Sugar and spice and all things nice : Kids party sweets and ideas post

Sugar and spice and all things nice : Kids party sweets & ideas post

Remember back when we were young. Mum or Dad – but usually Mum – did all the organizing. When we had friends over after a long afternoon of playing in the sun, food would appear, as if by magic, when we were hungry. Re fuelled, off we would go again until the sun went down.

And at birthday parties, we wouldn’t have to think too much about anything other than partying and wishing the birthday boy or girl happy birthday – assuming it wasn’t us, that is. And lo and behold, food would again arrive. It usually took the form of a candy table, followed up by a birthday cake. Simpler times back then, and while things are done differently today, in many ways many things are still the same.

Let’s explore that somewhat self contradictory statement.

Some things are still the same. Kids like lollies, kids like sweets, and at a birthday, the birthday cake is a highlight of the whole party. Blowing out the candles in one breath is a rite of passage for most youngsters and who could deny a child that? Lets face it, if you have a birthday, but no cake with candles you are in serious trouble.

Some things are done a little differently. For example, back in the day a candy table was usually just that – a table piled high with candy, lollies and biscuits, many home made. Fast forward to the time poor high expectation world of today and that’s where some of the differences are plain to see. Our humble assortment of lollies and sweets has become a candy buffet, highly styled and designed for maximum visual impact. And the lollies probably taste good too.

If you are going to hold a party, and are feeling the pressure of expectation, here are a few suggestions that may help. Firstly, relax, and don’t forget to breathe. This is normal. Breathing, that is.

Give yourself as much time as possible, by getting in early. Send out the invitations in plenty of time – if you want good ones, there are plenty of affordable personalised invitations online if you look around.

We discuss decorating candy tables in several other posts, including this one about backdrops and banners – these have a stunning effect if chosen well. So we will leave that topic and head over to the business end of a candy buffet – the food.

As with so many other things these days it’s all on the web. Buying kids party sweets online would be easy if there wasn’t so much choice – and if it all didn’t look the same.

We think the personalised touch is the way to go – have a look at these custom chocolate bars in wrappers for example. Hundreds of designs, they can be themed to your invitations, and best of all  – chocolate. Everyone loves chocolate. Or there are these specially made party lollipops. As with the chocolates, themed just for you, with your personal message. Very stylish.

The piece de resistance however is having your very own rock candy made. There are lower priced versions but if you really want to impress have a look at this personalised rock candy – because its one of a kind, there is a minimum purchase on each batch of 10kg. This may only suit larger events.

These are a few of our party sweets and lollies ideas for kids parties – we hope they helped.

Have a great day, and hope to see you back here soon!

Save Money on Your Next Candy Buffet Table – DIY

Save Money on Your Next Candy Buffet Table – DIY

 

All parties, weddings, birthdays, christenings and other events have several things in common. The events are usually around a person, or people. There will be invitations. Fun and happiness to, we hope. And food. Always food. In many cultures, the act of breaking bread with someone, sharing a meal or preparing food for guests, is seen as a way of honouring them, or an act of friendship.

According to Wikipedia, the breaking bread custom means

And so we move forward to today. Your guests arrive, honouring you with their presence. And this is in turn acknowledged by your gift of food to them. There are many aspects and possibilities when it comes to party food but this post is about candy and lolly buffets.

A candy buffet is usually a table, laden with candy, lollies and sweets, beautifully presented. Each type of candy is separate to the others, usually themed, and colour co -ordinated.  For example, if the theme of the party is Frozen, a range of blue party supplies would be used, such as blue jelly beans, blue labels and tags, and perhaps a stunning blue Frozen inspired personalized backdrop behind it all. Light blue pompoms and balloons too, perhaps.

A major deciding factor on the success or otherwise of a candy table is how it looks. The decorations are a critical part of your candy buffet supplies, and shouldn’t be overlooked. In order to make sure your candy table is the hit you want it to be with your birthday, party, wedding or christening guets, you have two options.

The first is to engage a professional event organiser who specializes in candy buffet presentation.  They will usually take care of the whole thing for you, the sourcing of lollies and sweets, the decorations, set up and pack down. And it will usually look – and taste – awesome. Professionals don’t work for free however, and having a party planner set up a candy buffet table for you can quickly become expensive.

The other – and somewhat cheaper option – is to save money on your party supplies and make your own candy buffet table.  You can do this online, as most of the items you will often need are pretty easy to find.

Event planning tip : If you can, buy all of your lolly table supplies from the one provider. Talk with them during the purchase about what you are trying to achieve – a competent provider will often have experience in this area, and be able to suggest things that you may not have considered. Things, perhaps, such as how to present your various dishes to your guests. Buying from a supermarket is one option, but they may not have much in the way of personalized items.

One option is a smorgasbord style table, where guests help themselves to lollies and sweets displayed in pretty glass jars. Other options might be to have a central display, with a selection of small bags and boxes pre filled with candies. Sort of like a French fry box, or noodle box style with handles. Again, if you are buying from a business that also creates stationery, they can custom make labels and stickers for you for these.

These are some of the key elements that are essential to making your very own DIY candy buffet table. We hope they help – we know they helped us. Over time, we will be posting more on this topic, so watch this space!