New Blog Alert: Color Me Inspired

Posted by Khris in DIY Projects & Tutorials, Favors + Gifts

Trisha and Becka just launched a beautiful new blog by the name of  Color Me Inspired. To kick off their launch, they’re offering up 3 gorgeous fan templates (for free!). Please visit their new site, say hello, and wish them well!

Fondant Taste-O-Rama

Posted by Khris in DIY Projects & Tutorials, Food + Catering

You DIYers are a curious bunch. How do I know this? I look at my email in box every day. Questions, questions, questions come in all through the day and the night. I’m not complaining, of course,  I’m just awed by many of the great queries that await me each day. For example, there’s an increased interest in DIY wedding cakes (and cupcakes) and your questions are totally awesome – smart, thoughtful, and inspiring.

Some  of the most common cake-related questions are related to a popular cake icing called rolled fondant. (Most just call it fondant, though there are different kinds. More on that in a later post.) For those of you not yet in the know, rolled fondant is a thick, somewhat stretchy and slightly chewy sheet of icing that produces a smooth surface on a cake. {Check out the gorgeous fondant design by the outrageously talented April Reed.}

In certain cake eating circles, fondant is a dirty word. There are some who will turn up their noses at the mere mention of the “f word”. See, they think it tastes icky. And, unfortunately, their experience with it was probably not that great. But, my friends, not all fondant has a yuck factor as not all pre-made fondants are the same.

We at the DIY Bride Test Kitchen (well, ok, just me at my kitchen counter) decided to do a taste test among the most popular fondant brands.

The contenders, in no particular order:

• Wilton Pure White Rolled Fondant
• Fondarific Buttercream Flavor
• Satin Ice Vanilla Flavor
• Fondx Virgin White

The methodology: cut off a hunk of fondant, eat it, review it, rate it. Real scientific!

The Results

#1 : Fondarific. Of the 4 fondants tasted, Fondarific had the best flavor and texture. Sweet and creamy with melt-in-your mouth consistency, Fondarific, was by far the tastiest and gets the highest recommendation. No cloying aftertaste, ingredients taste fresh, no chemical smell or flavors detected.

#2 : Satin Ice. Many, many cake pros use Satin Ice as their fondant of choice. The SI sample was very mellow in flavor and had a very pleasant consistency. It wasn’t as flavorful or as smooth as Fondarific but it was still very good.

#3 : Fondx: I had a hard time choosing between Satin Ice and Fondx for the #2. Fondx lost out my just the tiniest margin because I thought the more mellow flavor of SI would compliment more cake flavors. That’s not to say that Fondx has a strong flavor at all, it’s just more flavorful than SI. If I were to make  fondant cake today, I’d be torn between Fondx and Fondarific. They’re pretty similar in consistency and texture, both are quite tasty.

#4 : Wilton: This was by leaps and bounds my least favorite fondant of the bunch. Slightly grainy with a chemical aftertaste, Wilton’s fondant was just nasty compared to the others in the bunch. I have to admit that I used Wilton fondant for a project in my upcoming book (cue shameless self-promotion) The Crafty Countdown and it was perfect for non-edible decoration. {Peep a sneak peek at the Owl Cake Topper.}

More Details

1. Wilton is the most widely-available fondant. You can pick it up at craft stores like Michael’s (and Michael’s often offers Wilton cake decorating classes).
2. The price breakdown (please note that most fondants get cheaper when you buy in bulk – over 5 lbs.) Prices below are approximate. Search around for the best deals.

• Satin Ice, $6.49 for 2 lb. ($3.50 per pound)
• Wilton, $6.79 for 1.5 lb. ($4.52 per pound)
• Fondarific, $11.79 for 2 lb. ($5.89 per pound)
• Fondx, $33.00 for 10 lb. ($3.30 per pound)

Michael’s Ad & Coupon Changes

Posted by Khris in Steals + Deals

Hey, Coupon Queens,

Beginning 30 August, Michael’s coupons and weekly ads will be available only online – no more delivery with your local newspaper. To keep up to date with the latest ads and coupons, go to http://michaels.shoplocal.com/michaels/default.aspx. You can also sign up to receive Michael’s newsletter and ads via email if you click here: https://www.michaels.com/art/online/registrationForm

20% off select Martha’s Punches

Posted by Khris in Steals + Deals

How adorable would this be for place or escort cards?

Martha Stewart Crafts has a line of coordinating edge and corner punches that make seamless designs so simple. They’d be perfect for invitation sets, programs, menus, thank you cards, place/seating cards, table numbers… you name it. For a limited time, you can get 20% off Punch Around The Page punches at MarthaStewartCrafts.Com. Just enter code PUNCH20 upon checkout! [Check out the spiderweb punches for Halloween. They're awesome!]

Real Etiquette: Soap Favors

Posted by Khris in Real Etiquette

Dilemma: I want to give handmade soaps as favors to our wedding guests. My fiance says it’s too girly. Would it be bad form to give them?

Our Take: We love handmade soap – but not as a wedding favor. Giving your guests a personal hygiene product is a tricky undertaking without some kind of context. If you’re getting married at, say, an old soap factory it might be a fun tie-in to your wedding day. If it’s a seemingly random bar of soap, many guests are going to question why they’ve been gifted with it (‘Do I stink?’) and I’d expect many would just leave them behind.

If you’re keen on giving your handmade soaps as gifts, they’d be great as shower favors (see?  tie in to a theme!) or to your maids as part of a homemade spa kit.