When I saw this Candy Cane Bunting tutorial on Smashed Peas and Carrots, I was inspired to put together my own version with real candy canes. I just love how putting two candy canes together makes a heart. (Back to my heart-shaped obsession.)

So here’s what you’ll need: candy canes, cotton thread, decorative ribbon or string, and scissors. Put two candy canes together to make a heart shape, and use the cotton thread to tie them together where they overlap. Wrap the cotton thread around a few times and tie it nice and tight. I also snipped off the extra plastic wrapper at the ends of the candy canes. I made 11 hearts. I would have made 12, but a certain little girl managed to sneak off with two candy canes. (Ok, ok… I bribed her.)

So with the two boxes of candy canes and the decorative string, this project cost me a whopping $3. Not bad.

To turn them into a garland, simply hang up the decorative string/ribbon and hang the hearts! No need to tie them, they’ll stay in place on their own. Or if you’d like, you can just hang the hearts all over your Christmas tree. I might just buy some more candy canes and do both! I guess you could make something that will last through the years if you use plastic candy canes, but then you can’t eat them and that’s half the fun!

Yesterday I bought some pretty fabric for a special Christmas gift. I almost never get to buy new fabric so it was pretty exciting! I can’t wait to start cutting it up!