Mini M&M Wreath

        Once, many years ago, I made an M&M wreath by forming a wire coat hanger into a circle and then wiring little cellophane wrapped packs of M&Ms onto it.  It was really pretty, but very time consuming and it took a lot of M&Ms.  I have never forgotten it though and I sometimes consider making another one.  Because of another project I am working on, I found myself with some extra 4" metal rings and I decided that maybe a mini-wreath would be an awesome little gift.  I gathered my supplies to try it out.

Some plastic wrap, ribbon, metal rings, floral wire, scissors and not nearly this many M&Ms, Christmas colors of course.

       Click on the pictures below to learn the steps.

Cut cellophane into 4" x 4" squares. (aprox.) put 3 candies into each square and gather the cellophane around them into a bundle.

Tie the bundle with curling ribbon. (about 6") Curl the ribbon. It will take about 60 bundles.

Begin wrapping the floral wire around the bundles as you lay them on the metal ring. Fill in gaps as you go. Let the ribbons stick out to add to the festive look. I found it works best to lead with the cellophane tail as you wrap and to lay the candy end over the last bundle's tail.

Continue wrapping wire around bundles as you work around the ring. If you need to add more wire it is easy to just wrap the end of the finished one around the ring tightly and then start with a new piece. I found it easier to cut a long piece of wire than to deal with the paddle.

Work all the way around, adjust and fluff. Add bundles if necessary in bare spots, weaving the wire through. It will be invisible.

Wire on a fluffy bow on the tip. This could be an ornament, a gift by itself, or a package topper.

       I baked banana bread the other day and decided to share some with a friend.  I wrapped the bread in foil, put a band of gift wrap around it, then used the wreath on top as an extra treat! I think this is will be an apppreciated gift, don't you?  I hope so.

         This is a project that would definitly lend itself to working with a group or at least a partner.  Someone could cut the plastic, someone could fill them, someone could tie them  Once you have a bunch of bundles, everyone could start wrapping.  It sounds like a good family project to me! 

        You could make a large one the same way. (Just put more candies in a bundle to make them bigger). But, I really like the small ones because the large ones start looking terribly shabby when you start cutting off the candy to eat! These little ones won't matter so much.  Plus, they take less than a full 12 oz. bag to make so you can share the fun with more people. They are super easy to make, so go ahead! Give it a try.  
       * If you are looking for some gorgeous paper plates to serve your goodies on , look at my choices below from Oriental Trading!  There are still a few days left for gaurenteed standard free delivery with the code snowball16. Clicking on the plates will take you to the link.

I am thinking about getting an ancestry DNA kit for my husband for Christmas. He is so hard to buy for and this might be cool!