I sent the only bag I bought to Bubbles

We don't get the little ones here.

My biggest problem is the holidays. The girls still want the candy I made when they were growing up for part of their Christmas which includes all things chocolate - fudge, coconut peaks dipped in chocolate, peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses, etc....

See my dilemma

It for sure is a dilemma.

You did great with your rose instructions, Sharon. I am so glad to be an enabler. We even got Larry doin it!!!!

Well, thanks Charleen.
It's what I've done all my life, teaching art. I just hadn't played with clay in awhile, so all your projects made me dig my clay out again.

I think I'll like Larry's roses better, though.

Yes, they did sound yummy...

Nice rose "recipes", Sharon and Larry. I starred them for future reference.

We have eaten all the larger Tootsie Rolls in the left-over Halloween candy. I am sick. Milky Way is next. I hid that bag but I remember just exactly where it's hidden.

I am never an enabler. Of course not.

I have a valid reason for eating only chocolate. Totally valid.
I'm deathly allergic to red dye, so I can't have red candy or pink or even orange or purple. Since I'm so limited, I might as well just stick with chocolate.
Same with cakes, pies. They just might as well be chocolate, too.

Same problem as y'all's. Here's my solution. I'm going to take all those "fun-sized" Snickers, Milkyways, and Three Musketeers, melt 'em down, and put 'em in a cake. That way I can't be sneaking one out of the bag every time I walk through the kitchen. Plus, I'll be sharing the cake with others, so that will spread the calories around a bit. Unfortunately, the best-laid plans often go awry!

Y'all's.

Heh.
Linguist professor that you are!

Having lived in Huntsville, AL, I also heard "all y'all's."

You might have 'heard', but I don't believe I ever heard you use it.

Oooh, thanks for the reminder about the star ... I've starred Sharon's tutorial and now Larry's recipe for the Chocolate Roses. I will definitely be making some Chocolate Roses this holiday season! And, I will have to have enough chocolate to make one, eat one, make one eat one ... I usually do a lot of cookie baking during the holidays so I will just add this to my list!

Sharon, where can one buy colored clay? I'm assuming Hobby Lobby or someplace like that? I probably won't find time to make the clay roses until after the first of the year but I definitely plan to do it. And, another question, do you spray them with some sort of sealer or does just the oven baking alone make them keep their shape?

Lucky I didn't buy any dark chocolate this year. I don't care for milk chocolate and detest white chocolate so dark chocolate is all I will eat. I was smart this time!!

Michael's or Hobby Lobby will have it, Lin. I've only used Fimo which is colored. There are other brands though, that aren't colored and have to be painted.

Once it's baked you don't have to do anything, it's hardened and will keep its shape. There are some clear finishes though, made just for polymer clay, and it will give it a sort of gloss finish. It seals it and makes it a little easier to dust when it sits around long enough to collect it. (Which can happen at my house.) There might be a satin or matt finish as well. Not sure about that.

Me too, Sally, I love dark chocolate.

I'm a hound dog on the chocolate. I only like milk chocolate. Don't care for the white either.

The dark tastes bitter to me and the caffeine in it makes me jittery. I know it's much healthier but...

Thanks Sharon that's a great "T". I haven't done roses in years.

Larry you are a great enabler, chocolate. yum.

Lin, make one eat one won't cut it around here, it's make one put to the side. make three, eat three. make one put to the side.

Thanks Sharon, we have both Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I like the idea of colored clay ... I'm lazy and I know me, I'd get them made and then they'd get put aside and never get painted and end up in a closet somewhere.

Yum ... I love milk chocolate as well as white chocolate. Might try to make a two tone rose, with the white chocolate in the center and dark outer petals!

Robin: Yep, I gotta admit, that sounds more like me! I wont' tell y'all how much chocolate I've eaten this past week! We haven't had children going door to door around here in years but I still buy candy ... just in case!

LarryR said:Same problem as y'all's. Here's my solution. I'm going to take all those "fun-sized" Snickers, Milkyways, and Three Musketeers, melt 'em down, and put 'em in a cake. That way I can't be sneaking one out of the bag every time I walk through the kitchen. Plus, I'll be sharing the cake with others, so that will spread the calories around a bit. Unfortunately, the best-laid plans often go awry!

Sure, Larry. Well, good luck with that!!

Charleen, I love your little green leaf men too ... I forgot where they are posted though. So I'll just tell ya here.