galentines

Since my January pen pal letters were a success (despite my Minnesota mail not arriving), I decided to send another batch of happy mail to my family. My February pen pal with me themes centered around Galentine’s Day and mermaids.

In addition to the envelope art, I decided to include a few goodies in the letters that I sent to Kola, my nieces and nephew. This time around I experimented with creating pocket letters to include in each envelope. I found examples of this idea on both Pinterest and YouTube.

What Are Pocket Letters?

Pocket letters are made of plastic trading card sleeves which you can buy from any office supply store or online. The pockets of each sleeve are then decorated with stickers, scrapbook paper, and other embellishments in order to make it pretty.

Once you have finished decorating the pockets, you can add items or gifts to each pocket. The idea is to add something thin or flat to the pockets so that it can easily be folded and placed into an envelope in order to send flat mail, not a package. Some items that can be added to each pocket are gift cards, letters, playlists, stickers, washi tape, and photos.

As usual, after falling in love with the pocket letter concept, I found every video and post on the idea and saved it to my accounts. I found a bunch of videos on YouTube showing how to create a pocket letter. It was amazing to see how creative you can be with decorating a pocket letter. The possibilities seemed endless.

Kola’s Pocket Letter

I designed my cousin’s pocket letter using her favorite color purple as part of my theme. I looked high and low through my supplies to find purple paper and embellishments to add to her pockets. To my surprise, I don’t have a lot of purple in my stash. So, I had to make due with the few items that I had.

Fortunately, I was able to work with the few purple supplies I had. I did a mix of plain paper matched with an animal print paper that I found in one of my boxes. Finally, I added a few stickers which complimented the color scheme and added a little more razzle dazzle to the design.

Front of Kola’s Pocket Letter

The surprises which I placed in each pocket were pretty simple. I added my current music playlist, stickers, a fun fact, a recipe, sequins, washi tape, sticky notes, questions, and a tea bag.

Back of Kola’s Pocket Letter

Although I wish had more to decorate the pocket letter with, I think the end result looked pretty nice for my first attempt at this craft.

Mini Pocket Letters for the Kids

I created mini pocket letters for my nieces and nephew. The mini pocket letter only consists of one row of the original sleeve. Therefore, I cut up one sleeve into three equal parts. Giving each child three pockets each.

Kage’s Mini Pocket Letter

For Kage’s mini pocket letter, I continued the merman theme. I used solid blue colors as the background for each pocket. Then I decorated each pocket with pictures of sea horses and Neptune.

Front of Kage’s Mini Pocket Letter

Back of Kage’s Mini Pocket Letter

Inside Kage’s letter I placed money, a playlist, and would you rather questions.

Ayla’s Mini Pocket Letter

I did a classic pink and black theme for Ayla’s mini pocket letter. I added some rhinestone embellishments, pink stickers, and white flowers to the outside pockets in order to finish the design.

Front of Ayla’s Mini Pocket Letter

Back of Ayla’s Mini Pocket Letter

For gifts I added some washi tape, stickers, and additional black and white embellishments.

Noelle’s Mini Pocket Letter

Noelle’s mini pocket was vintage pink. I actually used the same paper used to create her baby scrapbook four years ago. I finished the design with two soft pink flowers and a heart on the front of each pocket. I added the same gifts of stickers, washi, and embellishments to her letter.

Front of Noelle’s Mini Pocket Letter

Back of Noelle’s Mini Pocket Letter

Envelope Art

Since it is February, I decided to draw hearts on the envelopes I created for my aunt and cousin this month. I found these designs on Pinterest and recreated them on the envelopes I created. They were easy to draw and turned out cute.

Heart Themed Envelope Art

I decided to do a mermaid theme this month for the kids’ envelopes. For Noelle and Ayla, I drew mermaids surrounded by stars, hearts, and bubbles. Each mermaid fits their personality.

Ayla’s Envelope

Noelle’s Envelope

Kage’s envelope is the trident symbol. I found an example on Pinterest and I think it looks good on his envelope and fits his style.

Kage’s Envelope

Final Thoughts

I had a great time creating my happy mail this month. The pocket letters were a hit with all of my pen pals. Plus, all of the letters arrived to their recipients without a hitch this time. I can’t wait to send something new and different next month. I have so many ideas I want to try.

What did you think of the pocket letter idea? Have you made one before? Tell me in the comments below.

Hot chocolate bombs (aka hot cocoa bombs) are the latest treats to go viral on the internet. I first saw an article written about them back in December and was completely in awe from the moment I laid my eyes on them. They had recently become popular and were sold out everywhere. I made it my business to find out all that I could about the bombs. I also looked up a quick and easy hot chocolate bombs recipe so that I could make them myself.

What Are Hot Chocolate Bombs?

Hot chocolate bombs are spheres of pure chocolate joy. They are generally filled with hot cocoa mix and marshmallows. They also come in a variety of flavors ranging from your basic milk chocolate mix to raspberry.

How Do They Work?

It’s simple really. You just place the chocolate bomb into a large cup or mug and add hot milk. The bomb then melts (explodes), releasing it’s tasty contents. After that, just stir and enjoy.

My Hot Chocolate Bomb Making Adventure

After I read the article about the popularity of the bombs, I immediately went to to YouTube to find out more about these cool novelty items. Of course, I found a bunch of videos on how to make and enjoy them at home if you couldn’t find them in the store. I obviously was late to this trend because some of these videos were several months old.

Watching the tutorials inspired me to make these delightful goodies. However, I didn’t want to make them for myself. I wanted to share them with others, but I couldn’t figure out with who.

Over a month later, I continued to come across videos about the hot chocolate bombs. I just couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that I was suppose to create them myself. That’s when I decided I was definitely going to try my hand at making them.

Once the decision was made, a light bulb went off in my head. I could give them to my darling nieces as Galentine’s Day gifts. They were the perfect gifts for kids. Especially, during the cold winter months.

Now that I had finally made up my mind, I reviewed a few more videos and wrote up my grocery list. I already had a silicone mold at home so that was one item I didn’t have to worry about. I just needed to purchase the ingredients and a cupcake box.

Ingredients/Supply List

Here is what I bought to create the bombs.

2 bags of Ghiradelli melting wafers (I bought white and dark chocolate)
1 bottle of Sprinkles
1 pack of Cupcake liners
3 – 4 Land O’ Lakes hot cocoa mix packets (in a variety of flavors) – You can use any hot chocolate mix. This brand is the one that I prefer.
1 bag of Miniature marshmallows
1 Silicone mold
1 pack of Cupcake containers
1 box for shipping (optional)

How Do You Make Them?

Creating the bombs turned out to be pretty simple. The videos I watched provided all of the information I needed to successfully make the hot chocolate bombs.

Take a look at the hot chocolate bombs recipe below.

Print Pin

Hot Chocolate Bombs

Equipment

Silicone mold
Cupcake containers
Box for shipping

Ingredients

2 bags bags of Ghiradelli melting wafers (- (I bought white and dark chocolate))
1 bottle Sprinkles
1 pack Cupcake liners
3-4 packets Land O' Lakes hot cocoa mix packets (in a variety of flavors) (– You can use any hot chocolate mix. This brand is the one that I prefer.)
1 bag Miniature marshmallows

Instructions

Melt the candy melts according to the instructions on the package. I melted mine in the microwave on 50% power for 30 second intervals.
Add about about two teaspoons of melted chocolate to each mold. Use a spoon to spread the chocolate evenly around the bottom and sides of the mold.
Place the mold to chill in the refrigerator for about 5 to 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
Remove the mold from the refrigerator, add another thin layer of chocolate. Be sure there are no gaps or empty spaces. Place it back in the refrigerator for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the mold from the refrigerator. Gently release the shells from the mold and place them on a piece of wax paper or a cookie sheet.
Fill the bottom half of each bomb with hot cocoa mix (2 tbsp.) and marshmallows.
Warm a plate or pan.
Take the top half of the sphere and place it on the plate until you see it starting to melt.
Quickly place it on top of the bottom half to seal your sphere.
Once they are sealed, place them back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to ensure they have hardened and set.
Finally, take them out and decorate them with melted drizzle, sprinkles, or any way you desire.

Also, check out this diy hot cocoa bomb video by Emmy Made on YouTube for visual instructions.

The Outcome

I made eight hot cocoa bombs in total. Six of them were heading to my nieces in Minnesota and two were staying here for my mother and I to try.

I carefully wrapped each bomb individually in treat bags, placed them in cupcake liners, and arranged them in the cupcake container. I then lined the top of the container with a piece of bubble wrap for extra cushion.

The box of bombs was then placed in the shipping box with a few other items. I also included a letter with directions on how to use the hot chocolate bombs to make a delicious cup of hot cocoa. The box was then lined with additional bubble wrap and padding to ensure they would get there intact.

The Verdict

My mother and I both said a prayer over the box and sent them off to my nieces. While we waited several days for the package to arrive to their destination, we tried the remaining cocoa bombs to see if they were worth all of the hype. I’m happy to report that they are ABOSULUTELY WORTH THE HYPE! They are the best warm and fuzzy sweet treat on a cold winter night. They are comforting and truly hit the spot.

I’m happy to report that the hot chocolate bombs arrived in Minnesota safe and sound. My nieces were thrilled to receive their Galentine’s Day gifts and were even more excited to try the bombs. Needless to say, the cocoa bombs were a hit.

I’m so happy I tried something new and was able to share them with others. I’m glad that I was able to bring a little joy to my nieces while they are stuck in the house during this pandemic.

If you are looking for a unique gift to give to your loved ones, this is a good one to try.

February Pen Pal With Me