Yesterday, while we were being snowed in, I spent the better part of my day making cookies and candies. It seemed like the perfect time to try out the marshmallow recipe – so try it out I did.

The recipe was fabulous. I made a couple small notes for the next time I make these, but they weren’t really changes, just things I want to keep in mind. For instance, putting a little more cornstarch/powdered sugar in the pan before pouring in the mixture would help. I had to sort of peel out the sheet of marshmallows.

The whole process was fun and the marshmallows taste delicious! The whole family has been eating them plain – and before they set-up the “batter” tastes just like marshmallow cream from a jar. This is one sweet treat that I’m sure is more cost-effective to get at the store, but it was so much fun to make these and package them up.

We put a small bag of marshmallows (half a dozen per bag) on each plate of Christmas cookies that we were taking to the neighbors today. I needed a quick tag to identify them, so I whipped up these bag toppers in just a couple minutes. They’re not anything special, but sometimes simple is nice.

{photo by Rebekah Bentley}

These would make adorable favors for a winter wedding. Or, tuck them into a mug along with some hot chocolate mix for a nice hostess gift this holiday season. Mmmm.

If you tried out this recipe, I’d love to hear how your marshmallow-making went!

Making marshmallows has been on my to-do list for quite some time and now that I’ve found this fabulous recipe, I just might bump it to a higher priority! These would make a great DIY favor for a winter wedding when paired up with homemade (or boughten) hot chocolate mix.  If you’re having a rustic outdoors wedding you can package the marshmallows with graham crackers and Hershey’s bars for fabulous s’mores kits.

{photo from Make and Takes}

Get creative with the size, color, and shape. Make mini marshmallows, cut them out with heart-shaped cookie cutters, or use food coloring to make them coordinate with your color scheme. Once the marshmallows are prepared you can dip them in chocolate and then package them up in small cellophane bags or individual treat boxes.

Mmmm. Just the thought of biting through a layer of chocolate to be met with the sweet, stickiness of a marshmallow is making my mouth water. I’m going to give these a try sometime this winter. I’ll be sure to keep y’all updated on the results.

I went to bed at a reasonable hour, but I just couldn’t sleep. So I got up. And of course turned to wedding “stuff.” I’ve been scouring the web for great DIY favor ideas and found some fabulous ideas. Below are four of my favorites. I’d love to hear what you’re planning to use for favors – or if you’re skipping the favors all together.

These mini photo calendars from Shutter Sisters would make adorable favors when put together with photos that are meaningful to the two of you (yet not so esoteric that they don’t delight your guests). The template is free for download from Shutter Sisters (aren’t they sweet!). Once you’ve printed out all the pages, simply secure them together with a binder clip – perfect both for keeping the calender together and for hanging! The template is also made just the right size for inserting these into a cd jewel case – perhaps with a dvd of you and your sweetheart giving a personal thank-you to your guests?

If you have a sweet tooth, or just love to bake, these printable bag toppers from Vale Design might be just the thing to add a little more “pop” to your favors.

Here’s another goody from Vale Design – a downloadable template for making seed packets from scrapbook paper. Brilliant and beautiful! With the wide variety of scrapbook papers available, you’re certain to find something that goes splendidly with your wedding theme.

These adorable favors are now at the very top of my list. I’m considering scrapping my original favors idea for my wedding and making up several hundred of these pies instead – the tiny canning jars would fit in perfectly since I’m already using bunches of them as drinking glasses. Really, how many people can say they’ve ever had pie in a jar? Absolutely adorable and perfect for a (my) picnic wedding. The instructions, recipes, and lots more photos can be found at Our Best Bites.

If you want more great favor ideas, just check out the responses DIY Bride got here.

Are you looking for unique favors for your wedding? Have you considered fortune cookies? Fancy Fortune Cookies makes theirs in a variety of flavors, such as cherry, lemon, chocolate, cappucino, etc. They can dip them in chocolate, roll them in colorful sprinkles, and you can even get custom “fortunes” put inside! The best part is that they’re less than $1 each!

Blessings Abound is hosting a great giveaway right now and you could win 100 personalized fortune cookies for your wedding. If you’re having a small wedding, that would be enough to give favors to every guest. For larger weddings, it could cut your favor cost down significantly!