Monday, November 20, 2006

Barneys' Pricey Candy Trees: DIY

Barneys is a usually a great place to find a parking place at North Park mall so I've been passing through the store quite often on my holiday shopping trips. The store has a great selection of unique housewares that are relatively affordable. Yesterday I saw these gum drop and lollipop topiaries at Barneys for $88 - $125!


They're cute, but that's a little pricey. If you're feeling crafty, these are pretty easy to put together with materials from your local craft and grocery stores. For the gumdrops, simply use toothpicks to attach the candies to the form. For the lollipops, the sticks will do the job. I made a gumdrop wreath a few years ago. I had to buy 7 bags of gumdrops to get enough white ones to make a 8" wreath, but it was a fun distraction for a do-nothing Thanksgiving weekend.

The cone-shaped topiary will be simpler to put together

Supplies (almost all available at a local craft store such as Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joann's):

Foam forms
A base
Various ribbons (if desired)
Craft glue
Candies of choice (may need to stop by the grocery for these)
Craft paint (if desired)

For the base of the cone, a painted wood disc or a large, flat glass candle holder would work. Simply glue the cone to the base.

For the ball-shaped topiary, a small pot with stones for weight and craft foam glued inside for support of the wooden dowel would work. This one will be harder to support because of the weight of the upper ball and may require some experimentation. I found more detailed instructions on this version here.

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