The best thing about a Cinco de Mayo party (other than the bottomless margaritas, of course) is the really cool options for a candy buffet.  Here are our recommendations:

• Mexican Hat Gummies
• Red Licorice Laces (you can label them as “lassos”)
• Red Hots
• Red, Green, White and Bright Yellow Milkies
• White Yogurt Covered Raisins
•  El Bubble Gum Cigars
• Teenee Beanee Lemon Jelly Beans
• Teenee Beanee Apple Jelly Beans
• Teenee Beanee Orange Jelly Beans

Photo from Pizzazzerie.com

Photo from CreateMyEvent.com

Photo from JennyCastleDesign.Blogspot.com

This candy rocks because the party planner has gotten maximum color out of a fairly minimum amount of candy.  How’d she do it?  Here’s what she used (which can be bought on our website: www.sweetcitycandy.com):

• Rainbow Nerds
• Rock Candy
• Thank You Mints
• Swedish Fish
• Sixlets
• Gummy Worms
• Gumballs

For more details on this party, check out Malu Boutiques website!

Photo Credit: Malu Boutiques via Baby Lifestyles

One thing that can really make your candy buffet stand apart is having unique scoops for serving up your treats. It’s easy to forget how important scoopers are, but if you are serving unwrapped candy (like M&Ms, Skittles, etc.), you’re definitely going to want something to scoop with to keep little kids grabby-hands from spreading germs through your buffet.  Scoops are also essential if you plan to dispense your candy into goody bags for your guests to bring home.  It’s no fun running around at the last minute looking for ladles and spoons to shovel into gift bags.  Better to be prepared!

The options for scoops are endless – from metal, to plastic, to colored, to clear … from shovels to ladles to spoons to scoops … you can take this in any direction you choose!

Here are some of our recommendations from classic to crazy scoops that you can use for your upcoming candy buffet:

Ladles – The ladle is the perfect way to serve up smaller candies like M&Ms, Skittles, mints.  You can get ladles in all sizes, so it’s up to you to determine how large of a serving you want each guest to have.  Small ladles can be bought at Scoops-Scoops.com and larger ones can be bought at WebstaurantStore.com.

Scoopers: Scoops like this one come in all different sizes, just like ladles and spoons, but they’re quite efficient in getting loads and loads of candy out of a container and into a bag or bowl.  If you want most of your candy to go home with your guests, then this kind of scooper is right for you.  Check out the selection at Scoops-Scoops.com.

Spoons: You can be as classic or crazy as you want to be with spoons.  I mean, obviously – they’re spoons!  You can get them anywhere and probably have quite a few to choose from in your own private collection already.  Here’s a spoon that is perfect for a colorful candy buffet.  It’s a really awesome wooden spoon with a rainbow ingrained on it.

Tongs: Tongs are super versatile when it comes to food distribution.  If you’re serving cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, individual chocolates or caramels, tongs tend to work really well.  Plus they come in all shaped and sizes.  WebstaurantStore.com has dozens of different tongs – plastic, metal, wooden, colored, grippy, large, small – they’ve got it!

Shovels: And finally, a less traditional kind of candy scoop is a shovel.  Shovels can be great if you’re having a beach-themed party or a Bar-B-Que.  With spring settling in nicely and summer on its way, shovels could be a really fun way to serve up your dessert table at your warm weather shin-digs.

Photo Credits: Candy in Scoops is from FavorsandFlowers.com; Metal Ladles are from Webstaurantstore.com;  Metal Scoop is from Scoops-Scoops.com; Rainbow spoon is from Scoops-Scoops.com; Red Tongs are from Webstaurantstore.com; Pink Shovel is from Scoops-Scoops.com

Here’s a really fun and creative way to have a candy buffet at your upcoming Halloween party – make it a “specimen table” and label all the candy spooky names like “Freshwater Leeches” (Black Licorice Wheels) and “Human Blood Capsules” (Hot Tamales).  You can download a free printable of spooky specimen names here, and we’ve provided a list below of the candy to purchase to match the specimen name.  Have fun!

• Jellyfish Tentacles (Green Apple Sour Straws)
• African Gazelle Thoracic Vertebrae (White Chocolate Covered Pretzels)
• Brazilian Wandering Spider Eggs (White Jawbreakers)
• Petrified Raven Heart (Chocolate Cherry Cordials)
• Dogbone Beatle Larvae (Chocolate Covered Raisins)
• Wild Tiger Eyeballs (Orange Malt Balls)
• Freshwater Leeches (Black Licorice Wheels)
• Human Blood Capules (Hot Tamales)

 Photos from: Paging Super Mom via HostessBlog.com

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E !

What a sweet birthday party theme this little Mickey Mouse party turned out to be.  The bright colors and familiar mouse ears make it obvious why these theme is a timeless classic for little kids’ birthday parties.  The candy bar is delightful and we’ve recreated the list here.  That way, if you decide to have your own Mickey Mouse themed party with a candy bar, it’s all right here and easy to order.

Candy Bar List:

• Starburst
• Gumballs
• Whirly Pops
• Pixy Stix
• Jelly Beans
• Laffy Taffy
• Rock Candy
• Disney Pez Dispensers
• Fruit Slices
• Jolly Ranchers
• Swedish Fish
• Dots
• Runts

Photo Credit: Artography by Allie via The Hostess With The Mostess Blog

All photography is from www.PillowThought.blogspot.com via www.TheTomKatStudio.com

GloriousTreats.com actually has multiple blog posts detailing her planning process, including sources for where the apothecary jars that hold the candy were purchased and she has some great tips for others who many want to copy this party theme. Here’s an excerpt where she covered the games:

In addition to a few bean bag games, another game I’ve prepared is a candy version of bingo (photo below- on the left).  I gathered a bunch of sweet themed clip art images and then arranged them in PhotoShop to create bingo cards.  So instead of calling bingo numbers, I’ll pull from the stack of calling cards (the individual images) and say, “Does anyone have a chocolate chip cookie?”, and then those who do will mark that spot.  The first to have three sweets in a row is the winner.  I laminated the cards so then can be used again and again.  We’ve already played with them several times as a family.

Check out the photos below and if you want to learn more, hop on over to GloriousTreats.com for all the details.

Photo credit: Glory Albin of GloriousTreats.com

Pink Candy

• Hammond’s Handmade “Bubblegum” Flavored Whirly Pops
• Pink Baby Booties
• Pink Jordan Almonds
• Pink Bubble Gum Flavored Jelly Beans
• Pink Sixlets
• Good & Plenty Candies
• Baby Girl Pink Chocolate Coins
• Pink Rock Candy
• Gumballs
• Malt Balls
• Strawberry and Cream Gummies
• Teenee Beanee Cabana Strawbana Jelly Beans

White Candy

• Gumballs
• Rock Candy (Clear)
• French Mints
• Jordan Almonds
• White Sixlets
• Yogurt Covered Raisins
• Yogurt Covered Pretzels

It’s also great to throw in a third color, like  a soft yellow or green.  Here are some suggestions:

• Lemon Drops
• Lemon Pearls
• Pineapple Malt Balls
• Green Apple Martini Cordials
• Spearmint Starlight Mints
• Cafe Mint Espresso Beans

Hop on over the Hostess Blog for their tips on BBQ menu, decor, and drink ideas, but stick around here to check out our recommendations for your candy buffet dessert table.

Memorial Day / Summer BBQ Candy Buffet List:

• Watermelon Fruit Slices
• Blue Raspberry Fruit Slices
• Lemon Fruit Slices
• Stars and Stripes Chocolate Balls
• American Pop-Culture Lollipops
• Stars and Stripes Chocolate Hearts

• Mini Gummy Hamburgers (also come in sour flavor)
• Mini Gummy Hotdogs
• Sour Soda Pop
• Bottle Caps
• Gummy Cola Bottles
• Beach Bucket Toys and Treats
• Whirly Pops

We know this is a pretty extensive list of candy buffet options for this party, so if you’re looking to the biggest color-punch for your dollar, we recommend the first six items on this list (fruit slices through stars and stripes chocolate hearts).  Those six items will not only create a color explosion (check out how pretty the watermelon and blue raspberry fruit slices are – you’ll start to drool!), but the stars and stripes chocolates will add that pinch of patriotism that every summer BBQ needs.  Also, how can you go wrong with lollipops shaped like the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and other pop-culture American icons?

For further inspiration, here are some of our favorite pics from the Hostess Blog’s summer BBQ photo-shoot!

I ran across this birthday party idea and thought it was just the cutest thing for a young girl!  BirthdayPartyIdeas.com has so many awesome party ideas with details on all aspects of the party – decor, games, goody bags, food, etc.

Check out this link for the specifics, but one thing they did leave out was a really awesome candy buffet table – that’s where we come in!

Nothing makes a party more fun for kids than a beautifully decorated table full of their favorite candy – and we’ve put together a selection of candy perfect for a Fashion Diva Birthday Party!

• Swedish Fish
• Gourmet Pretzels
• Raspberry Truffles
• Licorice bites
• Rock Candy
• Laffy Taffy
  
• Maltballs
• Jujubes

Here are some of my favorite pics from other blogs to give additional inspiration!