Peppermint Tree

Peppermint Tree with Lighted Glass Block

I tried my luck with another one of the candy grams, the peppermint tree. First, you take a cylindrical styrofoam cone and a couple of bags of individually wrapped peppermint candies. I got them at the Dollar Tree for a dollar a bag. You need a box of pins with the little round heads on them. Starting at the bottom of the cone, go around sticking the candies in a ring. Continue with layers until the entire cone is filled. Embellish with ribbons. I discovered that you need longer pins for the ribbons. Also, it would be better to use a taller cone so that the graduation is more apparent. I used a 12 inch tall cone for this. I just experiment until I get the best design. A couple of things to remember are that if you give them as gifts, people need to be aware of the hazards of sharp pins around kids and pets. Also, and I learned this the hard way, if you are transporting candy grams, be sure to keep them at a cool temperature or they will melt. I was delivering some one day after work, so I put them in a basket in my car where they sat all day in September temperatures. When I arrived at my destination and began taking them out of the basket, to my dismay, they had softened and melted. I was out about $50 in supplies. Vintage candies like soda poppers and root beer candy are expensive, unless you plan to make a lot of candy grams and can buy in huge bulk. Even jolly ranchers can add up if you are only using one or two colors per bag. That's one reason I really like the peppermint tree. It is relatively inexpensive and cute and functional to boot. I have mine here with one of the glass block lights I made. I used teal to match my Christmas tree.