Chocolate Buckeye

Chocolate Buckeye Ornament

f you have never eaten a chocolate buckeye, you do not know what you are missing. Particularly, a buckeye candy consists of a silky peanut butter ball. Which is partially dipped in chocolate with just enough left bare to expose a round peanut butter ‘eye’. Like good chocolate, a great buckeye melts in your mouth, slowly, to give you plenty of time to savor all its richness. This glorious experience transports you to your childhood when you would dig the spoon in the peanut butter jar. And you would pull it out full of delicious gooeyness. Then, you would suck on the spoon little by little. Until the peanut butter would disappear in your mouth. I created the Chocolate Buckeye ornament to celebrate this luscious confection of our childhood.

Chocolate Buckeye Ornament Design Process

A Bit of Buckeye Trivia

If you have never been in Ohio, you may wonder why such a particular name for a confection. The buckeye candy is named after the buckeye nut. You see, the Buckeye tree is the ‘state tree’ of the state of Ohio. It produces these beautiful glossy round gems of poisonous nuts inside a thorny, pithy rind. Very dark brown color, they have a pale brown center. So, they remind us of deer or buck eyes. Therefore, the tree’s nickname, and that of its nut. And also the nickname for a certain major midwestern university.

My Inspiration

My daughter’s mother-in-law and her sister made chocolate buckeyes for her wedding. Even though, they made a ridiculous amount of Buckeyes, we had a lot of unused gold foil cups left. So, like the ornaments I designed to celebrate her wedding, a Chocolate Buckeye ornament would further commemorate her marriage. Therefore, this chocolate buckeye ornament celebrates the wonderful dessert table at my daughter’s wedding.

The Design

I used a velvety brown material for the body of the buckeye. As to resemble the lusciousness of the chocolate. Then, I used another velvety light brown fabric to represent the buckeye ‘eye’. And, I added a golden sequin to reproduce the glistening of a buck’s eye. After that, I placed the fabric buckeyes in the gold foil cups since I had leftovers from my daughter’s wedding. After I finished all the buckeyes, I decided to add a little surprise. So, I made a large black ant-like bug from black beads and jewelry wire. Finally, I set it crawling on top of each buckeye. As if it was indulging itself on the sweetness of the treat.

Collect this and all the ornaments in the Sweet Treats collection. And create a spectacular Christmas Tree inspired on The Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy and The Land of Sweets.

Specifications

Year Designed

2016

Size

Actual sizes may vary, approximately 1.5” x 1.5” x 1.5”

Materials

Fabric, wire, plastic beads, polyester filling, cupcake foil liners.

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