Affiliate links included for this Valentine craft. Enjoy!
I wish I had documented the day that my oldest learned of candy necklaces. Special treats joining forces with jewelry?!?! YES!!!!!!!!!!
So on a recent trip to the grocery store, I thought I’d see if I could find any Valentine’s jelly candy that we could use for a craft. Remember, I’m TOTALLY NOT CRAFTY, (no, really….) but I figured that poking holes through some jelly beans and tying knot in some string was something I could handle.
So here’s how I made a Valentine craft for kids in the form of a jelly bean bracelet.
First, I gathered my supplies. You need some jewelry elastic. I found mine at Walmart with all the jewelry making supplies, and I’m sure Michael’s has it, but that store scares the crap out of me (remember, NOT CRAFTY!). I also found these heart shaped jelly beans, but you can use anything you can find that you think will withstand the puncture of a needle really well.
Speaking of the needle, I wanted to get something really thick, and not sharp on the tip since this craft is intended for kids. I found a tapestry needle, and I have no idea if that was the “best” choice, but it worked for me!
Even with the large, “dull” needle, I still felt that the act of puncturing each jelly bean was a bit too challenging for a 4-year-old. I’m thinking this would be a good craft for maybe ages 7 and up.
I tied a few knots on one end of the string to get started, and then ran the needle and thread through the center of the jelly bean, like this:
And then I realized that I made a hole far too large for my dinky little knot. So I needed some other way to keep the string from falling through while I got all the jelly bean hearts on the string (I hope that makes sense!). So I busted out my Scotch tape and just taped it in place for the moment. Once again, no idea if that was the “right” thing to do, but it worked!
Once I had all the jelly beans on the string, I tied lots and lots of little knots. It needed several because this plastic material is very slippery, and I noticed that one simple knot will come undone. Several are needed for it to behave!
That’s it! You are done and now have a really cute bracelet. This is such a great craft for parent/child bonding time, or for a play date. You can even make necklaces or anklets using this concept.
I spent about $5 on the supplies, and I could probably make 4 bracelets with the jelly beans I have. Not too bad, and it was a huge hit with my daughter! Give it a try, even if you are like me and “don’t do crafts!” And just a head’s up: your tapestry needle will not survive the craft. It will be completely coated in candy by the time you are done. I gave the needle my most heartfelt thanks for its service, and then sent it to the garbage can!
Janina F says
Cute I would love to try it in the future.
Kathie Williamson says
Love the idea.
Sammie Mauk says
I LOVE this, specifically because it isn’t hard candy (I always cringe at hearing teeth break/crunch something) and I know my daughter would love this! Thank you for sharing!
Susie Dagastino says
So cute! I will have to try this with my niece! She loves jewerly and candy!!
Robin Dance says
This would have been a PERFECT craft for when I hosted my Valentine Tea party!! Well, when the girls were younger. Darling idea, Tiffany :).
Viv says
So have to add this to the list of treats for Valentine’s day bags at the DC. I’m sending homemade heart and lip gumdrop or marshmallow pops and these will be a great addition!
Tiffany Merritt says
That is quite a compliment, because I know you ARE crafty! 🙂
Viv says
FOr me its the cooking…crafting come to Mom naturally but cooking is for me 🙂 OK and knitting-were I only follow patterns 🙂 lol
Brandy says
These are def something my kids would have fun making with me, I am not sure I will trust the 5 year old no fear son of mine with a needle so he can “assist” with jelly bean patterns instead 😉
Tiffany Merritt says
Agreed! Not a good craft for the wild/fearless/still young ones! 🙂
Staci says
I deal with large-ish groups of 5-7 years olds (Beaver Scouts) and I think you could make this work safely for that age group… if you could fine the time to pre-puncture all the holes so they were more like beads. Time-consuming in larger quantities, but that’s what they make tv shows for! Assuming, of course, you can keep enough of ’em unconsumed during the prep process. 😉
Crystal says
Very cute! My daughter would love this, she’s a big fan of candy necklaces.
Tiffany Merritt says
Oh yeah, then this would be a great one! Maybe she could make a special necklace as a gift for her best friend!