How to Make a Candy Wreath

Candy delight: Tips on making a candy wreath

A candy wreath can be a beautiful decoration for your home and it is relatively inexpensive, as well as fun to make. Everyone loves hard candy, especially peppermints. What better way to share candy with others, than by making a candy wreath you can hang in the doorway or on a wall. Making a candy wreath can be an excellent project for anyone, including seniors or children, of almost any age.

Here are guidelines for making a candy wreath:

Begin by picking a theme:

Any holiday, special occasion or celebration is a wonderful reason to make a candy wreath. Consider these special occasions: Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, Valentine's Day, wedding shower, baby shower, anniversaries or birthdays.

Find a suitable base for your wreath:

You could make your own base using dried grape vines. Form a circle of the desired size and tie the vines together with fine wire, in order to form the base. Many craft shops have different bases for wreaths. Do some browsing and you will be amazed at how many bases you will find. They will be different shapes and sizes.

For example, you might find an 8", 10", or 12" round base that is suitable for Christmas or a heart shaped one perfect for Valentine's Day. One that is shaped like a cross could be used for Easter. There are some that are made in shapes that are appropriate for wedding or baby showers, birthdays or anniversaries, like bells, Teddy bears, initials or numbers. A suitable base for a wreath may be made out of any of the following materials: dried grape vines, heavy wire, fine wire mesh, wood, styrofoam or quilted material.

Place a wire loop on the back of the wreath:

You will need to hang your wreath, so make certain that you have a way to hang it. If it is a grapevine wreath, a small piece of florist wire can be made into a small loop for the back of the wreath. If it is a wire or wire mesh wreath, use a short piece of wire to make a suitable loop.

Coat hanger wire is excellent for wreaths, as it is relatively heavy. You will need wire cutters to cut the wire to the appropriate length. The ends can be bent back and hooked together to form a circle and a smaller piece of the wire can be used the same way, to hang the wreath.

If you are using a wooden base, you might use two, small nails and attach a wire between them. You could drill a small hole into the base, to hang on a nail.

If the wreath is styrofoam, you might be able to use a heavy string or cord.

Purchase hard candy wrapped in cellophane:

You will need several pounds of hard candy, preferably wrapped in cellophane. The amount that you need to purchase will depend upon the size of the wreath that you are making. 

When buying the hard candy, choose candy that is the appropriate color for the theme you have chosen. For example, a Christmas wreath could have bright red, white and green candies, a Valentine's Day wreath could be red candies and a baby shower wreath could be made of pastel colored candies. For Halloween, use some bright orange kiss candies and a collection of different colored Halloween suckers. You might consider using lollipops, small toys, party favors or small, wrapped gift items, just for fun. Imagine everyone's surprise.

Another idea that might prove to be more practical is to make your own hard candy and wrap it in pieces of cellophane. You could make little bags of jelly beans, peanut brittle or carmels, out of cellophane.

Purchase, or make a large, festive bow:

Make certain that your bow is appropriate for the theme you have chosen and that it matches your candy colors. You might enjoy a huge, white bow for Easter. For a wedding shower, a gold or silver one might be perfect. For Christmas, find or make a bow that has a Christmas pattern on it. You may use one that is made of a plaid ribbon or one that has a colored, metallic thread that runs through it, as it will help to hold the shape of the bow.

Attach the candy to the base of the wreath:

How you attach candy to the base of the wreath, depends largely upon what kind of base you are planning to use. If your base is made of dried grape vines, you will be able to use a glue gun to attach the candy. Put a drop of glue on the grapevine and affix the candy wrapper to it. Be careful using a glue gun, as the drops of glue can be hot. Place the pieces of candy close together. Remember not to heat the candy, as it could melt.

If your base is wire or wire mesh, you can use curly ribbon or heavy, colored string. In this situation, use about 6-8 inches of the ribbon or string. Tie the candy in the middle of the ribbon or colored string first and then, tie it to the base. You can leave the rest of the curly ribbon or string attached. Curl it with the back of a kitchen table knife or the back of your scissors or you can cut some of it off, if you prefer. If you are tying candy with children, use the curly ribbon or a fairly heavy string, as it is easier for them to handle.

You may attach candy to your base using a fine, running wire. First, attach one end of the wire to the base and then, as you continue to go around the base with the wire, add a piece of candy or several candies, every time you wrap the wire around the base. Make certain that you attach the end securely.

If you are using a wooden base, you can use a glue gun or the tie method above.

When making a styrofoam wreath, you may use floral wires instead of string. Remember that styrofoam is easily broken, so the base needs to be reinforced with something sturdier or it may break. You can re-enforce it by gluing a heavy piece of cardboard to the back of the styrofoam base. Then, wrap a short piece of wire around the candy wrapper and stick the other end, directly into the styrofoam. Place the candies close together. Lollipops work well for these kinds of wreaths.

You may also use wool and a crotchet hook to make loops, in order to attach the candies. Begin this by doing a single crotchet, all around the base. On the next round, put the ends of the candy wrappers into the loops that are formed. If you are using this method, remember that if the crotchet cotton breaks in one spot, all of your cotton may be unraveled, so knot it frequently, as you crotchet around the base.

Depending upon the way that you attach the candy to the base, you may be able to put several pieces of candy on the base at the same time, by tying them together in bunches. Or, stick several pieces on the same drop of glue. This can save you time. Better still, get your children involved and let them tie the ribbons on the cellophane wrappers. If they are old enough to understand directions, they might be able to do the entire project for you. Imagine their satisfaction.

Whatever method you choose, attach enough candy to cover the base well, but leave approximately 1" or 2" at either the top or the bottom of the base, for the bow. Add extra candy where the base is still visible or use those spots to add toys, party favors or gift items.

Attach the bow:

Most bows that you purchase will have a wire at the back to attach the bow. If not, take a piece of fine wire or string and wrap it around the center of the bow, several times and then, wrap it around the base. Remember that wire can be quite sharp, so be careful when you use it.

Hang your wreath:

Hang your wreath in a place that is suitable, but remember that your children or guests will need to be able to reach it in order to eat the candy. It should be hung on a sturdy hook, in a place where the framing of the door or the wall where it is hung, will not be damaged when the candy is removed from the wreath. You might attach a small pair of children's scissors to the wreath, so that they can cut the wrappers in order to get the candy, or instruct everyone just to take the candy, but to leave the paper on the wreath. 

Enjoy your special occasion or celebration, knowing that your family or guests will love your candy cane wreath, both as a candy delight and as a home decoration. They just might have you making one for every holiday.