{Tips & Hints} Candy Heart Topiary Tutorial

Yay!! It's almost the weekend!! And just in case you have a little time on your hands (like, say, you're buried under a few feet of snow and just happen to have some crafting supplies handy), I wanted to leave you with this cute little Valentine's Day topiary project. (I, obviously, simply did not get enough of the combination of candy and hot glue during my holiday candy wreath project!)

For this you will need the following...

- one 5 7/8" styrofoam heart
- one 8" cookie stick
- one 4" styrofoam ball
- one piece of styrofoam (to support the topiary during painting and assembly)
- one cupcake liner (or moss)
- one 18 oz bag of conversation hearts
- ribbon
- hot glue
- spray paint
- small flower pot

1. Insert your cookie stick into the center of the bottom of your styrofoam heart. Gentle pull the stick out and put a little hot glue in the hole. Re-insert the stick and let the glue harden.

2. Insert your topiary form into a piece of styrofoam and thoroughly spray paint all sides of the topiary form.

3. Once the paint has dried, lay your form on a flat surface and create the design of your outer ring. (I advise figuring out your pattern first before gluing.)

4. Glue each candy of your outer ring into place.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have covered both sides of the topiary with candy. (If you get to middle of the heart, and your candy pattern is not looking as lovely as it does in the outer rings, do not despair. This is why there is a both fanciful AND functional bow in the center of the topiary.)

6. Line the outer edge of the topiary with two single file lines of candies.

7. Take your styrofoam ball and wedged it into your pot. (You may need to trim down the sides a little if your pot is very narrow.)

8. Glue a cupcake liner (or moss) over the styrofoam to cover it.

9. Insert your topiary stick into the center of the pot.

10. Decorate your topiary by gluing a bow in the center and adding two bows (one facing in either direction) on the stem. To make the ends of the bows look pretty, simply shape them and then add a piece of double-sided tape to the backside of the ribbon and stick it to the pot to hold the ribbon in place.

And there you have it... a Valentine's Day Candy Heart Topiary!!

Happy crafting!! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. And I hope all of you, who are stuck in the terrible winter storm, are able to stay safe and warm!!