Introduction: Candy Cane DIY Ornament

About: My name is Nicole and I am an avid creator. I love making things and sharing how with people. I try my hand at nearly every craft I can get my hands on and discover, daily, new passions and interests. I hope t…

I decided to do a few ornament Do-It-Yourself pieces to spread the holiday fun. Most of the projects I will be show casing here this week are all kid friendly! Since 90% of our family's original ornaments were made by us kids I know first hand how fun making them can be (I even had fun recreating them here!) and they promise to make for a great family project.

First up on my Ornament DIY Week is the Candy Cane! This is a super simple concept and extremely cheap. You can probably even get all the supplies you need at the Dollar Store. Nearly every craft store carries the supplies, even Walmart.

Supplies:
1. Pipe Cleaners
2. Triangle Beads
3. Scissors
4. Lace (1/2 in wide, with eyelets-aka holes in the center part)

Step 1:

Step One:
Cut your pipe cleaner to about 5 1/2 inches long. You can go longer if you want a larger cane, but 5 1/2 is the smallest I would recommend with the size of the beads. Anything smaller doesn’t look right.

Step 2:

Step Two:
Slide your bead onto the pipe cleaner. Keep it near the top as you will be working here and pushing down as you go along. If you push it down each time you will have a hard time weaving the lace onto the pipe cleaner. Weave your lace on. There are several ways you can do this. For a thicker lace look, weave two eyelets onto the pipe cleaner between beads. For a more even look, weave back and forth between each eyelet.

Step 3:

Step Three:
Continue weaving beads and lace onto the pipe cleaner, pushing down a little as needed, till the pipe cleaner is nearly covered end to end.

Step 4:

Step Four:
When you reach the bottom fold the end over one side of the bead. You want to make sure that each side ends with a bead so that it keeps the lace from falling off. Close the top off in the same manner as the bottom, leaving you with long long, lacy, beaded pipe cleaner. It takes approximently 32 beads to cover a 5 1/2 in pipe if you weave between each eyelet.

Step 5:

Step Five:
Bend your pipe cleaner a third of the way down, forming the top of the candy cane. You can even twist and shape the beads and lace so it has a more jumbled up look (see the cinnamon and red cane in the extras below) or keep it as is for a uniform look.

Ta-da! In a matter of minutes you can have any color candy canes you want! Change up the color of the pipe cleaner and the ribbon for a funky take on the holiday treat. Then hang them on the tree by themselves (no ribbon needed!) or in pairs. These even make great stocking stuffers or gift wrap accents