How to Make a Candy Lei

I have a fantastic friend who's family is Somoan. She made these for the kids at their preschool graduation, and they are so fun & easy! So when Hunter graduated from Kindergarten, I made him a couple of candy leis (since all the girls mom's were bringing flowers ... and we all KNOW that is NOT cool for a boy). He loved them & of course, the morning of when he saw them begged me to make them for his entire class group (all 60 of them!) ... needless to say that didn't happen. But he did give one away to a special friend & then shared the rest with any friend he could find ... such a sweet boy. :)

**Quick Disclaimer ... I *KNOW* I probably over did it on the instructions ... but let me know if it doesn't make sense.*

For a candy lei, you'll need:

• Small wrapped candies (chocolate ones are always a favorite, but in the Vegas heat they melt too fast!)
• scissors
• curling ribbon
• saran wrap

I have a large kitchen table, so I generally will pull out the plastic wrap to cover the full length of the table (whatever length you pull your saran wrap ... your necklace will be a little less than half that length at the end).

Then lay the candies on two sides of the saran wrap. Lay them very, very close together, if they are too far apart, they will end up falling out.

I was able to fit 20 candies easily on each side. It probably would have been better to have them even closer.

Cut the saran wrap in half now. Straight down the middle & this will make two seperate necklaces for you. When I try & cut it before I place the candy down, the saran wrap pulls up, and gets tangled. The weight of the candy will make it all stay down & easier for you.

Fold the saran wrap in half over the candies.

Cut 5-6" lengths of curling ribbon for the ties on the necklace & then twist the saran wrap around each individual candy. Starting on the second candy, twist & tie the curling ribbon. I usually double tie, just to make sure it's tight. Make sure to twist a couple times each candy, this creates a little wrap around each candy & makes them stay in the necklace safely.Take your scissors & curl each indiviual ribbon. Then, take the two ends, pull them together & twist them around each other. Then tie the ribbon next to the two candies. This will make your necklace stay together better & look more seamless.

Enjoy!!! I hope this makes sense ... let me know if you have any questions! :)