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A baby shower is a great time to be crafty, but it seems like so many mess up this fun celebration.

The culprit is usually an attempt by someone to make a cake that looks like a baby. This is a bad idea because (A.) it looks too real to eat and we're not cannibals, (B.) it looks like a changeling and is simply too ugly to eat, or (C.) it looks like a combination of A. and B. and the idea of just looking at a realistic changeling is enough to give a person nightmares in addition to an upset stomach from eating it.

I suggest playing it safe with the cake and get crafty elsewhere when it comes to baby showers. So when it came to an upcoming baby shower for a co-worker, I knew I wanted to get crafty, yet stay safe.

Pacifier candies were my scrumptious solution. They're not too expensive, fairly easy to make, tasty and perfect for the occasion. Just like real pacifiers soothe babies, these treats soothe inner children.

When looking for a crafty idea for a baby shower that doesn't suck, yet is great to suck on: go with pacifier candies.

Materials:

• 1 bag of Wintergreen Lifesavers candy (other flavors acceptable, but white-colored lifesavers work best)
• 1 bag of jumbo jelly beans
• Powdered sugar
• 1-2 eggs (egg whites needed - substitutes can be purchased)

*Powdered sugar and eggs are used to make frosting. However, a stronger construction frosting can be purchased at craft stores and some local grocery stores should you desire to skip a step.

Step 1: Prepare the frosting. In a small mixing bowl, stir together an egg white and gradually add about two cups of powdered sugar. As you stir, the mixture should thicken. Be cautious not to over thicken or leave it too watery. More or less powdered sugar maybe needed depending. If you do find you over-added powdered sugar, add more egg whites or a small amount of water.

Step 2: Building the pacifier base. Take a Lifesaver and daub frosting on one of the broad sides of the candy. Set it non-frosting-side-down on the counter. Take a second Lifesaver it and stick it upright into the frosting on the other Lifesaver: the rounded edge on the second Lifesaver touches the frosting, not the broad side. Let the frosting dry.

Step 3: Finishing with jelly beans. For the last step, pick up the base you just made. Add frosting to the opposite broad size of the first Lifesaver. Place a large jelly bean on that frosting. Yellow or pink beans look the best. Again, allow the frosting to dry. This step is a bit tricky because gravity will work against you. You might have to hold the pieces of the pacifier candy in place, while it dries for a bit.

Voila! Completed pacifier candy. Repeat to make as many as you'd like.

It's a feast for the brain with a creative cupcake challenge.

A friend of mine knew I loved crafts. Loving crafts tends to come hand in hand with both a love of baking and a love games. So of course I found a blog post that combined the three--crafts, baking and games--absolutely brilliant.

Here's the premise. This person made 100 cupcakes, but these aren't normal cupcakes. Each cupcake is decorated to represent a different game: board, video, etc. Thus the 100 Games Cupcake Game is born.

So no "how to" steps this post. Just admiration at the craftiness of another. You can play the full game here.

This past week, I "celebrated" my birthday. However, when a vast majority of your closest friends are out of town on a cruise that you couldn't attend because of work obligations, little option is left for celebration.

Thinking about how I had little to do aside from sit on my futon listening to Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" on repeat, I guess you could say I was feeling a little depressed about my birthday this year.

So image how ironically fitting it was to receive a tissue box in the mail. "Another year older? It makes you want to cry. Have a tissue," was written in black sharpie on one side of the box.

Now at this point, I'm sure you're wondering what my pathetic birthday tale has to do with an arts and crafts blog. Well here comes the crafty part.

Discarding the box at first, I later found a need for a tissue and returned to the box. Drawing on a tissue then resulted in pulling a long chain of money taped to the end of the tissue. Now here was the real present!

Though I hate re-gifting, I have no problem re-gifting this idea. This brilliant gift is a great present for any friend or family member because it is common to feel blue about getting older, it's crafty and finally everyone loves money.

Doing this yourself is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll still outline the steps just in case.

How to make a tissue gift box: Materials: 1 Tissue Box Tape Sharpie marker Several bills - recommended at least five individual bills minimum (Bills can can be $1, $5, $10, etc)

Step 1: Get a tissue box and take out the top tissue.

Step 2: Tape the first bill to an edge of the tissue. Use one of the shorter bill sides.

Step 3: Tape another bill's short edge to the remaining short edge of the bill taped to the tissue.

Step 4: Continue taping bills together by matching the short edges until you've used all the bills you wish to include.

Step 5: Fold the bills up accordion style into the box, leaving the tissue on top and sticking out of the box. Some adjusting may need to be made to keep the money hidden under tissues.

Step 6: Decorate the box with the sharpie marker. "Another year older? It makes you want to cry. Have a tissue," works pretty well. Or try, "Don't cry on your birthday."

Step 7: Deliver your gift.

If you've ever watched Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" or a similar television show, you might have heard a strange word tossed around during the decorating process: "fondant." On shows such as "Ace of Cakes," they tend to use a rolled fondant to cover a cake, giving it a smooth appearance. They will also cut pieces of it into little adornments and make little figures to give the cake an extra dimension. This has led me to call fondant by a simpler, less strange name: "candy play-doh."

Play-dohs are edible for the safety of children, but unlike your run-of-the-mill play-doh, fondant is tasty, sweet and meant for eating. It's great for kids because it is the one time you can play with what you'll eat.

For how expensive the price tag is on pre-made fondant at the store, you'd never guess that it is such a breeze to make. It only takes a few short steps. Just be warned - it is messy!

Materials:

• 1 bag mini marshmallows (approx. 1 lb)
• 2 bags of powdered sugar (approx. 2 lb)
• Crisco
• Wax paper
• Microwave
• Medium-sized microwaveable bowl

Step 1: Pour the bag of marshmallows into a medium-sized microwaveable bowl. The marshmallows are going to expand, so you might have to do this in parts. Heat in the microwave until all the marshmallows are melted. Be careful not to overheat and burn them:

Step 2: Gradually mix the powdered sugar into the melted marshmallows.

Step 2.5: As you mix the powdered sugar in with the marshmallows, it should become a more solid substance. As you mix, you may want to remove from the bowl and mix as if kneading bread dough. This step is easiest if you lay down wax paper and cover in Crisco. Smear Crisco on your hands as well so the fondant doesn't stick to you.

Step 3: Keep adding powdered sugar until the mixture reaches more of a typical play-doh texture. You'll know you've reached this stage because it will be less runny. Add more powdered sugar for a more firm dough to craft with or add melt more marshmallows if you want a more flexible dough. I find it is at its best when the fondant can keep the shape of a ball.

Step 4: Although you can immediately use the fondant, it is best to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. To store, make sure you place extra Crisco over the outer layer of your fondant dough. Then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or longer if needed.

Step 5: Get inventive! You have fondant, aka candy play-doh now. Have fun and start playing. What can you make with it? Will you cover a cake like on TV, make little people or come up with something completely new and unheard of?

I used fondant to make a car in the examples below. I covered Rice Krispie treats with fondant to help it keep its shape. Then mini Oreos helped make the wheels and M&Ms supplied the headlights. I used a paint brush to paint a blue frosting on the vehicle.

There are other recipes for a more firm fondant, but none are as simple and tasty as this. Enjoy!

Tip: Continue using Crisco or even corn starch when playing with fondant to keep it from sticking to fingers or add some water if it is doing the opposite and being not sticky enough.

Tip: When attaching fondant to other foods such as a cake, it helps to use a normal frosting as an adhesive.

Let it snow with these giant, unique and easy to create snowflakes. These are so simple you can whip them up as a quick cubicle decoration at the office or something to do at home with friends and family.

Materials:

• 6 sheets of white paper
• Stapler w/ staples
• Tape - clear
• Scissors

Step 1: Take your 6 sheets of paper and stack in a pile. Cut them into a square. A square can be obtained by folding the paper pile into a triangle by taking a corner and folding up at a diagonal. the leftover paper not in the triangle can be cut out:

Step 2: Once you have a pile of square, white paper, fold it in half like a triangle. With the creased side closest to you, cut 2-3 straight slits (starting at the creased edge) toward the point of the triangle angling in from the left. Do the same angling from the right. Do not let your slits meet at a point!

Step 3: Unfold. Take just one of the paper sheets off the stack. At the center of the paper, roll the two inner points made from the slits and overlap. Apply a piece of tape.

Step 4: Flip over. Take the next to points made from the slits and overlap them on the opposite from the innermost. Apply tape.

Step 5: Continue this process, flipping over, until all the points are taped together.

Include the outermost points!

Step 6: Repeat steps 3-5 for all six of the pieces of paper.

Step 7: Gather together all the pieces of the paper at a corner. Make sure they're all facing the same direction (biggest curve to the left or something).

Step 8: Apply a staple at the point where you've gathered the paper.

Step 9: Next, go around adding a staple to connect one piece of paper by stapling where you put tape on the outermost roll of one sheet to place where you put tape to the second from the outer on the other piece of the paper.

Step 10: Continue Step 9 until all the pieces are connected. This will complete a circle and when you step back to look, you'll see a completed snowflake. Voila!

Step 11: Decorate. A paper clip makes a good hanging tool or another piece of tape will do. Be sure to share how to do this snowflake with others and have fun experimenting with colored paper or smaller or large squares.

Happy holidays!