Decorating with Candy

I love candy!  And I also love decorating with candy.  It's so bright and colorful it can easily stand in for a bouquet.  In my office I keep candy year round, occasionally changing out the varieties with the seasons.  Because I also like eating candy, ALOT,  I've learned to decorate with candies I don't like, to avoid eating them all.   I currently have a rainbow assortment  of gumballs and unicorn horns in my trio of apothacary jars.  Hard candy is one of the few kinds of candy I don't like, and even if I did, I'd find it difficult to go through a full jar of jumbo lollypops.  And gum, you can't really OD on that.  It loses it's flavor really fast, and after a wad or two it's kind of gross.  For the third, currently empty jar, I've been looking for oversized primary flecked jawbreakers, but with Valentines Day approaching I'm thinking about conversation hearts!  The other good thing about the hard candies is they last a long time if you are using them strictly for decoration.  You want to avoid using candy that might melt or transfer it's coating, if you plan on keeping it for more than just a holiday season.

  

Although apothecary jars are very popular right now, they certainly aren't the only way to set up a candy display or centerpiece.  While apothecary jars be can kind of pricey, you can get a similar look with simple glass vases or Ball canning jars.  A classic slant jar with metal lid is another good way to display and share candy (they kind of scream "help yourself"). They'd look great in a retro themed kitchen!

Photo credit: The Container Store

For Easter I fell in love with this idea my sister-in-law got from Martha Stewart: easter candy terrariums!  I think my sister's looked cuter than the below example.  Hers were bolder, as she used green M&M's candies (you can buy just green bags ahead of time that are available for Valentine's) and milk chocolate bunnies surrounded by Robin's Eggs candies.  Another option if you want to avoid eating your decor, is green jellybeans for the "grass".  I don't know anyone who likes green jelly beans.  You can tie bow at the top if you want to make it extra precious.   Marshmallow Peeps would also be a good choice for this project, and if you're like me (who loves stale Peeps), you will find them nice and stale and ready to eat when you are ready to ditch the decor after Easter.  I love the terrariums, they kind of remind me of those diorama sugar eggs where you look inside and there's a little scene.

Photo credit: Martha Stewart Living

There are so many pretty things you can do with candy corn for the fall and Halloween.  Most people hate candy corn, so I think it can be suggested as a good choice for decorating, but for a select few like myself, they are completely irresistible.  However, they really do look great as used as a filler in hurricane jars with candles.  Or you can make a Halloween bouquet by filling a clear vase and arranging tree branches.  An alternative choice would be black and orange jellybeans which are perfectly seasonal, but hold no temptation for those of us that hate black licorice- yuck!

Photo credit: Woman's Day

By Christmas time we'll all be sick of candy, so I suggest throwing it all out and replacing it with glass ornaments.

Candy canes just might be as unpopular as fruitcake.

                                            Or you could always go with these...

People suck. Tell them.

Sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands...

I can't tell you how much I love love love this parking citation pad from Knock Knock.  Sometimes people need to be told they're an inconsiderate asshole, and these never fail me in my time of need.  I keep them in my glove compartment so they are readily available.  Living in Los Angeles there is no shortage of opportunities to use them.  Ever.

For some reason they are no longer available on the Knock Knock site, although they have several other worthwhile versions such as the increasingly necessary douchebag citation.  However they are still available through some other retailers such as Amazon.com.

They not only "make the world a better place to park" but they really boost your mood as well.  Brief moments of irritation and annoyance suddenly become fun and satisfying opportunities to release your urges to micromanage.

They did omit one offense from the checklist:  Illegally parking in a fire lane because you are a lazy slob that can't walk the extra 25 yards to go into the store, and you won't get a ticket because you the ARE the parking enforcement.  Go figure. 

Don't take him back Barbie, you're too good for that loser!

I spotted this billboard while running errands, and had to stop to take a picture!

It may or may not have influenced a purchase of two Barbie-esque shades of lipstick at the MAC store later that afternoon.  On the left, "Up the Amp" which looks amazing when layered with their "Ample Pink" lipgloss.  On the right, "Chatterbox" which is the PERFECT shade of bright pink I've been searching for.  They say pink is the new red, but quite frankly I find it's a lot more wearable.  MAC's smooth matte shades don't disappoint like the frost varieties at the drug stores... the perfect pink pout should not look like you're sporting zinc oxide.