Sweet Things Are Made Of These – CandyTopia Pop-Up

“Sweet things are made of these, who am I to disagree?  I travel the world and the seven seas, everybody’s looking for something.”  (Eurythmics Sweet Dreams lyrics)  Anyone else here an 80s fan? Anyone else here a sweets fan?  We are!  So when we traveled to California this past Spring, we made sure to stop by Santa Monica’s CandyTopia pop-up ‘cuz hey, who can resist the lure of candy? And if you’ve been following us on Instagram or this blog, you know we love a pop-up!

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Similar to the Museum of Ice Cream, Candytopia takes people’s passion for a sweet treat and explodes it into a Willy Wonka style, wonderland filled with fun and discovery in every room. In other words, expect a lot of Instagram-able immersive experiences!

Get those cameras ready!

The first room, which looked like an old boy’s club library, is where you’ll meet your host, a lady who entertainingly describes the rules of this candyland.  It is here where you’ll get your first glimpses of candy artwork, which really is pretty amazing if you look closely to admire.  You’ll also get to sign their ginormous guestbook and sample a Lindt chocolate.  The next room, was light, bright and reminiscent of the Disney Movie’s Frozen scene.  Ice crystals hung above, a mirrored ice throne awaited and jellybeans disguised as famous works of art decorated this palace.

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You can imagine my Frozen fan’s delight when she saw that she could play pretend in this glorious castle!  Here we are sharing the throne, with her appropriately dressed in Elsa’s costume.

Each room had its own look and feel, sometimes transporting you to magical places, sometimes underwater, 

It’s a wild and wacky world where candy eating is encouraged.  Tasty samplings included candy bracelets, lollipops, and swizzle sticks.  You’re sure to be on a sugar high!

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Psychedelic spaces and ball pits are two of the common themes that run through most pop-ups (as presented in one of my past posts) and this one did not disappoint!candytopia, candy museum, candy popup, nyc popup, la popup, candytopia Strangely enough, in LA, this pop-up had so few people running through it, we felt like we had the place to ourselves!    That right there, may have been the real treat.  Because as NY-ers, we are accustomed to waiting in lines for that Instagram-able shot.  Here, we jumped in and found ourselves in an enormous pool of marshmallows all by ourselves!  It was incredible!

This immersive Instagram heaven had colorful moments at every turn. But one of our favorites was the room with unicorns and flying, farting pigs. Yes, you heard me right..but no worries, these silly pigs blow confetti at you and poop our chocolate bars ha!

candy popup, unicorn, rainbow Jackie Sorkin, candy stylist, star of TLC’s Candy Queen and celebrity event planner describes Candytopia as a place where “an eccentric chocolatier and a daredevil pop star had a whirlwind romance, got married while skydiving, and had a glamorous, glittering love child who grew up to rule a small nation.”

Sound good?  It was deliciously fun!  And we are so thrilled to share the exciting news that Candytopia is traveling to our hometown, New York City August 15th at Penn Plaza!  Tickets go on sale July 19th!  Sign up here to get your personal alert to buy tickets!  You heard it here first!

You won’t want to miss out on these “colossal candyfloss constructions!”

 

 

How to host an ice cream social that will have them screaming for joy here.

For ideas on how to host a sprinkle themed party or play date, click here!

My recommendations for the top 5 trendy NYC ice cream spots are here.

 

What if an eccentric chocolatier and a daredevil pop star had a whirlwind romance, got married while skydiving, and had a glamorous, glittering love child who grew up to rule a small nation?  Welcome to Candytopia, where colossal candyfloss constructions meld with a tantalizing taffy twistedness!

Explore our sprawling sanctuary of confectionary bliss, tastefully curated by Hollywood Candy Queen Jackie Sorkin, realized by master fabricator Zac Hartog, and brought to life by life-long retailer, John Goodman. This four-month interactive art installation celebrates the vibrant colors and flavors of our favorite sugary delights across over a dozen environments, from flying unicorn pigs to a marshmallow tsunami. Bring your family, your friends, and your sweet tooth for an experience like none other!

If you ever dreamed of nibbling your way through Candyland or scoring a Golden Ticket, you’ve come to the right place. Treat yourself to Candytopia, and let your tastebuds and your imagination soar!

2016 Year In Review – Holiday Parties

To help create special moments for my family, I enjoy celebrating each holiday and marking the passage of time with mini celebrations.  I host themed play dates for Juliet, play dress up, produce photo shoots in holiday colors, bake themed desserts with my little one and have fun re-decorating the dining area with her.  Here’s my 2016 year in review showing how just one small area of a NYC apartment came to life each season.

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For all the details from this adorable, “Wild For You” themed Valentine’s PJs and Pancakes play date, click here!

The girls played with their furry stuffed animals, sprinkled toppings on heart-shaped pancakes and brunched like little ladies while wearing their matching animal PJs.  It was so much fun that I hosted another Wild For You play date during Valentine’s with a slightly different setup.   For this posh play date we decorated heart-shaped Valentine cookies and wore heart printed sweatsuits. Click through for all the details and tips on how to create your own!

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For her birthday at the end of February, I turned our dining area into a Mickey Minnie black and white themed space since our Disney kid was clubhouse crazy!

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Click here for all the budget-friendly details!  The next month, I hosted a princess themed play date featuring a Beauty and the Beast screening, ballroom dancing, and mommy and me manicures.  With free printables, I transformed the buffet area to a blue and pink sparkle and sweet station.  Click here for more!

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I’ve never been one to celebrate the fourth of July with such enthusiasm until recently.  Decorating my home in red white and blue has become a tradition ever since having a little one.  I want to celebrate every holiday with her in a fun, stylish and meaningful way.  Besides being festive, holiday decor is a talking point from which teachable moments can spring forth.  My little one learned about the American flag, identified stars and stripes, and practiced color memory with these visual aids as a baby.  Nowadays she likes and insists on getting involved with the decorating!

fourth of july decor

During my birthday month (Sept.) I used some remaining party decor to make the place feel festive.  Hubby agreed to cook me his first dinner ever as part of my present.  What better entertainment on my birthday than to watch him try and figure his way around the kitchen I thought?  Juliet and I set the table with all our Oh Joy for Target items leftover from last year while daddy fumbled through the Hello Fresh kit with all the dinner ingredients.  Below was the end result!

birthday party decor

I opted out of hosting a Halloween bash this year and instead hosted some close friends over for a crafty trick or treat pre-party.  Here’s our dining area transformed once again with a damask shower curtain and homemade banners on the wall.

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And for a simple and comparatively minimalistic Thanksgiving scene, I cleared out the dramatic Halloween decor and re-purposed items around the house for a totally different look.  Using fall favorites such as white pumpkins and apples, I created an elegant scene with pure white with silver accents.

thanksgiving decor, jonathan adler chandelier

Then I held a posh play date sponsored by 7 or 8 brands under the theme, “sprinkle some fun” which you can see here and got to re-use the backdrop from Juliet’s bunny birthday party as well as the princess party.

kids party ideas, party decor

 

These are some of my favorite looks using whatever I had around the house, gift wrap, shower curatains, re-purposed party decor.  I hope this inspires you to change it up every once in a while and give your home a fun festive look for your favorite holidays in 2017!

Happy new year!

 

 

 

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