flavor flags

{image scanned from Martha Stewart Living July 2011}

Did you see these adorable favor bags in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living?  Fantastic right!?  These would be perfect for any 4th of July celebration!  I searched for a better photo online (it's not even on marthastewart.com yet!?), but came up empty handed so I just scanned the magazine.  For the ease of your eyes, I have re-typed the how-to/instructions below.

Gift To Go - Flavor Flags
A spirited holiday celebration calls for a fun take-home treat, like this goody bag of candies arranged to resemble the American flag.  Start by partially filling a 2-by-10 cellophane bag with blue candies to stand in for stars.  Then add red and white candy sticks to mimic stripes.  Tie the bag with red waxed twine, and don't be surprised if you catch yourself humming "Stars and Stripes Forever". 
Cellophane bags, 2" by 10", $6 for 100, groovycandies.com. Blue sixlets, $6 per lb., economycandy.com. Cocoa stirrers, in Vanilla and Cinnamon, $8 for 5 oz., hammondscandies.com. Waxed linen thread, in Country Red, $13 for 100 yd., caning.com.

camera to cartoon

In last months Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I saw a great resource.  The Story Studio section on Crayola.com.  You have to check this out - so cool!  You can turn one of your photos into a cartoon, print it and color it.  How fun is that!?    

After you log-in, you upload your own photo (or take a picture with your webcam) and the program uses facial recognition software to make a caricature of the photo.  You can also add other details like accessories or fun backgrounds.

When I saw this, I immediately thought of kids' parties.  Wouldn't these make a great party favor!?  A custom coloring page and a small pack of crayons - perfect!  You could even coordinate the story background with your party theme.  Like the photo sample that's on the home page, your caricature in a baseball park for a baseball-themed party.

There are so many possibilities with this fun resource - from kids to adults!  You could use this for invitations, tags, posters, etc.