Peppermint Sweets Christmas Tree

Make your holiday sweet with a Christmas tree made of candy that will have the little ones' eyes aglow with glee. This pretty and sweet candy Christmas decoration is quick, easy and inexpensive.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM Brand Products:
  • Cone, 12" x 5"
  • Disc, 9" x 1 1/4"
  • Sheet, 12" x 12" x 1/2"
• Three-ply green paper napkin, 17" square
• Gift wrap paper, red, green, and white
• 1" pompom gift bows, 15
• 45" solid green cotton fabric, 1/3 yd.
• 7/8" green grosgrain ribbon, 7/8 yd.
• 1/4" satin ribbon: red, 3 1/2 yds.; green and white, 1 1/2 yds. each
• Liquid starch
• Beaded head straight pins, red or white
• 3/4" white lace, 1 yd.
• Ruler
• Starlight mints, 2 lbs.
• Scissors
• Floral wire
• Small paintbrush
• Compass
• Thick white craft glue
• Darning needle
• Wire cutters
• Plastic wrap
• Pencil
• Blow dryer
• Fine-tip marker
• Serrated knife
• Candle stub or paraffin

Steps:

1. Cut or tear away embossed borders of napkins. Separate napkin plies and tear into 2" squares.
    
2. Following manufacturer's instructions, apply napkin squares with liquid starch to cover foam cone. Let dry.
    
3. Use compass to draw two 11" circles on green fabric. Cut out circles and glue them centered on each side of foam disc. Clip excess fabric at 1/2" intervals and then glue tabs to side of disc.
    
4. Glue green grosgrain ribbon around side of disc, covering tabs.
    
5. Glue cone tree centered on disc and let dry.
    
6. Using darning needle, pierce a 1 1/2" hole in top of tree.
    
7. Align one 1 1/2 yard length each of red, green, and white satin ribbon. Use all three colors as one length to make an eight-loop bow with 10" streamers. Secure center of bow with floral wire and then glue to hole in treetop.
    
8. Cover tree and base with plastic wrap. Apply liquid starch to a ribbon streamer, wrap it around a pencil, and then dry with a blow dryer. Remove pencil from curled ribbon. Repeat to curl each streamer (refer to photo).
    
9. Glue lace to top of disc around edge (refer to photo).
    
10. Tie remaining red satin ribbon into small bows. Glue bows to lace evenly spaced around tree.
     
11. Begin at bottom of tree to pin mints to foam, working in circles to top until completely covered.
     
12. Use a marker to draw 15 assorted 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" squares on the foam sheet. Wax serrated knife with a candle stub or paraffin to cut out squares.
     
13. Wrap foam squares in gift wrap paper, gluing as necessary to secure. Glue gifts around base of tree and a bow to each gift.

Related Link:

O Sweet Wreath
 

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