Cupid’s Candy Shoppe Valentine’s Day Craft

Make a cute candy display for Valentine’s day using simple items from Dollar Tree.

I have such a fun craft to share with you today. I recently took down my hot cocoa station from the holidays and I’ve been wanting to replace it with something special for the kids for Valentine’s Day. So I headed to the dollar store and found a few things that got my wheels spinning and this is what I came up with.

It’s a Valentine’s Day themed candy station! I named it “Cupid’s Candy Shoppe” because I think it looks like a little store. Isn’t it so stinkin’ cute?!

Let me show you exactly how I made it so you can make one too! Here’s what you’ll need:

I’ve linked to the exact items I purchased at Dollar Tree so you can tell what they are, but you shouldn’t buy the items online since you have to buy like 24 of them. Just head to your local store instead.

I purchased six candy jars but ended up only using four. I was originally planning to place two on the table in front of the stand, but then decided I didn’t like that as much. But you can do that if you like.

Instructions

Step 1: Remove the store stickers from all three wooden crates, then use wood glue to glue them together as shown, with two crates on the bottom and one stacked on top. You want the crates to be upside down so the solid bottom sides face up. Clamp the wood together as it dries. I’d give the crates a good hour to dry so they are nice and stable before moving to the next step.

Step 2: Use hot glue to attach the two dowels on each side of the back crates that are stacked on top of each other. I tried using wood glue and it was the worst. Why did I cheat on my trusty glue gun? The hot glue molds around the dowels, fills in any uneven spots and definitely gave me better adhesion.

Step 3: Paint everything you’ve assembled so far. You could use spray paint, but it’s not warm enough where I live, so I used regular craft paint. The color is Cotton Candy by DecoArt.

Step 4: I decided the shop needed a cute striped awning with scalloped edge so I got to work designing something from scratch. After several prototypes and a lot of tinkering, I got this 3D design just right for you.

I created two variations: one for use with an electronic cutting machine and the other for cutting out by hand. You’ll see both file types in the download folder at the bottom of the post, so double check that you download the correct one for your situation.

Both printables have the main large shape and one small separate piece that will become one side of the awning. I had to design it this way so that the whole thing could fit on a regular piece of paper.

ELECTRONIC CUTTING MACHINE INSTRUCTIONS

If you have a Silhouette or Cricut machine, I included an SVG file so you can print and cut the design. So fast and easy. If you are new to using a Silhouette machine or need a refresher, follow this Print and Cut tutorial.

Just a few notes:
– Don’t forget to turn on your registration marks before printing. This is what tells the cutter exactly where the printed design is on the page, so it’s vital to getting the cut lines aligned with the printed design.
– When you go to the SEND tab to send the design to your machine, if you see a bunch of cut lines all over where they shouldn’t be, you’ll need to select the LINE sub-tab so that it only cuts around the design. It should look like the image below when it’s ready to send to the machine.

CUTTING BY HAND INSTRUCTIONS

If you don’t have an electronic cutting machine, you can still make this craft! Just download the PDF version of the design and print it onto white cardstock. Before cutting it out, use the gray arrows to make fold lines using a scoring tool and a ruler. Then cut out the shapes. I designed it this way so that there are no visible lines on the finished project.

Cut around the two shapes. I outlined the shapes in the photo below to help clarify where you should cut. Can you see the extra piece and where it attaches?

Once the shapes are cut out, however you achieve that, fold all of the fold lines away from you, then use clear tape to attach the side pieces of the awning to the center. Refer to the video below if you’re not sure how to do this. It should look like this when you’re done:

Step 5: Attach the cardstock awning to the dowels with a bit of hot glue or tape. I suggest tape so that you can adjust it if you don’t get it on straight the first time. This would also make it easier to take apart for storage after Valentine’s Day is over.

Step 6: As a fun extra, I printed out matching hearts to add to all the jar lids. I’ve included those printables in the same folder as the others if you want to use them too. I left some hearts blank and added conversation heart messages to others so you have lots of fun ones to pick from or you could use the blank ones and write in the names of the candy you use.

Then fill each jar with candy and place them on the different tiers of the wooden candy stand and your Valentine’s Day candy shop is complete!

I sure love how this turned out. I am going to use it for years to come! Not too shabby for around $7.50 in materials. I can’t wait for my kids to get home from school to see it. I think they’re going to have so much fun with it and I love these little ways that I can fill our home with happiness and good memories.