Candy Cane Pagodas

 There's a touch (OK, more than a touch) of Chinoiserie in our holiday decor.

That's why when I saw Lydia Menzies post a 15 second reel on her IG about making little pagodas from mini candy canes I had to try it myself!!

This is not my idea - all Lydia's - but I tweaked it just a little. 

They are so cute. And quick and easy! 

I stayyyyyed up waaaaayy too late making these so I took a few step by step pictures in case you want to make some! 

You need mini candy canes. I decided I was going to skip the "frosting as glue" part of this and hot glue mine together. We aren't going to eat them so this makes them sturdier than frosting. And quick to put together. I used parchment paper to work on.

Cut the little candy canes out of the cello wrappers, and unlike real life building, start with the roof. I just used a dab of hot glue to create an upside down V with the curly part of the candy cane facing out. Don't worry about the hot glue blob - I'll show you how to fix that in a few steps.

Next up - the side walls. Glue two canes with the curve facing out as shown above.

Now you need 2 straight pieces to go across the roof line and the base. I found out that I could use a pair of kitchen scissors kind of like tile nippers to break the canes at the approximate length I needed. Put a dab of hot glue on each end and hold the sides in until the glue sets - just a few seconds really.

I wanted a door! I broke my cane so that the curved part formed a U and I glued that in as my door. So cute!

Next I added a short straight piece at the peak of the roof and in the center of the roof triangle. You could stop there if the glue doesn't bother you and depending on how you plan to use your candy cane pagodas.

OR...

I took some white glue and dripped it over the hot glue "joints" and on the ends of the upturned canes and over the doorway. Then I sprinkled some crushed peppermint cookie decorating sprinkles mixed with clear sugar crystals over the glue. This gave the pagodas a frosted, winter-y look and covered the hot glue blobs.

I left them to dry overnight. 

The hot glue makes them very sturdy but the white glue and sprinkles needed to dry completely.

The next morning I couldn't resist using them in the Holiday Mood board that was inspired by a contest on Instagram by @verryrobin_co!

These little pagodas will definitely be making an appearance on my Christmas dinner table!