Too Much Stuff!
When it comes time for classroom gifts, like Valentine’s Day, I usually cringe thinking about all of the plastic toys that are going to be coming home from my kids’ class parties. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate other parents’ time and effort in thinking of my children and gifting them something special, but after having three kids, it became too much.
Between their own birthdays, Christmas, friend’s birthdays, class parties, and so on, my home gets so cluttered with tiny little things on every surface. Most of the time, these little objects provide fun and entertainment for just a few minutes. Then it gets tossed in a corner or on a table, never to be played with again.
Chief Stuff Organizer (CSO)
After a while, I started to really think about how wasteful this practice can be and I decided that I didn’t want to add to another mom’s stress by sending things home for them to deal with. We talk a lot about mental load lately, right? As the Chief Stuff Organizer (CSO) in my home, a huge part of my mental load is organizing, purging, and worrying about where to store all the stuff in my house.
Consumables are Key
The solution? Make a consumable. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how easy it is to make a really silly Valentine’s Day giveaway for your kids’ classmates that won’t contribute to the clutter. Once your child eats it, there’s nothing you need to do aside from making sure the wrapper gets thrown away and the card gets recycled with your paper products.
I Really “Mustache” You a Question…
You can find this mustache, and other fun chocolate molds, at your local craft stores or online. Check with your crafty friends, local Buy Nothing page, or Facebook Marketplace first before you run out to the store! I was able to use this mustache mold for the Valentine giveaway as well as a 30th Mustachio Bashio birthday party. They were a huge hit with kids and adults alike! Plus they double as a fun photo prop!
Step by Step Tutorial:
Supplies
- Candy lollipop mold
- lollipop sticks
- chocolate melting wafers
- microwave safe bowl (or double boiler if you prefer)
- spoon
- plastic wrap or cellophane bags
- string, ribbon, or twist-ties
- printable Valentine cards or paper if you want to make your own
- marker or pen
- hole punch
Instructions
- Melt the candy wafers in a bowl following the directions on the package. If you use a double boiler instead of the microwave, be very careful not to get any water in the bowl or it will ruin the consistency of the chocolate.
Also, be careful not to let it burn. Slow and steady is key. Stir the wafers every minute or so. You’ll be surprised how quickly they start to melt.
2. Once all the wafers are melted and the chocolate is smooth, carefully spoon or pour the melted chocolate into the candy mold. The step of pouring the chocolate into a squeeze bottle was totally unnecessary, and I don’t recommend it! It just made for more of a mess and you can’t get all the chocolate out anyway. I could see using a squeeze bottle if you wanted to fill in parts of the mold with a different color, though.
3. Lay the lollipop sticks into their little slots in the mold and rotate them to ensure the end is fully coated in chocolate. To help the chocolate settle into all the books and crannies, you can pick up the mold and lightly bang it on the table a few times. My oldest helped me make these years ago!
4. Place the filled molds into the refrigerator to set. An hour should be plenty of time.
5. Once set, remove the molds from the refrigerator and slowly bend the mold to release the lollipops.
6. Print out cute “I really Mustache you a question” Valentines cards like the ones I found online. If you’re good with making your own graphics and things like that, you could make your own using images from the internet. Then, all you have to do is have your child fill out their classmate’s names.
7. Punch holes in the cards using a hole punch.
8. Place each lollipop into plastic wrap or a cellophane bag.
9. Use a ribbon, string, or twist tie to attach the Valentine cards to the wrapped up lollipops! The string serves as a way to keep the card attached and to seal up the treat.
I hope you enjoyed learning how to make these easy lollipop Valentine’s Day treats! Comment down below if you’ve made a consumable for your kids’ class parties. Also, what’s your favorite way to celebrate the holiday? If you’re looking for some thrifty ways to spoil your Valentine, check out my post about 5 inexpensive, sustainable ideas!
As Always, Stay Cozy!
Mandy
