Hey friends! Hannah from Homemade Banana here with a colorful, easy DIY that came to me late one night and I just had to make. It’s fun, useful (you can store items inside), and looks adorable—everything a great craft project should be.
Even though I’m not a huge licorice fan, I’ve always loved the playful colors of classic licorice allsorts. For this project I recreated those cheerful candies in polymer clay and turned them into little decorative handles for clear acrylic candy boxes. Think of it as a modern, playful twist on the candy dishes my grandma kept around. This project is simple, quick, and can be completed in about the time it takes to watch an episode of a TV show. Let’s get started.
DIY Allsorts Candy Boxes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Supplies
Sculpey or other polymer clay in white, pink, yellow, black, and transparent
E6000 or a strong craft adhesive
Clay rolling pin
Ruler
Sharp knife or blade
Clear acrylic boxes
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to the temperature recommended on your clay packaging (Sculpey typically bakes at 275°F).
2. There are three classic allsort styles to recreate: wrapped wheels, stacked squares, and sprinkle jellies. To make wrapped wheels, roll a small ball of black clay to about 1/8″ thick. Roll a ball of white clay into a log about 1/2″ thick.
3. Wrap the black clay sheet around the white log, smoothing gently until the white is fully enclosed. Trim the ends with a sharp knife and cut 1″ long slices from the log. Place slices on a baking sheet. Vary colors and widths to create different looks.
4. For stacked squares, roll sheets of black, white, and yellow clay to about 1/8″ thick. Stack the colored sheets, press lightly so they stick, and cut 1 1/4″ x 1 1/4″ squares using a ruler and knife. Place the squares on the baking sheet and make several variations.
5. To make sprinkle jellies, roll a small ball of transparent clay into a log about 3/4″ thick. Slice a 3/4″ wide piece from the log. Pinch tiny bits of colored clay, roll them into miniature sprinkle-sized balls, and press them into the transparent piece until it’s covered.
6. Bake your clay pieces following the package instructions. For Sculpey, bake about 15 minutes per 1/4″ thickness—roughly 45 minutes for these pieces. Allow them to cool completely.
7. Once the clay candy pieces are cool, assemble handles by gluing two or three pieces together with E6000. Then glue the stacked candy to the lid of an acrylic box to create a cute, candy-inspired handle.
8. Let the adhesive cure fully, then fill the boxes with candy or other small items.
Photos by: Hannah Cross
After the candy is gone, these boxes make great storage for cotton balls, lip gloss, hair ties, or other small household items. They also make sweet hostess gifts—tie a bow around the box and present it as a thoughtful, handmade gift.
PS: Try this same technique for other small clay paperweights or decor items, like a sprinkle pill paperweight for your desk.