Creative Candy Crafts

This Valentine’s Day, help your kids craft unique candy gifts sure to delight friends, classmates and loved ones. Use these project ideas to get started, and then add little touches for a personal flourish. Best of all, these projects are fast, affordable and easy.

Bubble Gum Bouquet

Give a gift and chew on it, too, with this edible arrangement. Begin by purchasing a flowerpot or small bucket roughly 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Insert floral foam into the bottom and line with cellophane or tissue paper; then fill with confetti or decorative grass. Using bamboo skewers as stems, add colorful bubble gum as flowers. All you need to create a pretty bubble gum flower is several types of gum and imagination; use chunky bubble gum for the center and attach strips of gum for the petals. Substitute sugar-free gum for children who can't have sugar. Young children will need adult assistance. Add ribbons or other decorative touches to the skewer stems for the finishing touch.

Be My Valentine

Does your child want to create a personal gift? Try this delightful candy-cup desk set. It’s the perfect Valentine gift for teachers, family or even the object of youthful puppy love. Simply select an extra-special mug or cup and fill it with the recipient's favorite candies. Insert a small standalone balloon, ribbons and other personalized trinkets; then surround the mug in the warm embrace of a snuggly teddy bear or other stuffed animal. That special someone will be thinking about the giver all year long.

Cupcake Decorating

With a variety of candies and frosting, kids can really show off their creative sides by decorating Valentine’s cupcakes. Chewy chocolate roll candies and peanut butter cups together shape out a great candy train, complete red licorice track and cinnamon drop wheels. Also, the traditional candy hearts, complete with Valentine’s Day message, are fun for personalizing cupcakes for friends and family. Red, white and pink frosting and decorating gel provide limitless possibilities.

Candy Gift Bags

Candy gift bags make the perfect complement to classroom parties or just sharing with friends and family. Begin by picking out colorful fabric, small plastic bags or even tiny baskets … almost any container will do as long as it is bright and the right size. Fill with an assortment of bite-size candies, gum and tiny trinkets, then finish with ribbons and a personalized note. Everyone gets a great gift, but only that special someone knows how you really feel by the message you leave inside the bag.

You don’t have to be young to enjoy the magic of Valentine’s Day. Discovering subtle ways to show someone they are extra-special is still alive and well in hearts young and old across the nation.