Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 12:38AM We are working on a wonderful carnival-themed party right now--what fun! For favors, I made up this little bag of popcorn with a custom tag! Similar idea to the pistachio nut idea below, but see how the packaging looks great with anything and can work with nearly any theme!
Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 4:02PM While working on assembling some hotel boxes for a client's out-of-town guests, I was looking for some personalized items to put inside. Problem: budget of only $10/box!! So I purchased a $10 bag of pistachios from Costco, then divided the bag among 25 small cellophane bags. I created a 3 inch wide by 2 inch high tag for the nuts out of card stock. Simply fold the tag in half, and staple to the cellophane bag. How cute! A very inexpensive way to make an expensive looking personalized item for your guests!
Photo courtesy of Party Perfect, Orlando, Florida.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 9:43PM Since we are working on producing a fantastic candy buffet for an upcoming candy-themed Bat Mitzvah in Orlando (through Party Perfect of course!), I set out to do some investigative shopping. I went to Walgreens, Walmart, and Costco in search of bulk candy to find the cheapest candy at the cheapest prices. Who has the least expensive candy? Here are the results. I indicated the package size on each item. Prices in the second column are cost per ounce:
| Jelly Beans Walgreens (sale 8 oz) | 0.06 |
| Twizzlers Walmart (32 oz) | 0.08 |
| Gummy Bears Walmart (20 oz) | 0.08 |
| Lemonheads Walgreens (44 oz) | 0.11 |
| Smarties Walgreens brand (sale 4.5 oz) | 0.11 |
| Gumballs Walmart (53 oz) | 0.12 |
| Skittles Walgreens (41 oz bag) | 0.12 |
| Starburst Walgreens (41 oz) | 0.12 |
| M&Ms Costco | 0.13 |
| Swedish Fish Walmart (14 oz) | 0.13 |
| Reeses Pieces Walmart (17 oz bag) | 0.14 |
| Skittles Walmart (41 oz) | 0.14 |
| Sour Patch Kids Walmart (32 oz) | 0.15 |
| M&Ms Walmart (45 oz) | 0.16 |
| Jelly Beans Walmart (20 oz) | 0.16 |
| York Peppermint Patties Walmart (20 oz) | 0.18 |
| Hershey's Kisses Walmart (20 oz) | 0.18 |
| Jelly Bellys Costco | 0.23 |
| Candy Buttons Walgreens (2 pkgs) | $3.00 |
| Blowpops Costco | 0.07/each |
| Giant Pixy Stix Party City | 0.34/each |
| Full Hershey bars Walmart | 6 bars/$2 |
| Full Reeses cups Walmart | 6 pkg/$2 |
Here are my candy buffet FAQ's:
Q. Where should I buy the candy for my candy buffet?
A. Walmart and Walgreens are the places to go for cheap candy (almost half the price of online candy vendors!). Look for sales (especially at Walgreens), and buy after holidays like Halloween, Valentine's Day, etc. However, if you want the candy buffet to be color themed (i.e., all pink and green candy), then you will definitely need to order from internet candy stores.
Q. How much candy should I buy for my candy buffet?
A. Between 1/4 to 1/2 lb per person
Q. How many candy containers should there be on the table? How can I spruce up my candy buffet so it doesn't look drab?
A. For the table to look full, I would suggest about 12 different containers. I purchased most of them at Walmart for less than $10/each. Look at the wedding section and the kitchen section. The glass containers can be arranged at different heights with risers or boxes placed underneath the linens. This will give a fuller and more visually appealing layout. Also add colored table runners, photos, signs, flowers, etc. to round out the look and add more color.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 9:23PM 
When I first saw Candy Torahs, I thought it was the cleverest use of Smarties that I'd ever seen! Two smarties candy rolls are covered with a paper wrapper to resemble a sweet Torah! Harry and Jody are the people behind candytorahs.com. Their idea for the Candy Torah was born when their youngest son was about to become a Bar Mitzvah, and wanted to do a mitzvah project to pay for a new Torah scroll for his synagogue. The candy torah was created to be a promotional fundraising effort... Everyone loved them so much, they decided to make them available to the rest of us! They are totally customizable as well. Just send them your logo, photo, or artwork, and they'll make a candy Torah to exactly match your theme. They even offer a free sample if you visit their website. I got my samples and was impressed with their quality. They are adorable--would make a great favor at the shul, or sprinkled around the dinner tables, or on a candy buffet... Also would make a unique "save the date" announcement! Check it out! Pricing runs $9.95/dozen.
Website: Candy Torahs
Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 11:53PM Did you know that Flickr is a great place to look for inspiration? I just type in a keyword there, and up comes beautiful photographs of some things you'd otherwise never see... For example, I found this gorgeous fondant cake that was made for a candy-themed Bat Mitzvah. I love how elegantly this theme was incorporated into the cake design. Find a gifted baker who loves to work with fondant, and this look can be yours as well!
Website: Candy Cake by Handmade Edibles on Flickr
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 9:28PM From the man who brought you my favorite Bat Mitzvah shirt...:
... Now here comes the button to be worn on the Bar/Bat Mitzvah of the year! Everyone at the party will want one! You must get these personalized buttons so everyone can express (in a Yiddish type of way) the awesomeness of your special day. A fun addition to the festivities at 10/$24.00 and 100/$125.00...
Website: Low Schmaltz
Favors Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 5:15PM The people at Dale & Thomas popcorn have just come out with these single serving packs of movie popcorn and kettle corn. When I saw them, I thought they would work great as a favor for a movie-themed Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or in out-of-towner bags (otherwise known as OOT bags)! Great for school lunches too! Click on "Popcorn Indiana" on the left navigation bar of their website. The packs are only about $1.00/each (with free shipping).
Dale and Thomas Popcorn as Seen on Rachel Ray!
Do it "Yourself" Popcorn Bar Kit ( $1,100 up to 200 people plus shipping): The full service bar/kit includes the following: Five Flavors to serve your guests as they are leaving your affair Kettle Corn, Dale's Caramel, Chocolate Chunk 'n Caramel, Movie Popcorn, Southwest Chipolte Cheddar (5) 6.5 gallon tins with canvas bags will be used to store and serve the popcorn 5 Plastic scoopers 6 popcorn canisters to decorate table Dale and Thomas wholesale bags
POPCORN TRUCK ($2500) Newest and latest addition. Creates the WOW affect Five most popular mouth watering flavors Truck holds up to 400 bags of popcorn
If you are interested, you can reach them at: Email: specialevents@daleandthomas.com
Phone: 1.800.POPCORN (prompt #5)
Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 9:53AM If you are looking for unique items for your Bat/Bar mitzvah, a visit to Etsy is a must. If you haven't heard of it, it is a website of independent artists and crafters, selling all sorts of unique items you can't find in stores. Think of it as one giant craft fair! Since these are handcrafted items by independent artists, many of these items can be custom ordered. Also contact the artists directly for potential discounts for bulk orders. Here are the items I found relating to a candy-themed Bar/Bat Mitzvah:
Candy resin necklace $20 from StoopidGerl
Candy sprinkle rings $15 from StoopidGerl
Candy bar necklace $10 from Crazy Girl Boutique
Candy Sprinkle Necklace $15 at Resinated Goods
Lollipop Keychain $10.00 from CherryBoop
Butterfinger earrings $2.00 from Kitschkween
Skittles Purse $32.00 from SweetPurses
Nestle Crunch Bar Earrings $7.00 from Shannonsroom
Candy Wrapper Wallet $12.50 from Duct On You
Copyright © 2011, Laura Cohn. All rights reserved.
