Coupon Magic

So once upon a time, I heard an internet rumor that once a year or so Hobby Lobby has a big sale on all of their Wilton products. As in, any possible cake decorating tool I could ever need would be discounted. Now I know, I know, Hobby Lobby and Michael's have weekly 40% off coupons, but they're only good on one item at a time. Who wants to go to a store over and over, buying one gadget at a time? I don't know about you, but I have a 7-month-old baby and I'm lazy. So no thanks.

Anyway, so I was browsing the internets on Monday and I decide to check out the deals for the week at the HobLob, and low and behold, this is what I find. Notice how it says "no limit." Jackpot! So, I printed out the coupon, saddled up the baby boy and we headed over to the Lobby. Now, I have to say that I felt Hobby Lobby's selection of Wilton products was a little lacking. I'm used to buying my supplies at Michael's, as that is where I took my class (and they have quiet a large Wilton section).

"Hmmm....," I thought. "Didn't I once hear that Michael's matches their competition's sales?"

Yes kids, yes I did.

That's right, after buying a basket-worth of tools and fun at the Lob, the munchkin and I headed over to our local Michael's, where we promptly got in line to confirm with the bored cashier that they would, in fact, honor my coupon.

They did! Squee!!

So, the point is, I bought a lot of cake decorating crap for 40% off. That means today's project was finding a home for all of it, which of course means I forgot to take a picture of my haul for this post before I put it all away. But, for the curious, here is my list:

Set of 3 Wilton cookie sheets
Fondant rolling/cutting mat
Offset spatula
Set of Star fondant cutters
Set of Flower fondant cutters
2 packages of patterned cupcake wrappers
Container of Piping Gel
1 6" Round cake pan
1 8" Round cake pan (3" deep)
Wilton Course books 2 through 4
2 decorating tips
Bag of 150 Lollipop sticks
Stand-mixer spatula
4 mini decorating squeeze bottles
50 disposable pastry bags
Reusable 12" pastry bag
4 pack fondant cut out shapes
Container of Gum Paste mix
Fondant smoother
3 color pack of shimmer dust
3 bags of Candy Melts (cocoa, pink, and white)

All for the Grand Total of.....$77.36! I know, it still sounds like a lot of money. But, if you consider that it would have been about $130.00 regular price, or approximately 43 trips to the store with individual coupons, I consider it a bargain. Plus, it was fun. The moral of the story is, I hope someone else can benefit from the awesomeness of this deal, so tell your friends. And expect some amazing decorated cakes and cupcakes on this blog soon!