Candy Cane Wreath

My tree is trimmed, my home is filled with the smell of pine, baking and cooking happen daily and the Christmas music is floating in the air all day long. Christmas is in full swing in my household and quite frankly I’m loving it! All of these things equal holiday for me and candy canes also fit that bill. So when Walmart asked me for a holiday craft this season and I saw a candy cane wreath on the Better Homes and Gardens website, I knew just what to do!

I think it is absolutely stunning and although it is time consuming, it really is simple to make. You start by purchasing a foam wreath, sadly there were no white ones at my local Walmart but I made do with a green one that I found in the floral department. This is a 12 inch wreath ($3.97) and unless you want to be unwrapping candy canes for hours, I think this is large enough. I mention this because initially I was disappointed at the size but once I got started I was so glad it wasn’t any bigger!

The essentials: wreath, glue gun, polyurethane, candycanes, bulbs and ornaments.

Next, you have to open the candy canes. I bought 3 boxes of 65 count miniature candy canes for $2.50 each. I enlisted the help of my son to open them up and and he enjoyed being mommy’s little helper! 

My son making quick work of unwrapping candy canes and he didn't eat one! 

We opened them a box at a time to ensure we didn’t waste any. I started by using the glue gun to place them on the wreath. Don’t worry about broken canes, glue those on too. You just want to start a base layer and since my base was green I tried to cover a much as possible.

After the first layer was completed, I added an additional two for a very dimensional look. Then I took it out to the garage to spray with a glossy spray paint. BHG suggested polyurethane to help keep the candy canes from being sticky with humidity and I *thought* spray paint would do the trick. But it ended up being very tacky. Another trip is in my future to get this step right!

my makeshift table in my garage

After about 36 hours, I added the final touches to my wreath with a bow (3 for $2.47) and ornaments (20 mini shatterproof ornaments for $3.50). Of course you can always make your own bow but I went with the one already assembled because it is pretty and saved me time! In total, including purchase of a glue gun, my wreath was $30.00 and this is a considerable cost savings over similar types of things that you can find at the market.

I am overjoyed with the final product and despite having to take one more trip for that polyurethane, I can’t wait to display it proudly on my door! Because.....CHRISTMAS!!!!!