of the piece.



My little pies are cute too - don't you think! - Wouldn't you just love to take a bite out of them! the boxes were handmade and the little pie lids lift off to show a dry-brushed red interior.

All of this can be yours - just visit the Pfatt Marketplace. Don't forget to take a gander at all of wonderful artists on the site as well - give yourself plenty of time - you will want to look at EVERYTHING. Oh, and don't forget to sign up for door prizes, I think you can enter once a day.



If you have any questions please e-mail me anytime. Comments are always welcome too.



- Sweet B

Sneak Peak at Pfatt Pfright

Here are a couple of photos of the Halloween Tree Candy Container that will be for sale on the PFATT Marketplace website on the 10th of this month. There is a Halloween theme going on - hence the haunted tree, two pumpkin pie miniature boxes and the hand-painted candy coaster sets that will also be listed.

The Pfatt Marketplace will be offering "door prizes" - so it is really worth checking out.

This Tree Candy Container stands about 11.5 inches tall - the little owl lifts off to revel a hollow center for candy storage. There is so much layering and texture in this tree: his nose is a gnarly stump and his chin is a stubby branch - he looks a little mad and has two long arms reaching out to grab you - but really - he and the owl are just watching over your special candy stash!

I will post more photos next week.

- Sweet B

Circus Peanuts - June Candy of the Month

This month I am honoring the Grand Dame of marshmallow candies.....

THE CIRCUS PEANUT!

Beautifully technicolor orange, these tasty little marshmallow candies are shaped like a cartoon peanut and taste like tropical bananas.

No one knows the origin of the name "Circus Peanut", but I think that the bright color and fun shape may have something to do with it.

First produced in the 1800's, Circus peanuts were orange flavored and sold as seasonal items in five and dime stores. There are quite a few manufacturers of Circus Peanuts, but the big three would be Brach's Farley's and Spangler. Spangler has been producing circus peanuts since the 1940's, currently they produce about 3960,000 lbs of Circus Peanuts a year.

Some people LOVE Circus Peanut (me!) and some people cannot stand them (my husband!) - Personally I like the slightly gritty chewy texture and the super sugary banana taste, although too many Circus Peanuts can be really overwhelming. The first Circus Peanut out of the bag is fabulous, the second one is really good, the third is pushing it - and if you consecutively eat a fourth - woe is you.

Circus peanuts have been produced in yellow, pink and white in the past - but the traditional orange peanut shape is the best.

Little known fact: General Mills Cereal company discovered that the Circus Peanut shavings added a tasty element to their breakfast cereal. General Mills developed this discovery and created "Lucky Charms".

SO - Whether you eat them all of the time, or haven't had one since childhood - this month is Circus Peanut Month - so buy a bag and share some Circus Peanuts today!

-Sweet B