There are many things you can do with all of the Halloween candy that is inevitably in your house right now. I know number one thought is to eat it, right? I don’t know about you, I need to actually get it out of the house so I don’t eat it! I want to still be able to fit into my clothes for the holidays. = )
You can donate it. My tween’s dentist and her school are taking donations of Halloween candy to send to the troops overseas. I sent along a large bag of candy with my daughter to school this morning to do just that, but not before we pulled out a small bowl that I let her fill with her favorites to keep.
Another idea is to get crafty and gift some of it. Last year I made these crafty Owl Candy Jars and filled them with leftover Halloween candy. This year I put a little twist on the owl candy jar. One of my new favorite craft materials comes from your local hardware store. I used silicone sealant to make a Halloween wreath this year, and this time I’m crafting with caulk! Yep, I said caulk. I got the caulk gun out, loaded with white household caulk ready to make some cute candy jars to fill with some our favorite Halloween candy stash. These make perfect homemade gift ideas to give to a teacher, friend, neighbor, or yourself. = ) I just love the cute way the candy is packaged.
I tried two different candy jar ideas using caulk – an owl decorated jar for all you fellow owl-obsessed crafters…
…and a cute cupcake jar that looks pretty enough to eat.
For the owl candy jar, I used a pint sized mason jar. I used a pine cone for the feathers, big googly eyes, and some teardrop shaped jewels for the nose and feet, as well as the caulk for the body shape.
I laid the mason jar on its side so it was easier to work with. I broke off the pine cone pieces in a bowl and had them handy. First I squirted an oval shape for the owl body, then two smaller oval shapes on either side for the wings and finished off with two circle shapes on top for the eyes. When using the caulk gun I cut a larger hole in the tip than normal so the caulk came out nice and thick. I had a paper plate handy when I was done applying to the jar, since the caulk wanted to keep squirting out.
Then I pressed in the two large googly eyes, and started attaching the pine cone pieces on each side for the wing feathers. I also inserted two pine cone pieces just above and under each googly eye. I used a red teardrop shaped jewel for the nose, and two yellow teardrop jewels at the bottom for the feet. After I was satisfied with my owl design, I set it aside to dry. I let it dry overnight. Since the caulk is on so thick, it will take some time to fully dry.
My daughter’s favorite candy right now is the Kit Kat. I gathered a handful of Kit Kat’s and loaded the jar up with them. The color from the package was a great compliment to the owl design. To finish off the jar, I cut a small square of coordinating fabric along with some thin ribbon. I closed up the fabric in the lid and tied a bow with the ribbon. VoilΓ‘! The owl candy jar is complete and ready to gift away. This is a great Fall candy jar craft idea using the owl design and the pine cone “feathers”.
Looking for another crafty way to make an owl with a pinecone? Check out this cool craft idea from Crafts by Amanda. So cute!
For a festive cupcake candy jar design, I used a mini 4 oz mason jar, small tube and seed beads for sprinkles, and a glittery bell for a cherry. I also started by spray-painting the lid with white spray paint.
After the lid was dry from the white spray paint, I also used a hot glue gun to glue the top to the screw part of the lid so that it was one solid piece before I “caulked” the frosting on. This one is as easy as it looks. Using a caulk gun (with a wide hole cut on the gun so that it comes out pretty thick) I squirted the caulk in a spiral, much like if I was frosting a real cupcake. Then I sprinkled on beads for sprinkles, and pressed on a cute glittery bell. You could also use a round bead there too. Then the hardest part was just to let it dry. I let this one dry overnight as well, before filling it with candy. This time I took the small packages of M&M’s from our leftover Halloween candy, and opened them up to fill the jar. It took about 6 mini packages to fill the jar. Finish off with tying some coordinating ribbon around the lid and you are done! I couldn’t resist putting a cute cupcake liner around the jar too! This is like desk art and a sweet treat all in one. = )
What other ideas do you have to use some of your leftover Halloween candy? Will you eat it all? or donate it? or maybe get a little crafty and try making these cute candy jars filled with leftover Halloween candy?
Happy crafting!
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*a little note about crafting with caulk: certain precautions should be taken when crafting with caulk. It can be quite harmful if ingested, or may cause skin irritations. Always remember to use in a very well ventilated area, use rubber gloves for extra safety, and take special care when crafting with children. Although, many of the crafts I have created look good enough to eat – they aren’t! Caulk can be very harmful if swallowed. If you make homemade gifts containing food items in them using caulk, please make sure caulk has completely dried in a well-ventilated area first and does not touch candy or food before introducing food item.Β For more information see here.
que lindo cupcake..
como se llama la masa blanca con la que haces el cupake?
Hola Ana,
The “white paste” I used in the cupcake is a product called caulk like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002ND6L?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B00002ND6L&tag=clubchic-20
It comes in different colors and can be found at your local hardware store, or online through the link above.
Happy crafting!
I am wondering where you found your bells???
I found the bells at my local Michaels, but if they don’t have colored bells in stock, I’ve used large beads too.
FYI, I am making these as a birthday favor and bought jars with white lids online….that way I didn’t have to paint them:)
great idea Stephanie~
These are so stinking cute! My friend has a cupcake shop and I think I HAVE to make her a cupcake candy jar! π Thanks for the super cute idea!!
Just saw your cupcake jars on Pinterest. They are SO CUTE!! Hands down the cutest craft I’ve seen in a while. Kudos!
What a CUTE idea!! I’ve seen the cupcake ornaments they sell on etsy, but no one would divulge their “secret frosting” to me. Thank you sooo much for letting me know what to use and showing us all a very easy to follow tutorial. I’m making a bunch of these for Christmas gifts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
OMG, these are so very, very cute! Great gift for the holidays treats! Thanks!
LOVE! My daughter and I can’t wait to do these together. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi – found your idea on Pintest and loved the cupcake. I have recreated it using Christmas colors and Hershey Kisses. I bought the same caulk that you used, left it overnight and it still feels a bit spongy, does it dry harder? Thanks so much – great idea!
Anne
Hi Anne, Sounds like a super cute holiday cupcake! It will feel a little spongy for a couple days because of how thick the caulk is, but it will dry completely and get harder.
Thanks for the quick response – they do look cute – I will send a picture when I am finished.
Thanks again !
Anne
I just LOVE this stuff! I have become obsessed with it and I am now looking to do some of this decorating myself. I’ve been trying to find the hand squeeze tubes of caulk though as I’m thinking the caulking gun might be too cumbersome for me.
anyway, your little cupcake turned out great and it’s so stinking cute!!! great job!
Where did you find the mini mason jars?
Hi Jennifer, some grocery stores carry them in their canning section. Or you can find them here online on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VTSYA8?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B000VTSYA8&tag=clubchic-20
If you don’t want to get them on amazon could u use a gerber baby food jar
So cute! I have a cupcake business and these are perfect thank yous to my big clients! Where did you find the glitter bells?
Hi Katie,
Glad you like the cupcake DIY. I found the glitter bells at my local Michaels store.
Love these cupcakes. Planning on making them for holiday party favors. What size jingle bells did you use?
I used about 1/2″ sized jingle bells. Happy crafting!
Very cute but FYI: I do believe that most caulk is quite toxic and that decorating something containing food or that looks edible might be dangerous especially around kids.
http://www.dap.com/docs/msds/00010019002_english.pdf
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. You are completely right in considering the safety when working with caulk and children. I have put a safety note on all of my caulk posts. I do take great care when my tween crafts with me. I am lucky enough to live in Southern California, where we frequently craft outside in the backyard where it is well ventilated, especially when I am work with such strong materials like caulk and spray paint. Thank you again for your comment.
My caulk keeps melting and not staying in firm swirls…what am I doing wrong? Would it help to glue half styrofoam balls and caulk it?
hmmm…. are you using the same brand I was using? I used DAP sealant for the candy jar crafts and DAP caulk for the pine cone caulk crafts. I made sure to cut the biggest opening on the tip of the tube to make the thickest stream possible. Make sure if you are doing the cupcake, to fill in middle with enough caulk or sealant to create the fullness needed for the cupcake swirl.
Love you idea, so cute. Thanks for sharing. Where do you get you cupcake liner & what size? I was looking for some & none of them was tall enough to come up to the lid of the jar.
The cupcake liner I used, I actually cut from my Cricut machine using the cupcake cartridge. The size flattened is 9.5″ at its widest part. The diameter of the bottom is 2.5″. Hope that helps!
I love this idea…. Just wondering if you have tried this with the battery operated tea lights inside… Thinking this for baby shower tables
I love that idea too! sounds perfect!
Never thought of spray painting my ugly looking reused tops and lids! Thanks!
I’m wondering about the spray paint…will it smell strong and make the candy taste strange from the fumes?…or does it dry and the smell goes away?
really good question. definitely spray paint in an well ventilated area. I always prefer to do it outside and let it dry completely. The paint will smell initially, but it will go away. To be safe, make sure paint it completely dry before adding the candy to the jars. Hope that helps! = )
Thank you! I’m gonna try them out, so cute and great idea for the holidays!
If you are worried about spray painting. I have gotten plain white screw on tops for the jars. I got them at Walmart or a grocery store. They are all one piece and they are plastic. I hope this helps.
Great idea Linda!
How many cup cakes did you get out of one thing of caulk?
I got about 4 cupcakes from one bottle of caulk.
Will this also work with a baby food jar?
It should work. What a great idea!
I thought this would be a great project if you poked a hole in the top and were able to insert a straw for beverages at a child’s birthday once it was dry, but my husband said the smell lasts for a long time. Did you find this? I’m asuming yours dried all the way because of the type of caulk you used
What a crafty idea! Mine cupcakes did dry completely for sure, and I haven’t noticed any lingering smell on my jars. I would definitely allow enough time for the jars to dry before using if you try this approach.
I love love love this idea!!! I am going to be making about 30 for a baby shower guest gifts!!! How much caulk and things of beads do you think I will need??? The shower is next weekend! Will it dry by then? I just love these!! π
Ooh, that’s sounds super cute for a baby shower. I think you should be able to get about 4 cupcakes per caulk bottle. I would definitely make them this weekend so that they will be dry and ready to fill by next weekend. Make sure to glue the jar liner onto the lid first before applying the caulk on the top to dry. Have fun!
i forgot to do this and just realized after I am letting the caulk dry right now… tips? I would have to ruin the 20 i made!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH
Hi Stacy, do you mean, you forgot to glue the lid together first? IF so, wait until the caulk sets up and dries a bit so you don’t lose the shape, then carefully pull apart glue together without ruining the cupcake swirl at the top.
Hope that helps.
Do you have anything we could do for a high school graduatio
Hi Anita,
check out how to make a graduation cap bouquet. https://club.chicacircle.com/chocolate-graduation-cap-bouquet/
Thank you so much we will be making some of these
Any tips on spray painting the lids? Does it crack at all or do you do something to the lids before painting
For my cupcakes, I did not treat the lids with anything before spray painting them. I didn’t have a problem with the paint cracking. I just made sure to spray a solid coat on the lids and let dry completely before touching.
When I put the caulk on it looks fine at first, then it begins to “run” and fall off the sides of the jar ? What am I doing wrong?
Hmmm…. I am wondering if you are using a different brand than me. Also, in what room climate conditions are you using?
I used slightly bigger jars and it took wy to much calk. I redid them with styrofoam balls cut in half to give the height without filling in with calk, that seemed to work good. Also beware of the sprinkles you use, my first attempt the color bled out all over the calk. I am going to try and clear coat then sprinkle so I don’t ruin the nice white calk!
great tips! Thanks for sharing!
I’m also thinking, instead of sprinkles, use little tiny beads?
I totally just saw what you used for sprinkles… I read your mind haha. They are cute! I want to do them for favors at my wedding but that’s alot of caulk!
use recycled baby food jars instead of buying small mason jars to save money
Love it! If I ever find time to make these, I think is best to put the M&Ms in a cello bag or a zipping snack bag first. Just to be safe)
PS: What size punch I need for the printable circles?
Great idea about the cello bag. For the circle printables, I usually use a 2″ circle punch. I love the Fiskars scallop punch. = )
Will the soft tubesof caulk work.I am afraid the one you used would be cumbersome for me.
They should work. You will probably make 1-2 cupcakes with a smaller tube.
My caulk keeps sinking π It won’t stay up and look like pretty icing.
Hmm… are you using the same brand pictured? Are you working in a particularly hot climate?
One idea is to attach a half of a styrofoam ball on top first to give the caulk some structure.
I made these to take to work for my birthday. I use a candle in them instead of putting the bell on. I made a layered banana split dessert in them. Everyone loved them!!! These would also be cute for 4th of July with cherry or apple crisp in them and they wouldn’t need to be refrigerated.
They really are adorable
Great idea and so cute! I plan on making them to go in goodie bag’s for my daughter’s party, but I am going to squeeze the caulk into a bag fitted with a decorator’s tip so the swirl is more authentic.
So I finished my jars today and I LOVE them! I was able to do 9 jars with 1 tube of caulk.
Made these and my beads are falling off. Any suggestions on how to make them adhere better to the caulk. I don’t want to press them in because it will flatten the caulk.
Hi Sonda,
After you squeeze on the caulk, sprinkle on the beads and lightly press them into place. It shouldn’t flatten the caulk as long and you have a gentle touch. Hope that helps.
happy crafting!
Thanks for the feature!
I love these!! What size seed beads did you use? 5mm?
I used the smaller 3mm seed beads and small rod beads. Hope that helps!
Hi! I love this craft idea! I’m a preteen and I am getting my bedroom re-done quite soon. I was looking for a small item to keep on my shelves when I found this craft! I am making 2 and can’t wait to add them to my shelves! π thanks so much for the cool. Raft!
*craft. Whoops. π
Thanks so much for the tutorial! I can’t wait to make these as holiday favors!
Do you have any alternate ideas instead of using caulking? I am modifying this a little and using the sample size cans of formula to make goodie cans for my daughters 1st birthday. The lids on the cans are a bit flimsy, so I thought the caulking would be too heavy. Any other suggestions? π
Hmmm… The caulk is pretty lightweight. You could try gluing a half of a small styrofoam ball on top first to give it more height so that you don’t have to use so much caulk.
This is so cute awesome birthday present π so cute:p:)
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this ideas. Candy jar with stamp with love you Dad, is a very nice idea. Check this link for more simple and amazing ideas, which your Dad will surely love to get: http://bit.ly/FSWOaOq