Beachside Treasures Treasure Hunt Winners!

I want to thank everyone who entered, sent their friends and family to us to enter, and also for following my blog (and for those who do, the extra entry helped a couple of you win!). I also want to thank all the wonderful sponsors who participated!  You guys are fantastic and I hope you got many fans out of this!

Now, before I list the winners, I just want to mention a couple things.  First, if you didn't win, PLEASE don't go back "unliking" the sponsors.  They worked hard to get fans, donated some amazing prizes, and from what I know about them, are quite into the whole giveaway thing.  So if you "unlike" them, you'll never know when they are doing another giveaway!  And obviously you wanted something from them in the first place, so why not later too?  :)  Second, please keep sending friends and family our way...you never know when those referrals will come in handy later on down the road (you can even click on the sponsors names below to go directly to their shops!).  Finally, and most important, if you won, make sure that you comment on this post within 24 hours to claim your prize!

Okay, so the moment we've all been waiting for...the winners are:
All You Need Designs: HMH Kaufman
Precious Elaine Boutique: Kortni Gaffney Machell Duke Betti Rod
Marianne McCarthy - Independent Partylite Consultant: Darlene Arnold
Beachside Treasures: Tracy Shaffer
My Lovebug Baby: Ciara Weaver
Sunflower Touch Supply: Zoe Hunter Lee
Northern Hearts Accessories: Laura Katzenbach  Janis Rogers Lauren Wigginton.
Buddi's Thirty-One Gifts: Brenda Bergin
The Bitsy Beau: Jean Young
Up On The Roof Farm: Barbara Claxton
Thirty-One Gifts Ami: Lauren Wigginton
Sumthing Purdy: Janet Wallack
Spirited Sweets: LaNette Beck
Heart Treasures Boutique: Ivonna Freeman
Beachside Treasures Surprise Referral Prize: Hannah Eckman

So again, if you won, please comment on this post within 24 hours that you are claiming your prize.  Once you claim it, I will send an email to the sponsor of your prize with your email address so they can contact you to get any details needed to make and/or send you your prize.

Again, congrats to all the winners, and to everyone else...Thanks and keep watching!  You never know when the next giveaway may be!

Cookie Flower Cake Pots

Spring is almost here, and what better way to celebrate than with some yummy mini flower pot cakes!  This is an easy recipe (although time consuming) that will be fun to make with your kids and also makes great little gifts for friends "just because".  The recipe makes 16 mini flower pot cakes.

Ingredients:
1 package (16 oz) poundcake mix (although any type of cake you like will really work)
1/4 cup green liquid food coloring
40 12" wooden skewers cut in half
2/3 cup flour
1 package (18 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 16 oz bag confectioners sugar
3 egg whites
various colors of liquid food coloring
1 can (16 oz) chocolate frosting
1 package (9 oz) chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed
16 small (3" wide 2 1/2" tall) new terra cotta or glazed ceramic flowerpots

Fill a 8" square pan with 1/2" water and 1/4 cup green food coloring.
Add skewers, rolling occasionally with fork, until dyed completely.
With tongs, set skewers onto paper towels to dry (about 45 minutes)

Next you should prep your cookies.
In a bowl, knead flour into sugar cookie dough until throughly combined.
Roll into a ball, place on a lightly floured waxed paper, flatten slightly, cover with another sheet of waxed paper, and then roll out dough to about 1/4" thick.
Transfer waxed paper to a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350*
Line the pots each with 1 piece of foil large enough to overhang the sides sightly.  Butter and flour each pot.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions and fill each pot with 1/3 cup batter.

Place pots on a cookie sheet and bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Place pots on a wire rack to cool completely.

Remove cookie dough from freezer and remove top sheet of waxed paper. Using a 2" round circle cookie cutter, cut out 8 circles.  Then, using the same cutter, cut out semi circles from the sides as shown in the picture to the left to make your leafs.  Arrange leafs along the edges of an ungreased baking sheet.  From remaining dough, use butterfly and flower cookie cutters (use multiple size flowers ranging from 1" to 3") to cut out the rest of your shapes.  Arrange on ungreased baking sheets, spaced apart to save room for the skewers.

Carefully insert dyed skewers 3/8" into base of all cookies.  Bake 7-9 minutes or until golden.  Place baking sheets on wire racks and cool 5 minutes.  Remove from baking sheets and place directly on wire racks to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, you can prepare the icing.  On low speed, beat confectioners sugar with egg whites and 1 Tbl water until just combined.  Increase speed to high, and beat until thick glossy peaks form (about 2 minutes).  Divide into small bowls and tint with whatever food coloring colors you have chosen to use.  Transfer each color to individual pastry bags fitted with small writing tips (or, if you don't have, place it into small plastic baggies with a very small part of the corner cut off).  Outline cookies with icing and decorate as desired, filling in outlines and smoothing with a small spatula or back of a spoon.  Let dry completely (at least an hour)

Invert the cakes onto a clean surface and remove them from the pots.  Peel off the foil and then line each pot with new foil, making sure none will show once cake is back in.  Place cake back into pots, and spread about 2 Tbls frosting on each.  Sprinkle each with cookie crumbs to cover.  Insert cookie flowers and leaves into cakes, trimming skewers as needed.  Now you are ready to proudly display and give away your lovely flower cake pots.  Hope you enjoy!