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| Bunnies |
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| Mummies |
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| Ice Cream Cone |
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| Reindeer |
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| Flip Flops |
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Tip #130: Use Nutter Butters to Make Seasonally Themed Treats
Nutter
Butters are a delicious treat all by themselves. This week’s tip is to take
this beloved favorite cookie, dip it in chocolate and create seasonally themed
products throughout the year. Below are a few ideas but the possibilities are
endless. Therefore, let these ideas just be a starting point for your
creativity!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Tip #129: Host a Pinterest Party at Your Store
Have
you heard of a Pinterest party? Based on ideas found on the online idea-sharing
board, Pinterest, it’s a chance for “pinners” to get together for a time of
crafty fun. They get the chance to bring ideas to life that they’ve found on
Pinterest.
Hosting
a candy-themed Pinterest party at your store is a great way to get new
potential customers in your store and to showcase that your products make great
gifts and crafts. You can choose some great pins from Pinterest and then create
a space in your store to allow customers to get crafty.
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| Lollipop Bouquet |
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| Jelly Bean Bracelets |
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| Candy Chicks |
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| Candy Ornaments |
So,
how do you host a Pinterest party? There are a variety of ways! You could make
it an all-day event; customers can drop in at their leisure to make a fun candy
themed craft. Or, make it a more formal event that requires signing up ahead of
time. Of course, which way you decide to do that will help determine your
craft. A simple craft is better for drop-ins and a more involved craft is
better for the latter. Either way, provide a coupon or shopping discount for
purchases made in your store by anyone who participates in the party.
P.S. We're in St. Louis this week for the RCI Annual Convention & Industry Expo. Check out photos on our Facebook page throughout the week!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Tip #128: Use a Heat Gun to Quickly Melt Wafers for Seeding
This
week’s tip is quick and easy and may save yourself a headache as you temper
chocolate in small batch tempering machines.
Are
you using chocolate wafers as seed for your tempering unit? Before putting them
in the feed of the tempering machine, quickly (don’t overheat!) use a heat gun on them to form one large clump or block
of wafers. By doing this, you will help keep the wafers from sneaking through
the blade and over-tempering your chocolate.
See?
Quick and easy!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Tip #127: Spark Creativity with a Mind Map
Looking
for ideas to get the creative juices flowing? This week’s tip is to use a mind
map to spark creativity!
What
is a mind map? It’s a diagram used to visually outline information. Typically
it begins with a word, image or phrase in the center and then other ideas and
images branch out from the center across the page. One of the key benefits of a mind map is that
an idea doesn’t have to be full or complete or even in sentence form in order
to be displayed. The idea is that the process of a mind map resembles how your
brain actually works!
Tips
for an effective mind map:
- Start with a large piece of paper (Give your brain room to think!)
- Use images, not just words
- Vary the size, color and alignment of your images and
text
- Keep topics and labels short (Think big picture.)
Mind
maps are useful tools for individual creativity and also can help to get
creative ideas flowing among a team of people. In your next team brainstorming
session, consider using a whiteboard or oversized Post-it to
map out ideas as they’re given and see where mind mapping can take you! If you
prefer tech tools to paper versions, check out MindMeld or Mindmeister.