The cost of your candy tree will mainly depend on the sweets or chocolates you choose. You will need a lot of sweets so make sure you buy more than what you think you will need. It's always best to have more than run out and have to rush to the shops, believe me, I learnt this the hard way!
I made my candy tree for my boyfriend for Christmas. He loves Hershey's Chocolates so I chose Reece's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures! You can find these at Asda. In total I used 7 packets, they're on offer at the moment so I saved a little bit of money.
I like everything to look perfect so I wanted all the colours on my candy tree to match. Reece's Mini Butter Cups are gold with orange circles with the brand printed on top. I decided to spray paint my tree gold and use an orange ribbon to create a bow for the final touches.
What you will need
Cement
Polystyrene ball
Flower pot
Hot glue gun & glue
Plastic piping
Mixing utensil
Water
Large mixing bowl
Spray paint
Ribbon
Tooth picks
Chocolates, sweets or both!
Hack saw
Wet wipes
I bought my gold spray paint, cement and plastic overflow piping from my local Wilkinson's store, their prices are very reasonable and they also sell a cheap hot glue gun. Your local craft store will sell polystyrene balls and ribbons. You can buy a hack saw at your local diy store and your local garden centre will have a good range of flower pots to choose from. If your candy tree is for a child choose a plastic flower pot. I went for a ceramic pot, which can break easily and is also quite heavy.
To begin with you will have to cut your plastic piping to size using your hack saw. You can choose what length you would like, the longer it is the higher the polystyrene ball will be from the flower pot.
With a little bit of force, push one end of the pipe into the centre of the polystyrene ball. This makes it easier to glue onto the piping later on. For now remove the ball and don't worry about any polystyrene that is stuck inside the piping.
Pour roughly 2 pints of cement into your mixing bowl and gradually add small amounts of water, stirring together with your mixing utensil (I used a spoon from the kitchen drawer). How much you need will depend on the depth of your flower pot. Don't make your mixture too runny. It will have to be firm to allow the plastic piping to stand and dry without tipping to one side. If you think the mixture`s too runny just add more cement. Once you're happy with the mixture pour it into your flower pot leaving a few centimeters at the top.
You may wish to wear a face mask and goggles if you have any skin sensitivities or lung problems.
You now have to push your plastic piping into the centre of the cement. Gently shake the flower pot to help the cement settle around the piping, it will also make any trapped air bubbles rise to the top. You can use a spoon to smooth the top of the cement, but you must do this before it dries. This is now the main structure of your tree so it's important that it is straight and won't wobble around. You can use a wet wipe to remove any messy bits on the pot and pipe.
It will take between 24-48 hours to dry depending on the cement you have used. Don't touch or wobble the piping until you're sure the cement has dried. I accidentally knocked mine and I had to add more cement, which takes up so much time!
Take your candy tree base outside and spray paint. You can also spray the polystyrene ball but please ensure you only give it a light spray. I sprayed mine so much that it began to melt the polystyrene so I had to use another one! It'll take a couple of hours to completely dry.
Again you may wish to wear a face mask and goggles for this.
Now you're ready to add the candy! You can choose to stick your sweets or chocolates onto your tree using a hot glue gun or tooth picks. I would advise not to use a hot glue gun with chocolates as they will melt but a hot glue gun would be perfect for hard boiled sweets (as long as they have wrapping on them).
It's best to start sticking your sweets on from the bottom and work your way up, just turn your ball upside down (with the hole facing towards the ceiling). Remember to leave the hole for your piping to go into! Once you have covered the polystyrene half way, turn the it the right way round. Now you will need to glue the plastic piping and the polystyrene ball together. Put the glue inside the hole and firmly but gently press down onto the pipe. If you have never used a hot glue gun be careful, they can become very hot and the glue will burn you. If you have an old plate lying around, set it under the glue gun to stop it from burning your surfaces.
You can place your candies in any pattern you wish. I had some small gaps in my tree but as I sprayed the ball gold, the gaps weren't so noticeable. You may find that some of the sweets may fall off, this is where your patience will be tested. Just stick them back on and fingers crossed they'll stay put!
Remember I mentioned leaving a few centimetres at the top of the flower pot when pouring in the cement? You can now put your extra or left over sweeties in this gap!
Finally, wrap your ribbon around the top of the flower pot to create a bow and secure using your glue gun. This will finish it off beautifully!
If your candy tree is a gift, you can wrap it in cellophane, which will also stop any sweets from falling out. You can find this at your local craft store.
Enjoy!
