My version of Cake Balls

I have an quasi-ridiculous obsession with cake pops.  Apparently, they are all the rage.  If you like the fast and easy approach (which I usually make it as hard as possible) you can walk into most appliance carrying stores and pick up a cake ball maker.  Pretty sweet, however, they leave out the secret to FANTABULOUS balls.

These particular balls are not as pretty as I usually like.  I was more interested with experimenting with dying the candy, than with the actual project.  Good news is...it works great!  Here is the shortest directions I could come up with to make your own balls.

Easiest part of whole project....bake a cake.  If this part is too difficult....abandon the entire idea!!

Let cake cool completely...no big secret here.  If you don't want a crumbled mess, you have to let a cake cool to put a simple layer of icing on.  So since we're being way more complicated-let it cool!

From this part on, plan on super massive mess.  Decide how many pops/balls you want to make.  An entire cake will make approximately 48 balls.  I find the easiest way to make smaller batches is to work in quarters-mostly because I hate to do the math:)

So, after I just made a big deal about not wanting a crumbled mess...crumble the cake into fine pieces.  Don't complain-you still have to let the cake cool!  Here's the big secret for the best cake balls ever!  The cake ball makers are great if you're in a hurry, but the cake is only cake.  I add icing to my cake so it is SUPER moist, and it holds the balls together much better.  Why is this so good you ask?  I promise if your balls fall apart in the candy coating and you start swearing up a blue streak out of frustration you'll wish you used the icing!  It doesn't matter what flavor you use, I just prefer cream cheese because it tastes delicious with every flavor of cake.  If you've decided to make a whole batch, mix in 3/4 a can of icing into the crumbled cake.  Make sure the cake is completely covered with the icing.

Cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Seems like a pointless step, but again, when your balls start sticking to whatever you have them on, and then falling apart-you'll wish you listened!  Roll you're balls whatever size you want.  Keeping your balls to about 1" will give you about 48.  Don't think I actually measure these out, I just scoop and roll, but about 3/4 of a regular spoon of cake will make about that size.  If you haven't figured it out yet....this is all a guessing game for me:)

Now is the time to consider a break.  You need the balls to firm up, so you're mood/to-do list should determine how you achieve that.  If you're in a hurry to get these balls done ASAP: stick them in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Do NOT let them freeze!  If you want to stretch it out, take a break or get something else accomplished:  the refrigerator is fine.  Thirty minutes will do the trick, but it won't hurt anything for the balls to hang out longer.

Now for the hard part!  This will take some getting used to, and a lot of time, no matter how good you are at it.  Keep in mind you can do as many or few as you want at a time, but you'll have to remelt the candy melts if you wait too long in between dippings.  It takes about 3 lb of candy wafers to cover a whole batch of balls.  For these particular ones, I wanted custom colors.  I used the white vanilla wafers, and then added Wilton gel coloring, mixing until I got the colors I wanted.  Use a deep bowl and melt the wafers until they are smooth.  Work with a few balls at a time, making sure they stay firm.  Once they start to get room temperature they fall apart.   Use a spoon to roll the ball in the candy, making sure to cover it completely.  You can add any confection you like for decoration.  You can also use melted candy to draw decorations.

This how-to is pretty general.  I plan to post more details on how to get the candy super smooth and professional looking; more color schemes; themed pops for holidays and special events; and other cool tricks I pick up as I go.  As always, feel free to ask any questions!

Simple, but elegant

Let's be honest.....I do things the way I want to do them.....surprised by that statement?  Ha!  Then you don't know me!!  Lot's of people take different approaches to scrapbooking.  You've seen one or two pictures with lots of added detail.  You've also seen lots of pictures with slight embellishment.  Then of course everything in between. I'm an "everything in between" type of scrapbooking fool.  Yes-I said fool:)

Basically, anyone can scrapbook.  This is a very simple approach, that is SO simple, you can create an entire book in one afternoon!

When Mikaela was born, she had AMAZING newborn pictures.  I had the problem of having a few shots, in several tones, and wanting to use each of them in a scrapbook.  As you can see, I chose to go uber simple on my design.  One picture, per page, in a 6x6 book.

 Most of the pictures are matted on a single piece of fancy paper.  You can add a piece of two tone ribbon, to a solid sheet, and completely change tone of the page.  Keep in mind, no matter how complicated your page is, sometimes just one simple addition (like a ribbon or some doodling) can draw everything together.

These two pictures are one, two-page layout.  I chose pink, for the left, to compliment the color photo on the right.  On the other side, a gray background compliments the other black and white photo.  I cut the photos to sit diagonally on the page, and used a circle corner punch to even the two pages out.  Then to add a little POP, I drew around the punches with pink marker.

This layout is also quite easy.  The pictures are the same-just different tones.  I chose a patterned paper I liked, and cut it down.  I made stripes for both pages, placing them perpendicular to add contrast.  The orange background compliments the patterns perfectly.  Three scissor cuts, three strips of glue, trim the picture edges-instant layout!

I have several other pages in this book.  If you'd like more ideas, I'd be happy to post pics

Vision Studio

Martha Stewart has a blog, so why shouldn't I?  I figure as a stay at home mom, creating my own business, around what I love to do, is the only logical thing to do!  Look for how-to's on baby shower gifts/decorations, custom jewelry, scrapbooking layouts, homemade cards, and more!  If there is a particular thing you'd like to see, just ask:)