While many consider costumes the focal point of Halloween, candy certainly is at least a close second. According to recent polls, nearly 73% of American households plan to treat trick-or-treaters by dishing out the sweets. Whether you’ve got leftovers from your own stash or the kids have lugged home their loot by the bagful, you’re likely to have a large surplus of sugar.

So after setting aside some treats for your own family, what do you do with the rest? Before pitching it, explore our creative tips for repurposing candy as a unique decorative element. With a little bit of ingenuity, you’ll find that sweets often look just as good as they taste.

What better way to welcome guests than with a dash of sugar and a candy wreath? Start with a preformed wire wreath found at any local craft store, or create your own by bending a wire coat hanger into two or three circles. When choosing the candies to decorate your wreath, you may want to settle on a single theme or color scheme. For instance, chocolaholics can use various types of miniature chocolate bars wrapped in metallic colors. To create a winter wreath for holiday display, choose hard candies wrapped in red, gold, green or white interspersed with red-and-white peppermint candies. For a springtime wreath, pastel-colored taffy candies work well. Another cheerful idea is to create a lollipop wreath with ribbons tied around each stick.

Use thin curling ribbon or a hot glue gun to attach each piece of candy to the wire frame. For added elegance, add a coordinating bow to the bottom of the wreath.

Sure to delight children and adults alike, this fun and easy project turns sweets into sprouts. Begin by picking up a simple clay pot from your local gardening store. After sanding down the exterior, apply two coats of a paint color and an optional glaze finish. After the paint is dry, use a hot glue gun to attach hard candies to the outside of the pot and along its edge. You can choose a single color, use two or three coordinating colors, or create a rainbow. Next, cut some wooden craft sticks into varying lengths, paint them green, and lay them out to dry. Line your pot with polystyrene or Styrofoam. Once the sticks are dry, “plant” them inside the pot and glue candies on top to create sugary blossoms.

If you prefer the real flowers, nest two glass vases of varying sizes inside one another, fill the gap with the candy of your choice, and use the inner vase to display fresh blossoms in water. Select candies and flowers in matching or complementary shades to create a sweet, colorful bouquet.

Who says vases are just for flowers? Repurpose an extra glass or clear plastic vase as a creative candy display. Choose candies in various complementary colors, and create a layer for each shade. For an autumn theme, you might use candy corn and hard candies wrapped in orange, brown and yellow. To create a festive Christmas display, alternate red-and-white peppermints with layers of cinnamon candies.

Why not turn candlelight into candylight by combining your favorite sweets with a flickering glow to create a delicious ambiance? Start with a plain, medium-sized glass bowl and fill it to the top with the candy of your choice. For fall, candy corn is fitting. To create a romantic Valentine’s Day centerpiece, use conversation hearts. To create a holiday display, use peppermint sticks or hard candies wrapped in metallic red, green and gold. Next, add glass votive holders to the vase and insert candles. Be sure to monitor the lighted candy bowl as it burns.

Instead of spending money on a new picture frame, transform an ordinary wooden frame by embellishing it with decorative candy. Begin by painting the frame the color of your choice, then use a hot glue gun to attach various types of candies. Use sweets that reflect the subject and personality of the photo. For a romantic picture of a couple, use conversation hearts or cinnamon candies. If the frame will be used to display a snapshot of your little trick-or-treaters in their costumes, decorate the frame with candy corn. To create a holiday-themed frame, use candy canes. Once the candy is glued on, coat the entire frame with sealant to keep everything in place.

Create a confectionery castle with a few small boxes and empty paper towel tubes. Position the boxes and tubes on a piece of flattened cardboard with duct tape to hold it in place. Spread icing across all surfaces and attach various candies and cookies to the exterior. When creating your candy castle, the only limit is your imagination. Some fun ideas include using licorice to frame doors and windows, lining the front of the house with miniature lollipop “flowers,” and using upside-down ice cream cones for turrets.

We hope these ideas will inspire you to embark on your own economical family crafting project, whether it’s with your leftover Halloween loot or a new batch of goodies. Use your new “eye candy” to beautify your own home, or give it as a unique gift to the chocolate lover in your life. Armed with these fun and easy tips, you can turn excess sweets into beautiful displays that truly look good enough to eat.