Gum Drop Wreath with A Pretty Cool Life

Hi everyone!
I’m Cheryl from A Pretty Cool Life. I’m a sty at home mom blogger that just can’t get enough sewing and crafting. I never really know hot to introduce myself, so if you’re actually interested, you can read a little more

Anywho, I was so excited when Stephanie asked me to share a project on her blog, so I thought I’d share one of my very favorites, my gumdrop wreath.  I originally made them for the polka dot birthday party I threw for my boys, but then I loved them so much I kept them out for Christmas…now I’ve taken them out again because I think they’re just perfect for Easter, too.  (Did I mention this is one of my favorite projects??) So let’s get going…
Before I started, I did a little bloggy research on how to go about making a gumdrop wreath, and everything I found involved breaking toothpicks in half, skewering the gumdrops on the end, and jabbing it into the wreath form.

Uh, no.
Don’t bother.  Ditch the toothpicks and get your glue gun.  How anyone on earth has the patience to jab toothpicks into a tough, foam wreath is beyond me.
So trust me.  Do it with toothpicks and you’ll be muttering mean things about me and your splinters all day long.   (Naturally, my 2 year old assistant was happy to pluck the “broken” gumdrops off and eat them once I decided to go the glue route.)

I bought 10 inch foam wreath forms.  They’re the perfect size.  Not too big, not too small.  To start, I wrapped a piece of packing tape around the top to protect the foam from the weight of the wreath while hanging.

Then I took a piece of floral wire, wrapped it around, and looped it to form a hanger.  Don’t scrimp.  The finished wreath is seriously heavy!

Then I went to town gluing the gumdrops on.  I just randomly plucked them out of the bowl and glued each one on.  For a 10 inch wreath, I used almost 3 pounds (minus the, uh, “defective” ones that found their way into my own and my 2 year old’s tummy) of gumdrops.  This was the addictive part.  I couldn’t stop gluing the candy on until I was done.

This was also was a good test of my perfectionist, symmetry loving self.  It was very difficult for me to stick to random colors and not make an “even” mix!

While the sealer was wet, I sprinkled a tiny bit of clear glitter on it.  It looks a lot like the sugar that covers the gumdrops, so it’s just the right amount of sparkle.

I looped a satin ribbon around the top of the wreath to cover up the wire hanger and glued it to the back of the foam wreath form.  That way, I can secretly hang the wreath securely on a hook, but get all the prettiness of it hanging by the ribbon.

It probably goes without saying, but this is an indoor (or on a sheltered door) decoration.  Those pretty little gumdrops need to be protected from the elements!

I also want to add that although these look good enough to eat, they shouldn’t be.  Glue and sealer will make for big tummy aches.  Make sure to keep your wreaths out of reach of little ones or anyone else who might not understand it’s for looking, not eating!
I hope everyone enjoyed this tutorial.  Thanks again to Stephanie for letting me share!
I’d love for you to stop by a pretty cool life anytime and see what else I’m up to and for more fun projects. I alsom have an etsy shop where I list many of my finished projects and of course I always love making custom items.  I can’t wait to see you again!
Happy Friday!