Nutcracker Candy Cane Fairy

Nutcracker Candy Cane Fairy

have very fond memories of my siblings and I decorating the Christmas Tree with my mom. This was a multi-day task. Once we were done with the ornaments, then came the task of hanging chocolates on the Christmas tree. My mom would go to this German Bakery called Frisco, and she would buy trays of chocolates. Some of them were wrapped in colorful tin paper, and others were just plain. The one thing that both had was a gold cord so they could be hung from the tree. I remember many times sneaking into the living-room where the Christmas tree was standing, to steal a chocolate from the Christmas tree. The chocolates were supposed to be reserved for Advent Sundays and Christmas Eve.

When my children were little, I had a hard time finding these wonderful German chocolates from my childhood. In those days, there was no internet, let alone Amazon. So instead of chocolates, we would hang candy canes instead, which were more readily available in the place that became my home, Columbus, Ohio. I knew that at some point, I would have to design an ornament to honor all the different sweets, from cookies to candy canes, that people use to decorate their Christmas trees. So, this Candy Cane Fairy embodies those sweet memories from my childhood.

A Candy Cane or a Russian Dancer

I feel very lucky for being able to attend many performances of The Nutcracker ballet throughout my life. Now, every performance is likely to be slightly different from another one. This is because creative directors change, and so we experience many interpretations of the ballet. Granted, in each performance the main characters will always be present, such as the Nutcracker, Clara, the Mouse King and some others. But when we start talking about secondary characters that add the richness of color to the story, that is when we start seeing differences.

Some performances of the Nutcracker ballet have traditional Russian dancers performing the Nutcracker (Op. 71, Act II, Tableau III: XII. Divertissement d.). Others have a more whimsical interpretation of this opus. So they have candy canes dancing to this piece. Just like the creative directors have free range on their interpretation of this wonderful ballet, I also took liberties in my interpretation. I decided to create a Candy Cane figurine and make it also a fairy to emphasize the magic of the story.

Nutcracker Candy Cane Fairy Ornament Design Process

For these Nutcracker ballet Candy Cane Fairies, I chose a multi-color palette, so not a single ornament looks the same. Unlike the rest of the figurines in the Nutcracker ornaments collection, which are made from wooden pegs, the Nutcracker ballet Candy Cane Fairies are made from wine corks. They have a chubbier and shorter look which makes them resemble hard candies. This decision was driven by the fact that the candy cane dance is usually performed by very young dancers.

For the legs, I used mini wooden thread spools that my friend Valerie had gifted me at one time. Their tights are white, and they are wearing colorful ballerina shoes with matching laces. I wanted these Candy Cane Fairies to be very whimsical, so I gave them unruly short hair that matches their outfit. Also, I gave them an elven-like hat made from felt that coordinates with their ensemble. At the end of the hat, I added a jingle bell.

Since I envisioned the Nutcracker ballet Candy Canes as fairies, I gave them simple wings. I made the wings from printed vellum paper that I laminated in plastic for protection. This technique is very different from the technique I use for the wings of my fairy ornaments. I wanted the wings to represent the cellophane paper used to wrap candy canes. Thus, the laminated technique. In most performances of the Nutcracker ballet, the young dancers carry a hoop that they flip and twirl as they perform their choreography. So, instead of a hoop, I made the Nutcracker ballet Candy Cane Fairy holding a candy cane.

Specifications

Year Designed

2019

Size

Actual size may vary, approximately 2.75” x 2.75” x 5.0”

Materials

Wine corks, cardboard, ribbons, scrapbooking paper, wood knobs, jingle bells, yarn, wood spools, felt, plastic laminate.

Note: Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different. The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.