When you've been invited to a dinner party, it's nice to bring a gift to the host and hostess to show them how much you appreciate their invitation. Flowers, bottles of wine or chocolate are common gifts for such occasions. However, if you want to be a bit more original, you could make a chocolate bouquet that you can give as a gift. It's an easy project that requires little time and is sure to be an appreciated gift. If you wish to make your own chocolate bouquet, there are a few things you should think about.
Stems
The first thing you need to think about is what you wish to use for the stems. You should get as many sticks as you want flowers and make sure they are of different lengths. This is important as it gives the bouquet the look of an actual flower arrangement. You also need to make sure the sticks are rigid and thick enough to hold the chocolate without bending. Wooden sticks are quite common to use, and they are often available to buy in hobby shops. The downside of wooden sticks is that you or the recipient might get splinters from the stems. Plastic sticks, however, might not be rigid enough if you don't get thick enough sticks. Plastic could be the better option if the chocolates you've chosen as flowers aren't very heavy.
Chocolates
Choosing chocolate is also an important step. It should be a kind without nuts or crackers in them, as these are common allergies. You should also opt for a kind where the chocolates are individually wrapped up. The wrapping paper prevents the chocolate from being smudged, and it can also add an aesthetic appeal to the bouquet as wrapping paper often is sparkly and colourful. You should also think about using many different types of chocolates to make the bouquet look more fun.
Workable
You'll also need to make sure that the chocolate is good for working with. You should leave the chocolate at room temperature for a couple of hours before you start crafting. This makes the chocolate softer than if you would leave them in the refrigerator and therefore easier to work with. If the surface of the chocolate is too hard to penetrate even if you have left them in room temperature, then you should put them in the microwave for just a few seconds to soften them up. Use a small knife to cut the chocolate where you want the stem to go in to make the insertion simpler.
