Remember when I made this sewing themed gingerbread cottage in cahoots with Cheryl at Sew Can Do? And how I love challenges and parameters? (I may not have mentioned that, but I do.) We had such fun with our sweet vs. sewn Christmas challenge, we decided to have a go at Valentine’s Day with new themes. Yes, I said themes as in plural. We have even more goodness coming your way next week.
This week, our theme is: LOVE BUGS!! I have to give you a sneak peek at Cheryl’s ridiculously adorable love bug hat and onesie worn by a ridiculously adorable love bug. Wow, I wish I could sew to be surrounded by such cuteness all the time. Please, please, check out Cheryl’s etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog. (Ridiculously adorable baby not for sale, but the love bug hat is.)
Check back tomorrow for Cheryl’s guest post featuring her love bug creations!
how to make marshmallow love bugs
what to do:
Slide two marshmallows (or three) on a lollipop stick. It helps immensely if you grease the lollipop stick first with shortening. Fill a deep bowl or cup with water. Dip the marshmallows in and remove quickly, dabbing excess water on a paper towel. Hold the wet marshmallows over a bowl or plate and sprinkle generously to coat with the sprinkles. Rest the stick of marshmallows on a piece of wax paper.
Use the marker to add two black dots to two white heart sprinkles. Use a toothpick to dab dots of corn syrup on the back of the eyes to adhere to the marshmallows. Add a red heart sprinkle to the lower marshmallow. Let the marshmallows lay on the wax paper until the eyes and heart set.
Cut two mini gum drops in half horizontally with a sharp knife. Use a small piece of dried spaghetti, about 1-inch long, to skewer the top half of the gum drop and attach to the top of the bug’s head. Roll a large gumdrop with a rolling pin on a surface dusted generously with granulated sugar. Roll about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out two mini hearts. Skewer the hearts with another small piece of dried spaghetti and attach to the bug’s body for wings. Prop in a Sytrofoam block to fully dry.
nadege says
February 1, 2011 at 1:45 pmreally funny !!
no facebook for decorated cookies, the blog ?
Kudos Kitchen says
February 1, 2011 at 1:57 pmMeaghan your marshmallow love bugs are outragously cute!!!! Love the drawings of how you made them too. So fun and whimsical! LOVE this idea!!!
Chic Cookies says
February 1, 2011 at 2:13 pmThank you! Nadege, I have a personal FB page, but getting a facebook page is on my to-do list!!
Jenni says
February 1, 2011 at 4:04 pmyou must reaaallllly like marshmallows. It seems like every post for the past few months have been marshmallows lol. I can't personally stand marshmallows unless they are in S'Mores, but these love bugs remind me of robots, and make me smile!
Kawkawii says
February 1, 2011 at 6:22 pmOMG!!!
it;s soooo cuteeee!!!
i loved the sad face !!
i wanna hug it !!
Sue says
February 1, 2011 at 6:39 pmI LOVE your lovebugs! Adorable! If Kraft was on the ball they would pay you to be their marshmallow spokesperson! 🙂
Bakergirl says
February 1, 2011 at 6:57 pmThis is the most adorable thing I've ever seen in my life. They're almost too cute to eat! I'm trying to resist running to the store for marshmallows & pink sprinkles right this second. You're so creative!
Chic Cookies says
February 1, 2011 at 7:01 pmThank you all so much! Actually Jenni, the big secret is I'm not as partial to the taste of marshmallows as cookies either! But… they are ridiculously quick and easy to decorate (much appreciated with my crazy life, and hence, popular with lots of people). I promise, though, not every post will be marshmallows. LOTS of cookies coming up, so stay tuned! And phew, I checked, in the last month, marshmallows only beat out cookies 5 ideas to 4! (Did I say "only"? That seems like too much actually)
Debbie says
February 1, 2011 at 7:09 pmYou are so dang cute…I love these and never would have thought to use spaghetti!
Pink Little Cake says
February 1, 2011 at 9:45 pmSo cute as always. I love the bug idea and that you used spagetti to stick the pieces together.
lilaloa says
February 1, 2011 at 10:12 pmThere is just something about shiny, glittery marshmallows that calls to me. I LOVE these!
Tiffany Yang says
February 1, 2011 at 10:20 pmI think that's the cuttest bug I have ever seen. You are so good at marshmallow art!
Meg says
February 1, 2011 at 10:21 pmThose are the cutest things! Love the the sewing and sweets combo- I love a good theme/challenge myself!
sugarswings says
February 2, 2011 at 1:45 amthe cuteness…it's almost…too much….too cute…can't make full sentences…..cute…..!
Kate Eileen Emmert says
February 2, 2011 at 5:19 pmAMAZING!! So incredibly creative and CUTE!
Ashleigh at posh parties, LLC says
February 2, 2011 at 6:44 pmSuper cute, and I love the drawings! Very clever …
Mariah says
February 2, 2011 at 10:03 pmOne of the cutest Valentine treats I have seen, simply adorable!
Tammy says
February 3, 2011 at 12:40 pmSo adorable! What a really fun idea to do with the children for V-day!
Km says
February 3, 2011 at 2:36 pmOhhhhh so darling!!!! I am a sucker for love bugs! Your illustrations are as cute as the real thing….
Amanda says
February 4, 2011 at 1:33 pmOMG! WHAT?? These are so flippin' cute I can't even stand it!!!
Ashley says
February 7, 2011 at 8:21 amThese are completely adorable! I actually featured them on my blog as part of my Fabulous Finds Craft and Recipe Round-Up: Valentine’s Edition! Just thought you’d like to know, and thanks for the awesome idea!
http://veaterfam.blogspot.com/2011/02/fabulous-finds-craft-and-recipe-round.html
Rachael says
February 7, 2011 at 3:37 pmI wonder if you could use those little pink marshmallow hearts for the little bug wings for those who don't have a mini heart cutter. Our Walmart has them out now. Very cute idea! Love it!
Chic Cookies says
February 7, 2011 at 3:49 pmDefinitely Rachael! As I was making them I thought of a million better things for wings but didn't have the foresight standing in the store! Plus that'd save the hassle of rolling and cutting out!
MyKidsMake says
February 13, 2011 at 1:34 amsoo fun!!!! what a great idea.
Stefanie says
February 7, 2012 at 4:41 pmLOVE these! I will be highlighting this post as well as putting in a little plug for your book on my website this friday! You will be able to find that post on friday at
http://makingofamom.com/valentine-treat-round-up-2/
Thanks!!
meaghanmountford says
February 7, 2012 at 4:43 pmThank you so much Stefanie! Looking forward to the roundup 🙂 !
Rose says
February 7, 2012 at 9:15 pmI wonder if you could use those old-fashioned candy cigarettes or cut a strip of a Twizzler for the antennae stems. My son and I are making these for his class V-Day party.
Sarah (Canterbury Cakes) says
February 12, 2012 at 10:51 pmThese love bugs are so cute – I saw them on mybakingaddiction and had to come over. I think my kids would really love to have a go at making them. Thanks for sharing.
Katie says
February 14, 2012 at 3:05 amI made these as cupcake toppers for my son’s preschool Valentine’s party. They are adorable! I used the bottom, unused portion of the gum drop to make the heart wings. I squished them into a circle with my fingers, pressed them into sugar,and then formed them into wings by hand. No rolling pin or cookie cutter and they still came out great. Thanks for the idea, my kids LOVE them!! I wanted to post a picture but don’t know how.
meaghanmountford says
February 14, 2012 at 12:49 pmKatie, I’m going to email you now. I’d love to see a picture! If you like, you can send one along to submit to my Sweet Treat Friday. I’m posting reader pics up on my facebook page (and then you get an automatic entry into the giveaway for the layer cake shop gift certificate). My email is: thedecoratedcookie@gmail.com
Rose says
February 14, 2012 at 3:56 pmTwizzlers work for the antennae and to get the wings on. We did pink and red sugar coatings. My son also did most of the work on a “garden” for the bugs – a white basket with foam blocks and paper grass, and foam bug and flower stickers on toothpicks. I’ll send you a photo. He’s very proud!
Shannon says
July 18, 2012 at 8:41 pmThese are great! I am wondering how long they last? Should they be in plastic??
meaghanmountford says
July 19, 2012 at 8:58 pmShannon, while the sprinkles coating actually makes these last longer than if you left plain marshmallows out in the air, I would place these in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper in a big Tupperware if you have it. Or large Ziplocs!
Dineka says
February 14, 2013 at 10:17 amThanks for a wonderful idea! I put a link to these in my blog and modified them just a little to use as class treats. Your stuff is always amazing and your drawings are so cute!
Priya says
February 1, 2016 at 2:03 pmVery cute idea!! I am feature this in my Vantine’s Day crafts round up. Hope it is OK! Thanks!
meaghanmountford says
February 1, 2016 at 2:48 pmSounds great Priya, thank you!!
Shannon says
January 25, 2017 at 2:03 amHi. I just wanted to check in and see if it was okay if I included this post on my round up on Valentine’s Day food crafts and activities on http://www.Joyintheworks.com? I hope so because this is the perfect fit! Thanks.
meaghanmountford says
January 25, 2017 at 8:25 amHi Shannon, Sure! I’d be honored to be included. Thank you!! Meaghan