DIY Hot Cocoa Bar Banner

Winter is here and there is nothing I love more on a cold winter's day than a cup of hot cocoa! With that in mind, I put together a DIY Hot Cocoa Bar with a mix of fun toppings for me and my friends to enjoy during a day together hanging out and crafting. I used some of my favorite Therm O Web adhesives, along with some papers and stickers from the Sub Zero collection by Simple Stories.

Hot Cocoa Bar Banner

To start this project, begin by making a banner to hang above the bar area. Cut a sheet of the Sub Zero 4x4 Elements into squares following the print on the paper. Feel free to alternate some of the adorable images with the plaid pattern on the back side of the paper. Use Therm O Web Super Tape™ to adhere the 4x4 squares to a piece of Gina K Designs Gingham Fancy Ribbon. To embellish the banner, use Gina K Designs Single Stitched Square Dies to cut cream colored cardstock to layer on the plaid print. Adhere the squares to the patterned paper using Therm O Web Memory Tape Runner XL. Embellish these squares with stickers and use 3D Foam Squares to give some of them a bit of dimension. For the final touch adhere a gingham bow to each end using Therm O Web Zots.

DIY Hot Cocoa Bar

Next, it's time to move onto the actual Hot Cocoa Bar itself. Gather some glass canning jars for each type topping you'd like to include in your bar. You will of course need one for the hot cocoa mix! Some suggestions for toppings include: marshmallows, sprinkles, red hots, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, and caramels. You can also include some fun stirrers such as: peppermint sticks, cinnamon sticks, and pirouettes. If your Hot Cocoa Bar is for adults, you could also offer some alcoholic options for mixing in...such as Bailey’s, Kalua, Fireball Whiskey or peppermint schnapps. Next, select some patterned paper and cut it into strips wide enough to wrap around the jars. Depending on the type of toppings you select, you may want different size jars. The bar I created uses 8 and 12 oz jars. Adhere the patterned paper using iCraft Mixed Media Liquid Adhesive. To create the labels for each jar, die cut a piece of black cardstock using the smallest label die from the Gina K Designs Nested Label Die Set. Use a white gel pen to write the topping on the label. Adhere the label to the front of the jar using iCraft Mixed Media Liquid Adhesive. Tie a bow using the Gina K Designs Gingham Fancy Ribbon and attach it to the jar using a Therm O Web Zot.

Hot Cocoa Bar Sign

For the final decorative element let's create a Hot Cocoa Bar Sign to sit on the table. Take the "hot cocoa" 4x4 cut from the patterned paper. Adhere it to a piece of chipboard cut to 4x4 inches which will give it some stability. Use iCraft Mixed Media Liquid Adhesive to glue the chipboard and paper together. To adhere this piece to the corrugated metal on the wood frame, useTherm O Web Super Tape™. So who's ready to create their own DIY Hot Cocoa Bar? What toppings would you want for your hot chocolate?