Candy grams: give Valentine's Day sweets a personal touch with hidden messages - Home - Brief Article

Sunset, Feb, 2003 by Mary Jo Bowling, Jil Peters

What could be more romantic than a handmade valentine? Here are a couple of quick ways to transform everyday store-bought candies into distinctive and thoughtful gifts. Your mate will love them because they are unique, and you will love how easy they are to create.

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Stamped wafers

Leave a fasting impression on your sweetie by spelling out a message with candy.

1. Buy a package of Necco Wafers, then pick out the colors you like. If you're writing only one or two words, you could use just the pink and violet wafers. You'll need the whole pack to form a sentence.

2. Saturate a folded paper towel or sponge with red food coloring, being careful not to get any on your fingers or clothes.

3. Use alphabet stamps (available at craft stores) to ink the letters you desire. Press a letter onto the food coloring, then stamp it on a wafer.

4. Stack the stamped wafers to reveal a special message when they're laid out, then pack them in a tube made of cellophane or parchment (available at craft stores).

Candy wrapper

Make a romantic statement with a candy bar bearing a hidden message.

1. Buy a large chocolate bar that's covered in foil and wrapped with a paper label.

2. Remove the label and, using it as a pattern, cut out a same-size rectangle of solid-color paper. We used a soft lavender paper.

3. Cover the chocolate bar with the new wrapper and secure the back with double-sided tape.

4. Write your valentine message on the top of the wrapper, leaving a small vertical space between each word or phrase.

5. Cut several narrow strips of contrasting paper. Wrap each strip around the candy bar, overlapping and securing the ends with double-sided tape (far left).

6. Arrange the strips to cover the words before presenting your gift.