Payin’ Taxes

One of the tasks we’ve been doing in January is filing various federal, state, and local tax returns related to running This Charming Candy. After I mentioned feeling “oddly accomplished” upon completing some of the forms, Kate reminded me of this quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [...] says of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation products that "it is very easy to be blinded to the essential uselessness of them by the sense of achievement you get from getting them to work at all."

Which is not to say that government websites are useless, but certainly there's some unnecessary complexity :-)

(Hitchhiker themed buttons by offtherecord on Etsy)

Charming AND Eye Candy: Darren Criss

Like pretty much everyone we know, we’re intrigued by Glee newcomer Blaine and are very curious to see if he will become Kurt’s boyfriend.


photo from http://www.fox.com/glee/photos/#episodes/episode_6:109530

We're further delighted to find out that Darren Criss, who plays Blaine, is 10 pounds of charm in a 5-pound bag. He did an interview with Rolling Stone about his role on Glee – in song, of course – and gave adorable and thoughtful answers to the questions they posed. Check it out (sorry about the commercial before the video begins):

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-glee-star-darren-criss-perform-teenage-dream-live-at-rolling-stone-20101206

Tangerines and Chinese New Year

Did you know that tangerines are good luck symbols for the Chinese New Year? It's true. The Chinese word for tangerines sounds like the word for luck - so it's traditional to give out tangerines (and oranges & pomelos, according to this website). I've gotten tangerines from my Asian coworkers for new years before - they're really yummy. Chinese New Year is February 3rd this year and we'll be entering the year of the rabbit.

If tangerines don't grow where you live - in California all the orange and tangerine trees are laden with fruit right now, but Seattle doesn't have much in the way of citrus - perhaps you could consider our Tangerine-Clove lollipops as a substitute. (Hopefully clove doesn't counteract the good luck symbolism in Chinese - nothing I could find on the internet said it did. Wikipedia says it's contraindicated in Chinese medicine for people with fire symptoms.)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Kid-Friendly Flavors

Here at This Charming Candy, we tend to specialize in unusual flavors that appeal more to adults than to kids (like Tangerine-Clove, for example). That’s not to say that we don’t have kid-friendly flavors, however. We’ve found that people of all ages enjoy the Celebration Time (Bubble Gum, Birthday Cake, Root Beer Float) and the Breakfast Tray (Blueberry Muffin, Maple Sugar, Sweetened Grapefruit) flavors.

But beyond that, it really depends a lot on the individual’s tastes. One of our Facebook fans recently posted this picture of her adorable 4-year old son, who was enjoying his first Salted Caramel lollipop. In his own words: “This is really yummy. It is a circle.” Right on both counts, little dude!

photo by Karin R. – thanks!

Free Shipping on Spice Rack!

This is your friendly neighborhood reminder that we're currently offering free shipping on our Spice Rack lollipops. Get yours today!

Photo by Kevin Keeker

Hearts and Flowers

We usually make our popular Honey-Jasmine flavor in a daisy-shaped mold and include it in the Love Triangle collection.

But we figure that a threesome isn’t necessarily the right message for Valentine’s Day :-) So once a year we also make it in a large heart shape and pair it with Cinnamon-Cherry for the Sweet Valentine seasonal duo.

Either way, the mix of sweetness and floral fragrance is a loveable combination suitable for the Sweetheart in your life!


Photos by Kevin Keeker