i had so much fun making my little candy dispensers... i think they would be fun for all kinds of occasions- great bday party favor, any holiday... cause you can really dress them up for any occasion! you can get really creative with this BASIC idea.
here is what you need to get started... cups! i got these clear ones at walmart... they have to be the really flexible (flimsy) plastic ones, so you can punch a hole in it! i think i got the pink cups in the party asile of walmart...
to create the basic dispenser.. you need 2 clear cups, and a pink cup (for the stand. Start by cutting the Clear cup down, and you can kinda play with what size to cut to... my finished size is about 2.5"
you will need to punch a hole out of both the cups.. just in a little bit different place... i think that this punch is like a 1 1/2" - use what you have,
k, look closely above (and i outlined the holes w/ black sharpie, so you could see them for this tutorial- but see how the cup on the left has a little plastic on the bottom, this is the bottom cup- the one on the right has an open bottom... this doesn't have to be perfect, and when you play with it, you will see why- but you just have to allow for the candy to come out!
so this photo shows you how this thing kinda functions... stack the cups on each other- you will be adhereing the bottom cup to the base, and then the top cup will spin to 'open' and 'close'
alright... i just love how the lacy doilie makes a cute skirt...and it holds the candy up from that bottom of the cup- so it will fall right out! now a little double sided tape is handy here- wrap the tape around the top edge of this base- so the bottom cup will be secure.. (don't use hot glue, it will melt the cup) i also have just used glossy accents, and tombo glue... so whatever you have- make it work!
this is the best part!! fill it with candy.. might be fun to make a little 'Valentine Mix' with all the gorgeous pink and red candy out there... anything goes! seems like you can find it all in bulk! if you live in SLC area, and you are going to thanksgiving point for any reason, they have the most beautiful mix of candies... i bought some, and it's not even good candy that i like, but it's SOO prettY!
so you can see here, how the dispenser looks closed... and...
how it looks when it's open...
ok, so this is the BASIC idea.. there are about a million variations dancing around in my head... and my kids LOVED them! once you get the hang of making them, you will find they are EASY and you can make them QUICKLY! just depends on how you want to doll them up!
may i suggest the House of 3 Remarkable Valentine goodies to embellish with?? and of course... you need crepe paper... in all it's beautiful valentine colors!
i'd love to see your creations... and since it's the beginning of the weekend, AND there are only 3 days until Valentines Day... i will leave you with a couple more suggestions!
i used the LoveCrush kit to make this card... i think this would look so cute as a big chocolate bar wrapper!
while you have your crepe paper out... you can try making these mini crepe pom-poms... i saw this tutorial on the Martha Stewart website, and made mini versions... i thought they would be perfect to go with these: