Tip #283: Create an Even Better Holiday Display with this Surprising Tip

If you’re looking to create an impressive holiday display in your candy shop, many would agree large moulded chocolates make great showpieces. However, working with chocolate as your medium certainly presents enough challenges to cause you to look for another subject to be the center of attention. Whether for fear of the potential effects of exposure to sunlight, humidity, curious customers, or ____________ (you fill in the blank), you may have decided long ago that even a jolly, three-foot-tall chocolate Santa in all his glory is not worth the investment of time and resources every year, especially during holiday season.

This week’s tip will allow you to deliver the same impact only a large chocolate Santa could, but with eventually the same effort as takes to do some light dusting. Simply follow the steps below to create a chocolate look-alike Santa (or snowman, Easter bunny, turkey, etc.) out of Plaster of Paris.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Chocolate Santa Look-Alike
By RCI member, Marie’s Candies of West Liberty, Ohio

Materials needed:

Marie's Candies has made plaster Easter
bunnies so realistic it's hard to tell the difference.

• Plaster of Paris
• Mixing bowl
• Popsicicle stick (or other mixing utensil)
• Access to water
• Brown acrylic paint or spray paint
• Paint brush
• Glue gun (optional)
• Icing eyes (optional)

Instructions:

1. Make sure your favorite chocolate Santa mould is clean. The great thing about using moulds you already have is the Santa in your display will look just like the real chocolate Santas you want to sell.
2. Follow the mixing instructions on a package of plaster of Paris.
3. Wet the inside of the mould, so the Santa can be removed easily. Fill the mould a quarter at a time, tapping it to remove air.
4. Remove Santa from the mould after one hour and let it dry for 24 hours.
5. Wash the mould and any other tools immediately after use.
6. Once Santa is dry, use spray paint or a brush to paint it chocolate brown.
7. Use a glue gun to add icing eyes (optional).

After following these simple steps, you will have an impressive moulded chocolate so realistic, you’ll want to display it year after year! As far as we can tell, the only downside here is that you might have to perform a lick test if you get your look-alikes mixed up with actual chocolate. Have your real moulded chocolate displays ever met their untimely demise due to curious customers or exposure to the elements? Share your story in the comments below.

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

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Tip #211: Save the Old Maids

You wouldn’t throw your Thanksgiving turkey away if you could use the leftovers to make turkey sandwiches for the next two weeks, right? Then why would you throw away the unpopped kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bowl?

Most would consider the popcorn kernels that fail to pop (also known as old maids), to be the duds that remain seemingly unaffected at the bottom of the popcorn bowl. Did you know, allowing “old maids” to absorb moisture can actually rejuvenate them? 

Image: www.popcorn.org

 

David Woodside, author of What Makes Popcorn Pop?, suggests filling "a one-quart jar three-quarters full of popcorn and adding one tablespoon of water. Cover the jar with an airtight lid and give it a few good shakes every few minutes until the popcorn has absorbed all the water. Store the jar in a cool place."

After two or three days, test-pop the “rejuvenated” batch of kernels. Extra stubborn old maids may need a few more drops of water if they fail the test. After adding more water to the jar, shake it, and let it sit for a few more days.

This process takes very little time and could help you reduce waste and save money if you pop a lot of popcorn.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #189: Celebrate National Spring Cleaning Week – Throw an Office Cleaning Party!

If you spend a lot of time behind a keyboard, it should be no surprise that germs can make a home out of all those nooks and crannies. In fact, keyboards, along with phones, water fountain handles and microwave door handles rank at the top of the most germ-contaminated spots in the office. Need a more compelling reason to host an office cleaning party this week? According to a study conducted by Dr. Charles Gerba with University of Arizona, “the average desk harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.” Do you have a disinfectant wipe in hand, yet?

Whether you hire a cleaning service to keep your workplace clean or not, there’s a good chance some areas of your office could use a little extra cleaning. Consider scheduling a brief “office cleaning party” (15-minutes to an hour, depending on your need), for all office staff to address key areas within their personal workstation (e.g., keyboards, phones, computer monitors, etc.) and delegate individuals or teams to tackle public spaces like the break room (e.g., coffee maker and microwave), restrooms and lobby (if necessary). Few people enjoy cleaning, but there are ways to make it more fun by playing energizing music and making sure you have all the supplies needed to get the job done. By giving the team a reason to move around and change up the day-to-day monotony, you might be surprised to find, not only, a cleaner office, but a more motivated and focused team.

Click here for seven “handy hacks” from Staples.com to make your office cleaning party a breeze! 

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #183: Chalkboard Like a Pro

Even if you aren’t a skilled artist, creating beautiful and trendy chalkboard signs  can be achieved with these 5 tips and tricks from the pros.

• Use a Level and a ruler for straight lines and even spacing

• Pick your tool – mechanical chalk pencil, chalk pencil (intended for marking fabric when sewing), chalk marker or real chalk.

Four types of chalk as illustrated by Jones Design Company. From top to bottom: mechanical chalk pencil,
chalk pencil by Fons and Porter, chalk marker, and good, old fashion chalk

• A damp cloth and a handful of Q-Tips can work wonders when it comes to correcting mistakes and cleaning up smudges. 

• DIY stencils – If you plan to use an image more than once (your logo or a chocolate truffle with a swirl) make your own stencil with vellum paper. You can easily trace any printed image by placing vellum over the print. 

Depending on your skill level, creating artful chalkboards can take lots of patience and practice. If you don’t have time for either of these, try this quick and easy chalkboard hack from Buzzfeed.

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