Goody goody gumdrops wreath

I love the way gumdrop wreaths look!  I'm planning on using these as part of the decor for my boys' polka dot birthday party next month, and of course they're cute enough to keep around for Christmas, too.  They were a breeze (and slightly addictive) to make.

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, ahem, "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! 

After I finished gluing, I sprayed the wreath with matte sealer to preserve it.  I don't know how well this is going to work, but I'd like to be able to save them and re-use my wreaths for years to come.  Hopefully this will do the trick.  Check back with me next December!

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 the ribbon. 

I like my wreaths multi-colored, but I think it would also be very pretty to stick to just a few colors, or red and green, or maybe even all white.  Ah, the possibilities!

It probably goes without saying, but this is an indoor 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!

If you'd like a gumdrop wreath for yourself, but don't have the patience or want to suffer the hot glue burns, I've listed one in my shop.