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1.29.2013

Eye Candy

yes, some holidays are ALL about candy...
a few years back, i hit the motherlode:
24 boxes of white candy canes at the dollar store
[12 canes per box X 24 boxes at $1 each =
288 pieces of sheer white sweetness for $24 bux]
i'd been searching for those babies since i first saw photos of uber-stylist
tricia foley's white holiday decor in her book 'white christmas'

see the photo that's sitting under the candy-cane heart in the image above?
that's a tearsheet from a magazine that featured tricia's images. 
it's been in my inspiration file for over a decade.

not only do i use my white candy canes at Christmas,
but i use them for Valentine's Day, too!
uh huh. i make candy cane hearts with 'em.
two little drops of hot glue hold two canes together in a heart shape. 
eeeeeeeeasy. lots of people do this.

but then, i add a lil' something...
like tiny scrabble letters that spell LOVE,
a miniscule heart cut from old sheet music, or a button

 and then i display them with other fun food things....
along with a heart, i tucked a crocheted doily into a white popcorn box 
and it looked for all the world like buttered popcorn!

 one day when i was playing around making candy cane hearts, 
i must have been hungry
because i also created some other things that i dubbed 'Foo Foo Faux Food'
[and um, yeah, that product name is mine]

i was inspired by miss Betz White's famous felted cupcakes
and created my own from scraps of sweaters in my studio
[i didn't sell them, just made a few for me.]
and oh, how i love that vintage lace shirt cuff that i had - 
it looks just like a fancy-schmantzy lace cupcake paper, doesn't it?!

 if you want to learn how to make these, please buy Betz's wonderful book!

in the collage photo below, you can see a few other faux food items
that i made along with the cupcakes, popcorn, and candy cane hearts:
 
* teeny-tiny cupcakes (that look more like bon bons)

* a snowcone from fuzzy chenille yarn that was
wrapped around a styro ball and tucked into a paper cone.

* hot chocolate, made from a bundle of chocolate brown velvet ribbon, 
coiled in a wire teacup and topped with a sprinkle of white mini pom poms.
this is not high-functioning craft, i tell you... 
i was just playing around with stuff i was finding in my studio.
when i was done (about an hour later), 
i created a sweet little vignette on the table in front of the window.
 and it was Eye Candy that i enjoyed for the entire month of February. just for me.
[and yes, i got hungry every time i looked at it...]

i encourage you to just create!
for YOU. for your KIDS. for your FRIENDS.
not to produce products to sell. not to compete with other people.
just give yourself the gift of time to play once in awhile.

this Valentine's Day, give yourself a little Eye Candy!


6 comments:

  1. I can't remember ever seeing white candy canes. The heart you made is darling and those cupcakes are precious!! I may have to look at my box of scraps with a new eye. Thanks!

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  2. oh- I love your "cupcakes". I can hardly ever find those white candy canes here but I do love them. xo Diana

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  3. I was fortunate to find white candy canes about 5 years ago. I put them out at Christmas. When the grandsons came they asked me where I found white ones. I told them I had licked off all the stripes to make them white. I still have all my candy canes. lol
    *Smiles*

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  4. Lady Pamela, you made me literally laugh out loud! You are one SMART gramma! :) Thank you so much for sharing your wise and wiley methods with us!

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  5. I took some time myself to create the other day! : )

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  6. How sweet! Cupcakes!! Now I want cupcakes. I'm not sure if I should be pleased or upset... :)

    Gorgeous ideas, Deb!

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