Candy of the Month

Ok - so candy hearts would be the logical choice! Produced by the Necco company, they are an iconic symbol of Valentines Day. Being the candy nut that I am , however, I prefer to highlight my PERSONAL favorite Necco brand candy....

THE CANDY BUTTON

Candy buttons, a gloriously beautiful candy.

When I was young I dreamed about having a dress made with a candy button sash.... come to think of it, that isn't such a bad idea.

Candy buttons were originally introduced by the Cumberland Valley company. The Necco candy company acquired the brand in 1980, which made them the exclusive manufacturer of this product in America. There are three flavors on each paper strip: Cherry (pink), lime(blue), and lemon (yellow). Candy Buttons come in two strip sizes: long and short. NECCO makes 3/4 billion candy buttons in the course of a year. It is also known as paper candy.
There is a special "Candy button machine", invented just to make this candy.

The First candy buttons I ever laid eyes on, were at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. I bought them at a gift shop, and then horded them (without opening them) for weeks. Candy buttons are great for sharing, because you can rip off a section of buttons for your friend, much more hygienic than offering someone a "bite" of your candy bar, or trying to "tear" your taffy in two with your bare hands. Candy buttons are a good value too, they take a long time to eat because you have to bite each tiny peg of candy off - one at a time. I especially love the buttons that are "swirled" they are usually found where the color changes on the strip.
To enter this months candy club challenge, simply post a comment about candy buttons. Double entries for anyone who actually BUYS and EATS them this month!

THE PRIZE

This month's winner will receive an original

Sweet B Candy Container

Good Luck everyone.

Eat your candy Buttons!

-Sweet B

The Winner of the January Candy Challenge

Ooooh, who will be taking home this set of

Sweet B Confections?

My husband selected the lucky number this time, AND the November Candy Club members were entered into the draw as promised.

and the winner is.......

Lori, from Retro Rudolphs

Congratulations Lori! Your malicious marshmallow, Belligerent bon bon and Miniature Sweet B Lollipop man will be sent off as soon as I get your address!

In the meantime, click HERE to see my sweet selection currently listed on Ebay.

Come back on Tuesday to see February's Candy Club Challenge, and have another chance to WIN a Sweet B Creation.

- Sweet B

EHAG GOODIES and GIVEAWAY

Its Finally Here!The EHAG January Challenge and Blog Give-away! Give-away details and peeks at the prizes are on the EHAG website now - don't forget to visit and sign up to win!

Challenge pieces will be listed on Ebay all week - just use EHAG as a search word on Ebay to view these creepy creations!

Here is my challenge piece, which will be listed on Wednesday of this week.This Winter Witch has been collecting the last crab apples of the season (by the light of the crescent moon of course!)

There is wonderful detail in this piece, the shadow cabinet interior has been painted with spooky winter trees over a snowy, frosty background. Mica flakes add a tiny bit of sparkly to the layers of "snow" that has settled. Madame Witch has alpaca hair, which has been braided into a bun, a hand-sewn woolen cloak and skirt and crepe undergarments. The spooky tree is paper mache over composite and has been layered with paint for a wonderfully realistic texture. A blue light bulb is affixed to the back and gives off an erie glow when switched on. The outside of the box has been buffed with wax for a lovely soft finish. The cold crescent moon watches over the scene from his perch on top.

Total piece stands 10.5inches tall and 3.5inches deep and 5 inches wide.

Another Ebay listing for this week.

This one comes with a little poem:

Lollipop, Lollipop

Trick or Treat.

Tonight your journey must be fleet!

For in the forest lurks great danger,

NEVER

trust your candy

to

a

Stranger...

This Shadow Cabinet is slightly larger, 11.5inches tall, 8.5 inches wide and 3inches deep. A blood red light is mounted on the back, which gives this piece a warm, scary glow at night.

The outside of the cabinet has been accented with elaborate wooden embellishments and braiding. A deep wax finish has also been applied to the entire outside of the piece. The Spooky Trees in the foreground are paper mache and composite, mounted against a painted "forest" background. These terrified lollipops are grasping their tiny candy baskets while they flee through the toad-stool scattered wood.Even the tiny little baskets have been painted, and filled with all sorts of miniature goodies.
I must say, these photos do not do this piece justice - it really is something to see.

And see it you shall, on Ebay this week!

Thanks for stopping

-Sweet B

January Candy of the Month

Weird Candy

Have you ever seen candy and thought

" that's just not right"

or

"what were they thinking?"

THIS for example

Sure, it looks cute - but what if it REALLY tasted like hot dogs?

or bologna?????

But don't worry - it has been inspected by the Dept. of Bubble gum!

Hey.... I get the gummy popcorn in the cute box.... but WHY SOUR? - that is just weird!

and what is the deal with "CHOCOLATE FLAVORED" - do they really think they are fooling anyone with this? - Either it's chocolate, or it isn't right?

OK -SO you get the theme right?

this month's Candy Club Challenge is

Strange Sweets

Post a comment about the strangest, weirdest, most bizarre candy you have tried or seen and you will be entered to win a set of Sweet B Candy Ornaments.

Your Set of Ornaments will include

A Belligerent Bon Bon

A miniature Sweet B lollipop

and a

malicious marshmallow

All of you who participated in December are automatically entered for this drawing, if you post this month you will receive another entry (that's twice the chances to win!)

I have tried a lot of weird candy in my time, but the most recent experience with a "Strange Sweet" would have to be this past Christmas.

My mom made a batch of mint fudge that was a shade of green never seen in nature. This stuff looked like lumpy kryptonite on a plate.

how did it taste?......like it looked!

Sorry Mom - but it was pretty weird.

-Sweet B

Happy January

Happy January everyone

and

HAPPY 2009!

I always start the new year off right....my birthday is in January!!

Which is a really nice pick-me-up after the Holiday let down.

The creative buzz is warming up around here

I have multiple WIP going and the candy of the month will be up in the next few days. Some exciting challenges this month and some new twists on old favorites - a good way to start a new year!

this month on Pfatt Marketplace

updated the 10th of the month

a Valentine Bear Sweet B Lollipop Tree

I really wanted to show it holding heart-shaped lollipops, but none of the stores in my area have their Valentine candy out yet!!! - so he is just a tad bit sad with the swirly pops - but still really cute! - his hat is wool felt with vintage millinery flowers and a fun glittery heart. He holds up to 21 lollipops and has an extra heavy wooden base - to hold all of those great big chocolate lollipops.

Fairytale Toadstools

Won't these be cute tucked in with Valentines decorations, I made some for myself and will probably keep them out all year round - Several sets will be up for sale on Pfatt.

They are rather SWEET aren't they?

I will be doing something a little different this month for the candy club challenge - since I combined December with January - so check back in the next few days!


ALSO - Spookytime Jingles will be doing a little seasonal promotion

I can't wait to see what the STJ artists produce for Valentines!

The Talent over at EHAG also has a great January Giveaway and Challenge

details forth-coming on the EHAG
Saving the best for last.....Chris Klinger has a brand new website address - stop by to see some of the most devilishly detailed pen and ink originals on the web!

www.designsbyck.com

- Sweet B

Homage to Holiday Candy

Since we skipped the Candy of the Month this month - here is a little "taste" of what my Christmas Holiday usually consists of..... Hold on to your sweet tooth!
Striped ribbon candy, candy canes, cane sticks, sticks of gum, gum drops.

Gum balls, rum balls, Bourbon balls, malt balls dipped in chocolate, chocolate santas and white marshmallow chocolate snowmen.

white snowballs, white chocolate, white divinity candy, candy tins, candy boxes, boxes of chocolate dipped oreos, peppermint oreos, peppermint bark, peppermint covered in chocolate, peppermint kisses, peppermint patties, junior mints.

Mint thins, mint bark, minty mints dipped in chocolate, chocolate fudge, fudge patties, fudge bars, bar cookies.
Cookies with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, mint chips and peanut butter chips.

Peanut butter cups, cups of hot chocolate with cream, whipped cream, cream filled chocolates, chocolate oranges, candied orange peel.
Candied fruit, fruit chews, chewy nougat, nougat filling, nougat filled toblerones.

Kraft foods Toblerone, Cadbury Crunchy and Turkish delight, Mars Inc. M&Ms in red and green, Just Born Christmas peeps, Hershey Kisses wrapped in striped paper.

Striped ribbon candy, candy canes, cane sticks.......

Have a Sweet Season!

Holiday Blizzard

It's a blizzard alright - but not the snowy kind......

.... the so many things to do everything starts swirling around you kind!

Like everyone else I am feeling the crush of the Holidays, my poor blog has suffered as a result.

In my defense, I did have chocolate covered Santas picked out as the Dec C.O.M....but something totally stressed me out and I ate them all and never made it back to the store to buy more.

SOOOOooooo - the Candy of the month club will take a break for the month of December - and resume its usual confectionery calender in January.

Really, everyone is probably eating cookies and candies and sweets - so setting a candy of the month for December could be considered to be "cruel and unusual punishment"!

(The November Candy comments will be counted towards the January Candy of the Month, since I missed that deadline too!)

And now I will give you

A little visual tour of what I have been doing

We had a December Birthday in our house recently so I gave one of our Christmas Trees a Happy Birthday theme

Decorated with over sized candies and lollies, vintage gum wrappers ( I found some fabulous clip art on Etsy) and lots of vintage candy colored lights! Kermit the frog cake, made by Grandma, decorated by yours truly (four layers of icing - have I mentioned how much I love icing?)

I participated in a wonderful swap hosted by Vivian over at Viv's Whimsy - here is her "bi-polar" snowman. I thought it would be fun to make an ornament with two expressions, he is mounted on a stick and can be turned to the expression that suits - he is drenched in glass glitter and then covered with layers of varnish to keep it from falling off. His collar is vintage fabric and I used two vintage earrings to decorate his hat.

Vivian made this for me

isn't he wonderful!! I had expressed a desire to own one of her needle felted creations - and my wish came true. Upon seeing this treasure my Husband said "wow, how old is it?" - which is his way of saying it looks "vintage" - even if he doesn't realize it.

It is hanging in my foyer tree and I just love it!

I also made this little cutie for my Swap partner- Fran Parrigan-Meehan, a dollmaker. This snowman is NOT bi-polar, not knowing Fran well enough... I didn't want her to think I was too weird! Fran made me these adorable snowmen

such talent ladies!!!

ALL of my Holiday decorations are up - amazing, astounding, groundbreaking (usually finish a few days before Christmas)- here are just a few highlights

I also helped to organized a little swap for the Prim and Whimsy Girls

It is going to be a really wonderful little swap, really well organized. If you sign up now you will get a reminder in the new year. I will be participating, along with a slew of Prim and Whimsy Girl Artists - trust me.... it's going to be good.

My Spookytime Jingle offerings

These two lollipop men are EXTREMELY RARE!

Since everyone knows lollipop men originate from tropical climates - finding them out of hibernation is unusual. Both are up for adoption on STJ

I have my Glitter and Grunge items in the works and of course new items for STJ and Pfatt Marketplace. There is also another great give-away planned for EHAG in January and I will be posting info on that one as well.

I still have a TON to do - it is a "handmade" Christmas at our house this year and I have a wonderful tutorial from Sew Mama Sew that I am going to try.

ALL OF THIS WHILE EXPERIENCING EXTREME BOUTS OF MORNING SICKNESS!!!

- Seriously this has GOT to be a girl - WAYYY to much trouble from this one already!

AND I am craving Hotdogs with yellow mustard and sauerkraut and pink grapefruit juice for breakfast - no joke!

- Sweet B