I had a candy land theme photography session planned at my studio in Central New Jersey for a 2 year old Birthday girl. I quickly brainstormed this session's theme and things like raining candy and oversized lollipops came to mind. I searched the stores and found some interesting items (I will blog more on this session at a later time) but I also wanted to make my own photo prop for this event. I always look for ways to create something unique for my clients. I searched pinterest for inspiration and came across some ideas on how to make an oversized lollipop. So today, I will share with you the steps I took to create one.

You will need:

6 in Styrofoam Ball - the bigger it is, the heavier it will be and little kids may not be able to hold it (as happened in my case) so you may want to explore other size options.

3/8 in Wooden Dowel

Gum Balls

Hot Glue Gun

Ribbon - to tie a bow when you are done

Step 1: Using the wooden dowel, make a hole in the bottom center of the styrofoam ball (this is where they will be glued so make sure it's deep enough to support the ball). 

Step 2: Using the hot glue gun, put some glue inside the hole you just made and glue the dowel. Hold it in place for a few minutes to make sure it bonds well.

Step 3: Take the Gum Balls and glue them to the styrofoam ball one by one. Try alternating colors to make it colorful. It is a little time consuming but the result is beautiful and smells delicious! 

Note: As you glue more and more gum balls, it will become heavy so it's easier to put it on the table dowel side up.

Step 4: When you are done gluing all the gum balls, cut a piece of ribbon and tie it around the wooden dowel. 

TA DA! Congratulations you just made a gigantic lollipop!

*The little birthday lady couldn't hold the photography prop as it was a bit too heavy for her so if your session's child cannot do so, you can have the parents help support the prop and then edit them out. 

Using some of my props and my imagination, I took it a step further and created the following photo composite for the birthday girl!

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.” 
― Albert Einstein