One of my daughter’s favorite Christmas songs is a “Hard Candy Christmas,” sung by Dolly Parton. (For the record, she’d like you to know that she is not a Justin Bieber fan). I don’t know if “Hard Candy Christmas” is considered one of the classics, but I know that these two Peppermint Candy Wreaths are Christmas classics. I’m sharing instructions for the Peppermint Stick Wreath, and linking to a video tutorial for the Candy Cane Wreath. It’s definitely “Beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”
Peppermint Stick Christmas Wreath by Kathleen George.
To make a Peppermint Stick Wreath, you’ll need:
- STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam: 12” Wreath with flat front
- Large sheet of paper, measuring 12” x 12”
- Candy sticks: 46 – 48 cherry red and 24 – 26 peppermint
- Hard candy discs: 24 – 26 red
- Acrylic craft paint in red
- Ribbon: 8” length of hanger; wired ribbon for bow
- Low-temp glue gun
- Tools needed: Pencil; straight pins
To make a Peppermint Stick Wreath:
1. Paint the wreath red and let it dry.
2. Trace around the wreath on your sheet of paper. Mark the exact center of the traced wreath. As you work on the wreath, keep it centered on the paper and the center point will help keep the candy sticks straight.
3. Working around the wreath, push the pencil into the wreath to create indentations in which the cherry red candy sticks will rest. Make sure the pencil always points toward the center. Make the indentations about ½” apart on the outside edge of the wreath, and almost touching on the inside edge. After making two – three of the indentations, test fit the candy sticks to make sure they fit and don’t overlap on the inside. If the candy sticks do overlap, increase the spacing on the outside of the wreath by a very small amount.
4. Knot together ends of 8” ribbon to form a hanging loop. Glue and pin the hanging loop to the back of the wreath.
5. Gently glue the cherry red candy sticks into the indentations.
6. Glue a peppermint candy stick between every other cherry red candy stick. Position the peppermint sticks so they extend about 1” more toward the center (refer to the photo).
7. Glue red hard candies between the peppermint sticks.
8. Make a bow from the wired ribbon and glue to the bottom of the wreath.
9. Hang and enjoy! (And a word of caution: Be careful as you move the wreath around, so that the candy sticks don’t break.)
Nothing says Christmas more than candy canes, and this Candy Cane Wreath is a fun and easy one to make.
Christmas Candy Cane Wreath by Kathleen George.
Better Homes & Gardens has a great video tutorial for the Candy Cane Wreath, so be sure to watch it and you’ll be ready to make your own.
If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving, I wish you a safe and easy journey. May tomorrow find you enjoying the day with friends and family. (And wait till you see the wreath I have planned for tomorrow!)
Happy crafting.
