the shop sweet lulu blog: Candy Ring Tutorial

Candy Ring Tutorial

Here is a list of the supplies you will need:

- ring blanks (rimmed & flat head)

- 1/8" thick ribbon (optional)

- large gum balls

- rock candy

- sixlets

- sprinkles

- small serrated knife

- hot glue gun

- kitchen scissors

BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THESE RING ARE NOT EDIBLE. THEY ARE INTENDED TO BE DECORATIVE ONLY. PLEASE USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT AND ONLY GIVE TO CHILDREN WHO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE NOT TO BE EATEN!!

If you would like to make them edible, royal icing would be a good substitution for the glue. I would also recommend using a ring blank made of food grade plastic and not the metal ones we show in the tutorial.

Now that you know what supplies you will need (not to eat them!), LET'S GET STARTED!!

CAREFULLY, using a small serrated knife, gently saw through the middle of the gumball just until you break through the candy coated surface. Starting the cut by using a sawing motion keeps you from squishing the gumball. Once you break through the candy coating and hit gum, finishing cutting in half by slicing straight down.

Take one of your ring blanks with a lip and cover the entire top of it with hot glue.

Now, take one half of the gumball and place it on the ring blank.

Let glue cool.

If you have a gumball with rough edges (or visible glue) you may want to wrap a piece of ribbon (1/4" & 1/8" works best for this) around the base to hide any imperfections. However, this step is optional.

* notes:

I like using the rimmed ring blanks for these two style of rings because the rimmed edge holds a lot of glue while keeping it from spilling out the sides

For the Rock Candy Ring:

Remove rock candy from stick. Break it so that it comes off the stick in a variety of chunk sizes*.

It is best to add the rock candy in parts. First start by adding a small amount of hot glue to the gumball base you just made (see diagram above). Wait for it to cool slightly*, and then add some rock candy (you may need to gently press the candy into the gumball to get it to stay until the glue completely cools). Repeat this step until the entire gumball is covered in rock candy.

* notes:

Try not to break your rock candy into super tiny shards or dust. You want to have a decent range of chunk sizes.

I chose to have my gumball base and rock candy be the same color, but obviously, this is my preference. Feel free to try out all kind of combos.

Letting the glue cool slightly before adding the rock candy keeps the candy from melting...and becoming a sticky mess.

For the Sprinkle Ring:

It is best to add the sprinkles in parts. First start by adding a small amont of hot glue to the gumball base (see diagram above). Let the glue cool enough that you can touch it without burning yourself, but is still warm to the touch. Using your finger, spread the glue so that there is a nice even layer of glue*. Now, quickly before the glue dries, dunk the ring into your bowl of sprinkles. Gently shake of excess. Repeat this step until the gumball is completely covered to your liking.

* notes:

Spreading the glue ensure that you have a nice level surface area and keeps the overall appearance of the sprinkles consistant.

If you don't want to use your finger to spread the glue, you could use a small cake spatula or butter knife.

The Sixlet Flower Ring:

This is the hardest of the rings to make because:

1.) you are using chocolate (which melts)

2.) the gumball base has to be just the right size....too big & you have gumball exposed at the bottom of you ring. Too small & you cannot fit all your candies onto the base.

Getting the base right may take you several attempts.....try not to get too frustrated & keep trying!!

First you need to create the base. Cut a gumball in half using the instructions above. However, this time before gluing it to your ring blank, you are going to trim the gumball down even more. You just need a tiny amount of gumball for this base*, so using kitchen scissors, cut more off the bottom (see picture below). You really just need "the tip" of the gumball.

Using a ring blank with a lip, hot glue your gumball tip to the base

Put small amount of glue in the center of the gumball. Let it cool slightly (so that the glue isn't hot enough to melt the chocolate) and then add a Sixlet to the center (it is best to start in the center and work your way out).

Now, adding one by one, go around the outside of the gumball and add the rest of the Sixlets.

*notes:

You really only need a "tip" of the gumball for this base. If your piece of gum is too big, you will have exposed gum showing after you glue on all the Sixlets. You can solve this two ways:

1.) Before gluing your gumball base to the ring blank, place double stick tape on the gumball and arrange your Sixlets. This way you can see what will be exposed before you permently glue the gumball to the ring blank and the Sixlets to the gumball. If you have too much gumball exposure, trim of the excess. You will need to remove the tape and the candy before you glue the gumball to the ring blank.

2.) Hide the excess by gluing ribbon around the exposed area. This is the easier route to go for sure, but is not as cute in my opinion.

Gumball Pearl Ring:

This one is by far the easiest of the rings!

Choose a gumball.

Grab a ring base with a flat head.

Add hot glue & attach gumball

BOOM! That is it!! Easy Peasy!