Jelly Beans
for Sister Sue

by Dorrie Ruplinger

When I was little, jelly beans were found in most stores at only one time of the year and that was during the Easter season. The choices were very limited, typically the regular assorted bag of flavors and colors or bags of spiced jelly beans. Today, there is vast array of jelly bean choices along with some unusual flavors. And you can find jelly beans all year long on the store shelves or via the Internet. The most popular year-round jelly bean is probably Jelly Belly™. They come in dozens of colors and flavors such as the pretty multi-colored tutti fruiti flavored ones to the surprisingly delicious buttered popcorn ones, to the intensely flavored jalapeño Jelly Belly™ jelly beans.

Jelly beans are definitely not just for Easter anymore. One of my favorite things to receive is a bag of jelly beans that announce the birth of a baby. I’ve received little bags of either pink or blue jelly beans announcing “It’s as Girl” or “It’s a Boy.” They’re cute and something that’s a little different than the chocolate candy bars many people hand out for new baby births and certainly not as bad for your health as the cigars that new dad’s used to routinely hand out when their new baby was born.

Eating jelly beans isn't really a craft, but there is a remarkable similarity because eating jelly beans is a whole lot of fun, just like a craft.

Jelly beans are also a popular favor to hand out at weddings. While jelly beans can be part of an elegant table setting or a sweet treat for guests. I recently attended a wedding where white and red jelly beans (it was a Valentine’s Day wedding) were wrapped in tulle with a tag attached that had the couple’s name and the date of the wedding on it. The small parcels were given to the wedding guests as a tasty memento of their wedding day.

You can utilize jelly beans when making desserts and cakes too. My favorite treat to make at Easter is jelly bean nests. I melt white chocolate and then stir in chow mein noodles. Before the mixture hardens, I spoon it onto waxed paper and form it into little nests. I then fill the “nest” part with several jelly beans.

Jelly beans are a fun way to decorate a cake. You can use jelly beans to create a flag for Independence Day; a pumpkin or black cat for Halloween; a tree for Christmas; a heart for Valentine’s Day or even spell out someone’s name in jelly beans. My friend likes to put jelly beans on her children’s birthday cakes each year, using jelly beans to put their age on the cake.

Jelly beans can have a practical use too. Many ice cream parlors put a jelly bean in the bottom of a sugar cone before putting ice cream in it to prevent leaking as the ice cream melts. As a bonus, there’s a sweet treat waiting at the bottom of the cone.

Jelly beans can also be part of a game at a birthday party, wedding shower, or baby shower. Fill a nice jar with jelly beans (example: use pink, blue, and white jelly beans at a baby shower) and have everyone guess how many jelly beans are in the jar. Whoever has the closest guess wins the jar of jelly beans. Or, you could give out another prize, saving the jar of jelly beans for the guest of honor.

So, even though many of us associate jelly beans with Easter, there are many fun and interesting ways to use them all year long. And if you are a jelly bean lover who just wants to have them around all year long, maybe put them in a jar on your desk like President Ronald Reagan did on the 1980’s so a couple of jelly beans to satisfy your sweet tooth are never far away.

the end

Bio:  Dorrie Ruplinger is a featured writer for http://www.jellybeanmarket.com 
For more information about jelly beans, including ideas and tips on how to use
jelly beans for various non-Easter occasions, visit us.

Crafts (like jelly beans) do make wonderful gifts. Now I don't pretend that ANY crafty gift is precious. A star made from popsicle sticks glued together might bring yards of happiness when given from a four-year old, but look rather tacky if you are forty. The gifts you choose to make for others should spring from a craft you do exceedingly well. A good craft gift might be defined as anything you do with your hands that makes your heart sing while you are making it. When the one receiving the gift hears that singing and joins in then you will have given a gift which is priceless. Not all of us knows what a rabbet is, but all of us will have talents which give us an affinity to at least one of the crafty ideas inside this package. I invite you to check out the book marks and dig in. Don't be afraid to try any of these ideas. Each one was chosen for the author's skill in explaining the steps to take. You will probably be pleasantly surprised and how easily you acquire the skills needed for any craft idea that you like. There is a link in each craft article so that you can easily reach the author for similar material.
freebo///craftygifts.pdf is the download site.
This book will make a swell gift for all your craft loving friends. Pass it on, then take a look at what all else we have in store for you..

Make all your gifts Too Pretty to Open.    
a guide for buying toys
   
20 toys you don't have to buy
  
What did you Give for Christmas?
  
How To Give Money Away CREATIVeLY
  
Grow Plants in a Balloon
  
How to make your own Handmade Greeting Cards 
 
Make Make Your Own Molds... Clear directions.  
How to make this beautiful straw-hatted scarecrow
How to draw caricatures
 
Make a String of Hearts 
How To Make Your Own Christmas Cards 
Embroidery Patterns  
  Modeling with Salt Dough  
Special Gifts that make Time Stand Still  
Ice Cream made in a baggie  
Make your own Patchwork Valentine
  
Make your own Specialty Papers
   
15 Creative Ways to Use Motifs   
Our Front Page
  
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to discover everything else on this site.  
Click HERE if your insurance costs too much.
  
Learn How To Make Your Crafts Sell  
Make an Apron for Your Friends 
Jelly Beans for Sister Sue 

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from Noble Oklahoma 73068