Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Chocolate Covered Sweets!

Almost anything dipped in chocolate I would consider amazing! Chocolate covered pretzels, strawberries, marshmallows, peanuts, bacon?-(apparently this is a newer phenomenon ;)), and the list goes on.  The one thing that did not cross my mind when looking at chocolate dipped goodness, is cherries! 

Here is a recipe I found recently for chocolate dipped cherries.  Chocolate dipped cherries are a unique twist on the traditional strawberry, and can be used to mix up your dessert buffet a little.  The best part about unique sweets is they are super easy to DIY, so check out this recipe and get ready to try it at home!


Recipe:
Our Share of the Harvest

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Children's party pics

Here are two more pictures that we took for our children's buffet.  These ones, as with the rest of them, are meant to inspire creativity!  They look awesome and the best thing is that children's buffets use some of the least expensive candy--making them a fun and more cost-effective treat!
Enjoy!
Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Our pictures!

Some of you have already seen these pictures on our Facebook page, but for those who haven't here they are!  These pictures were taken from our photo shoot with Hooligan's photography.  They showcase the simplistic design and nature that a candy buffet display can have.

Pictures are meant to inspire the imagination.  While these pictures are taken from complete candy buffet displays we had set up, Tony and Tamara captured individual pieces from our buffets to evoke creativity and imagination amongst our readers!

 Take a look at these pictures and just imagine what we could do with your candy buffet display!

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Copyright CandyShopBuffets

Monday, April 18, 2011

Popcorn Buffets: Coming to CandyShopBuffets!

Fun Scoops that you can display your popcorn with!





Candy Buffets are amazing, but if you are not a "sweet" fan, you may not be in love with the idea of designing a whole buffet around sugary goodness!  Well an alternative, that will be offered at CandyShopBuffets, is a popcorn buffet.  With a popcorn buffet, you can select a wide array of flavors for your guests to nibble on.  You can just have "salty" popcorn or just "sweet"popcorn, or you can combine the two if you want your guests to have their pick!

The favor bags for these can be decorated with an old school theme, in keeping with the traditional red and white popcorn design.  The favor bags can also be a more understated brown or white paper bags with a formal design to them!

The possibilities for popcorn choices are really endless!  Caramel is guaranteed to be a popular one, but chocolate and caramel popcorn chunks in a "cookie bar shape" can also be a fun idea.  Obviously still popular with our salt lovers is cheddar, sour cream, and plain old salty popcorn.

Popcorn buffets are a really fun concept and are sure to make your guests talk as they would with a candy buffet!  CandyShopBuffets is excited to bring this unique idea in to our product line!
Colorful "Confetti" popcorn to add dimension to your buffet!




These are the standard popcorn bags you can use for guest favors!  
Variety of Popcorn that you can fill your table up with! The more it overflows the better it looks!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Cupcake Tower

Cupcake Tower by PinkCakeBox
Cupcake Tower, a photo by PinkCakeBox on Flickr.
Cute cupcake tower by pinkcakebox.com! Beautiful colors and a sweet arrangement :)

Cupcakes have become really popular in lieu of a wedding cake during the last couple of years.  Theweddingvendor.com recently did a post about these sweet desserts and how they can be utilized in several different ways!

Check out this article and start planning your dessert table today!

The article is by www.cutiepiecupcakes.ca and a must read.

Cupcakes on Wedding Vendor!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sweet Soda Bar!

My blog on "Sweet Buffets" has offered advice on all kinds of sweet stuff since I started typing away a few months ago!  Today I want to share with all of you the "sweet" concept of the soda bar.

Project Wedding


I got this idea from Project Wedding's site, and it seems like a really great concept and is a fun treat for all ages! 

The part that people seem to love the most is that old time soda's are generally made with real sugar cane!  This gives it an added flavor and will bring you guests back to "the old days" where almost every soda was made from sugar cane.

If you are having trouble finding them, look at your local specialty store.   Places like Jungle Jim's, World Market and online specialty stores carry them as well!

Definitely mix up the variety of soda's when trying to choose which sodas to buy!  Buy different colors, different bottle labels and brands, and different flavors.  You want your guests to feel like their soda is unique!

If you want the color of soda to match your wedding,  buy several different labels and try to find 2 different soda's in your color, so people aren't bored with it.  It takes quite a bit of money to put on a soda bar, and you don't want it to fall flat!

Last, customize the soda bar with hanging signs featuring the "old time soda shop" theme!




Tuesday, April 12, 2011

New to our Blog: Widgets!

Many of you have already read the post about Betterfly.com this last week.  Well, this week I am introducing to our blog, Betterfly.com's confection making and baking widgets.


With these widgets you can enter in your information and find baking and confection making teachers near you! Some of the categories you can choose include; bread baking, cake decorating, candy making, chocolate making and more.

Remember, this site is not simply for taking lessons but for posting your own expertise as well!   Enjoy and check out the widgets on the bottom of our page!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Photo Shoot!

Our candy buffets are being shot by a professional photography team in Cincinnati today!  We are headed to Eden Park and getting some closeups of our wonderful tasty treats.  Tony and Tamara Deal with Hooligan photography are great to work with and have been a great asset in this process. 
Check out their website to find out more about them!

Hooligans Photography

We can't wait to see the photo's they shot and will post them as soon as we get them!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Candy Making and More! From Betterfly.com


This is for all you sweet lovers who want to learn how to make your own candy/ desserts OR if you already know how to make them and want to turn your skill into an income! 

Betterfly.com is a site designed for people from all different skill-sets to sign up to teach their skills to the local community.  It is a really neat site ranging from knitting classes to opera lessons with a little bit of candy in between! The other really cool thing about this site is that you can book and pay for any class you take right on their site.  Once you are done with your class or booking your class be sure to review your experience on their site for future consumers!

There are "tens of thousands of service providers are listed on Betterfly’s 300+ Category Pages where you can search by price, location, verified reviews, availability and more."--Betterfly.com

Here is a screen shot from their Confection Making page!
So go and click on their site at Betterfly.com and check out what they have to offer!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

CandyShopBuffets article on WeddingVendor.com

Hey everyone!  Just letting you know that we had another article published today on the theweddingvendor.com.  It's an article detailing different ideas you can use at a reception!  We are all about cool, new, and unique at CandyShopBuffets, so we wanted to feature some ideas that will make your party stand out from the crowd!

Check it out!

Reception Ideas that will make your party pop!


As always thanks for reading and happy planning!


Monday, April 4, 2011

Did you know? : The Cost of Candy!

Candy Buffets can turn out to be quite expensive!  From the large containers to be filled to the types of candy chosen, it can be more costly than many brides would have thought at the beginning of their candy buffet venture.  If you have never purchased a large quantity of candy before, then the prices of them can seem astronomical, especially if you are paying it all at once.  Many brides go to after holiday clearance events for candy as well as some other super sales thinking that they are saving a great amount of money.  Sometimes this is true, but oftentimes it is not the case. 

Did you know? #1
The truth about candy is that the smaller the bag, the more you pay for it.  A small clearance bag of candy will most oftentimes cost just as much as buying in bulk.  So, save yourself the trouble of waking up at the crack of dawn and finding the post-holiday super sale.  Buying online is most likely the cheaper route!

Did you know? #2
The average bride does not realize how much she has spent on her candy buffet after everything is purchased. 
When calculated the average bride spends $100 on vases, $30-50 on decorations, $30-50 on favor bags, $10-15 on scoops and tongs, and upwards of $200 on candy for a wedding for 100 people. 
That can amount to around 400 dollars!  That is a lot of money and is time consuming if you go it alone.  However, candy buffet business owners are available to help design, and produce your candy buffet for not much more than you would do it yourself.

Did you know? #3
A candy buffet should not be an “afterthought” at a wedding.  It is likely to be the most talked about feature of your wedding, and you should invest in it as you would hors d'Ĺ“uvre’s and other appetizers.  The average amount for an appetizer at a wedding is around 300-400 dollars per appetizer for 100 guests.

Did you know? #4
Candy buffets are not just a decoration.  They are a focal point, a talking point, and a wonderful favor for guests to take home with them.  Bride’s maximize the benefit of having a candy buffet by treating the candy buffet as a favor and a decorative piece!

Did you know? #5
Candy Buffet planners are more than happy to assist you in planning your candy buffet.  The first thing you need to do when planning your candy buffet is come up with a budget.  If you have a budget for it, a candy buffet planner will be able to better assist you in coming up with the correct style and candy types for your needs!  For a guest list of 100 people you can plan on spending anywhere between $350-600 on a candy buffet.  This may seem like a lot of money, but it is well worth it when you get the Wow factor you’ve been wanting at your wedding.