DIY Candy Dish!

I saw the cutest thing in my dentist’s office last year.  I took of picture of it, then came home and made one for myself.  It’s easy and inexpensive.

I made this one for Valentine’s Day, but this craft can be themed to fit any season.  This Christmas, I made three for friends.

This candy jar is made from a Terracotta pot/saucer and a glass bowl from the dollar store!  Total: $5.36.

Glass bowl – a dollar
Pot/saucer from Home Depot – $1.36
Cabinet knob – 3 bucks

This kind of craft is right up my alley.  And in my wallet.

Here’s how I did it.

Choose the size pot you want.  The pot (upside down) creates the base.  The saucer that goes with the pot creates the lid.  This is a 4 inch pot.  The glass bowl is just about 4 inches high as well.  There are larger pots and bowls to be had, just make sure the bottom of the pot and the bottom of the bowl are as close to the same size as possible. 

1.  PAINT.  Paint your pot and saucer. 

I primed them first with Kilz.  Then, two coats of white gloss. You can paint the pot/saucer whatever color you want.  The candy dish in my dentist’s office was pink, since it was a gift for Valentine’s Day.  (I chose white because by changing out the bow and the type of candy, this candy dish can be used for different holidays.)  Let paint dry.

If you want to embellish your pot with accents, stripes, flowers, etc, this is when you do that.  I chose to put dots of paint around the bottom rim (which is really the top) of the pot.  I applied them with a Q-tip.

2.  GLUE. 

When all paint is dry, turn the pot upside down and glue the bottom of the bowl to the bottom of the pot.  You can hot glue it, or use an adhesive like Power Grab.  I like Power Grab because it dries clear and gives a really strong bond.  Here is my bead of Power Grab around the bottom of the bowl.

This shot was taken looking down into the bowl, showing the pressed glue against the pot.

Gently wipe off any glue that squishes out.  Power Grab dries clear, so a nice thick line will not a be a problem (the ribbon will cover it.)  I just wipe off any excess blobs.

Glue your knob (there are dozens to chose from at Home Depot) onto the saucer, which is turned upside down.  I bought two knobs to see which look I like.

3.  TIE it UP. 

When everything is dry, tie a ribbon (or a strip of fabric, or raffia) around the “neck” joint of your candy dish.  Be as elaborate or simple as you want.

There ya’ go!  A homemade candy dish.  Fill it with treats of your choice.  I have foil-wrapped chocolate hearts in this one. 

The color/tie/candy options are endless with this.  I’m already thinking of future holidays…. 

Spring/Easter – a pastel ribbon, bowl filled with Jelly Beans.

St. Patrick’s Day – green ribbon, bowl filled with green Starlight mints, or Andes mints.

July 4 – flag colors for the ribbon, bowl filled with cinnamon discs, and blue and silver-wrapped Hershey’s kisses.

Halloween/Thanksgiving/Fall – orange/black ribbon or raffia, bowl filled with Candy Corn. 

Christmas – red or green bow, silver and gold-wrapped Hershey’s kisses, or mini-candy canes.

Non holiday times – raffia bow, bowl filled with Jolly Ranchers. 

UPDATE:  Just made one for my dad’s garden club…   

…and one for my husband, who’s a manager at Home Depot.  The Master lock might keep people from hogging all the candy.  HA!
 I think this is the greatest DIY project since my husband and I framed our BATHROOM MIRROR. In fact, I’m off to Home Depot to buy more pots.  I know what everybody’s getting for Christmas.  (Don’t tell.)