Creative food craft ideas
The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle is holding a must-enter contest if you have even the slightest interest in cookie decorating. She’s assembled a fantastic collection of cookie decorating essentials from Karen’s Cookies, including tips, colors, Disco Dust and more! CLICK HERE For more information and to enter.
HURRY!!! Contest ends tonight!!!
Elegant flavour cubes to add sparkle, colour, and effortless glamour to your next glass.
Champagne has a way of making even the smallest moment feel worth celebrating. But if you’ve ever wanted to dress up your bubbles without turning your kitchen into a full cocktail bar, flavoured ice cubes are a beautiful, simple upgrade.
They melt slowly, add subtle flavour, and make your glass look like something you’d order in a rooftop bar — except you’re probably standing in your kitchen, still wearing comfy pants, hiding from the dog who’s trying to steal the cheese board. Relatable.
And the best part? You can freeze these weeks ahead, so when guests arrive (or when you finally collapse after a long day), all you have to do is drop in a cube and top it with Champagne.
Here are 10 elegant Champagne-friendly ice cubes, each designed to add colour and sophistication to your favourite bottle.
Per cube:
• 1–2 strawberry slices
• 1 rose petal (optional)
• Fill with water
Adds a soft pink blush and gentle berry sweetness.
Per cube:
• A curl of lemon peel
• 1 tiny lemon segment
• Fill with sparkling water
Brightens up drier Champagnes and adds brunch-energy sparkle.
Per cube:
• 1 pear slice
• A sliver of vanilla bean
• Fill with water
Soft, elegant, and perfect for cosy winter evenings.
Per cube:
• 2 raspberries
• ½ tsp elderflower cordial
• Fill with water
Adds subtle sweetness and makes a stunning brunch cocktail.
Per cube:
• 1 thin slice blood orange
• Fill with water
Turns budget bubbles into a chic citrus cocktail.
Per cube:
• Pinch of culinary lavender
• 1 piece lemon peel
• Fill with water or cooled chamomile tea
Smells like a spa, tastes like a holiday.
Per cube:
• 2 blackberries
• 1 mint leaf
• Fill with water
Gives Champagne a jewel-tone glow.
Per cube:
• 1 small edible rose petal
• Pinch of edible gold dust
• Fill with water
If “Champagne but make it fancy” had a mascot, it would be this.
Per cube:
• 1 small grapefruit segment
• 1 rosemary tip
• Fill with water
For those who like a more grown-up, botanical sparkle.
Per cube:
• 1 canned lychee (halved)
• A tiny lime twist
• Fill with water
Light, fresh, and beautifully aromatic — perfect for summer Champagne.
Arrange bowls of colourful cubes on a platter beside the chilled bottle, and let guests build their own glass. It’s simple, stunning, and makes even a casual gathering feel like New Year’s Eve.
These cubes freeze beautifully for at least a month, so they’re a brilliant little “do it now, enjoy it later” trick — especially helpful when life gets busy and you still want a touch of sparkle.
I’ve tried cheap trays, weird silicone ones that smell like the cupboard, and everything in between. These are the ones that never leave my freezer, especially in December:
Large Square Cocktail Ice Tray – perfect for rosemary sprigs, citrus slices, and whole cranberries.
Sphere Ice Mold for Festive Cocktail Balls – this makes those gorgeous big cocktail spheres that look so elegant in champagne coupes or gin glasses.
Jumbo Ice Cube Tray With Lid – great when you’re prepping for a party and don’t want your ice smelling like last week’s leftovers. I love the ones with the lids as I can stack them and make bulk batches, but putting the lid on does mean you can’t have sprigs sticking out. So I mix and match.
For something a little extra special , I have this rose mold and love it.
These dried flowers are also great for popping into drinks- Dried ones mean you can buy them ahead of time , ready to go.
Use whatever shape suits your drink style — cubes feel classic, spheres feel bougie, and no one is mad either way.
I love the cookies you have made great ideas, very creative would love to try it myself have a big family and with the holidays looking for something different to give as gifts and what better then a sweet treat
@BeautifulBP
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I went to Karen’s facebook page and “liked her.” Great cookies!
My fondest memory of my grandma was the last time I saw her – she was holding my oldest son who was 10 months old at the time.
I liked Karen’s FB page.
Wow! What amazing cookies you make. I “Liked” Karen’s FB page.
I remember my grandma would randomly pick me up from school. She would take the chance to catch me when school let out and she would have food from Wendy’s for me. She never told me she was gonna pick me up so I always wonder how many times she went to get me and didn’t catch me walking out from school.
I spent alot of time with my grandma, but oddly I can never remember her cooking a meal. And I mean “cook” I’d occassionaly see her microwave items, but never cook something on the stove. Very weird. My great-gramdma was always cooking.
Is this a magical cookie decorating kit? Would we be able to magically create cookies as great as you?
My grandma was known for her baking with yeast dough. I would watch her make something and write it down as she went along. I am retired, but worked in a bakery for 25 yrs. My NY resolution is to perfect pasta making and cookie decorating.
Ever since I saw your post I wanted to write about my mom, it is hard to do so, because she is missing, but I do remember a lot of happy moments, althougth we were poor, she always managed to make our lives very fun; Most of all I miss her singing habilities, I never put much attention to her cooking because I was very youg, Now that I started to make cookies on my own I think of her a lot, she use to make the greates cookies ever, not decorated, but they tasted really good. I wish I could win your give away, and my very short story probably won’t be the best, but it is fun to participate, I have been thinking about this give away since this last Monday, it is not in the origal post you wrote and probably I di not make it on time, but I finally got the courage to write, I am such a quite woman. Oh well the truth is that I am already a winner just to open a little bit to my self, and really looking a your cooking gives me a lot of ideas, and inspires me keep trying, before I felt alone, I di not have any one to ask a question about what was rigth about baking or any simple question, but now with internet is so much information, that I can not wait until I put the kids to come visit wonderfull sites like your. Kisses.
I have visited Karen on her face book,what she can do with a plain old Cookie is out of this world.
I also have many good memories of my Grandma’s, the trouble is though my Nan got so badly burnt (90%)that I always see this before I can remember the good, I was 13 and I visited her in Hospital on my own and as I walked in she took her very last breathe… But we had so many good times they do out weigh this very last memory.
I lost my Granny when I was 24. My son was the only grate grandchild she ever held she died a few weeks after that.She taught me all that she knew about sewing and crocheting. She showed me how to make a quilt.
I am 64 years now (the same age as my dear Grandma when she passed) and I still think of her all the time. She made a “huge” impact on my life and my way of doing things. Grandma had a love for food and animals, she raised birds in her avery in the backyard.
I can still taste the cookies she made for my sister and I out of the leftover pie dough. She would let us decorate them with sugar and candies.
I am the proud grandma of 4 beautiful children and being a grandma is my greatest legacy. I am teaching my grandkids how to sew and make cookies (gingerbread boys and houses) at Christmas every year.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my story.
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My Granny helped me make my first afghan. It didn’t look very pretty but it was mine. I turned around and showed her how to make baby,booties. We had a lot of fun. She still comes to see me when I am down