Step by step guide to make a Ferrero Tree

I wanted to give a thank you gift to some ward members that participated in a sacrament meeting at our church.  As I was searching Pinterest, I saw various versions of a Ferrero Tree that I really liked.  Luckily, I had some Ferrero candies in my pantry that I had previously gotten at Rite Aid for $2, so I decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately, I was having a hard time finding step by step instructions on making one, so I made my own version. It took me an hour to complete the project.

To begin, I went to Michael's and found some smooth 3" Styrofoam balls for $4.99 for a pack of six.  I did have a 40% off coupon which helped reduce the cost.  I also bought a 5/8" diameter dowel for $0.59.  It was 36" long and I cut it into three, but I also saw later that Joanne's sells an 8 pack of  12" long dowels for only $0.99.  They always have coupons in the mail as well. 

I inserted the 12" dowel into the Styrofoam ball.  The ball that I purchased already had a pre-drilled hole that made it easier.  

I had Washi Tape I got for Christmas that my husband picked up at Walmart for about $2.50 (he doesn't really remember prices)...

And wrapped it around the dowel.  You can leave an inch or so at the bottom since it will be going in the floral foam and there's no reason to waste the tape.

I bought some floral foam at the dollar store.  There were two circular foams in a package. I did see at Joanne's they have a 6 block pack of foam for $4.99 (but remember they often have coupons).  I found this particular box at the dollar store as well, but you could use whatever container you want (mugs, tin cans, etc.).  I cut the floral foam to fit snugly in the box.  

Next, I inserted the dowel into the floral foam about 1 to 1.5 inches deep.  You could obviously go further if needed.

The gold Ferrero wrapper is somewhat attached to the brown paper, but I added extra hot glue to securely fasten it.  I cut tissue paper into approximately 3 inch squares and crumpled it up in my hand.  I then unfolded it and used hot glue again to attach the brown paper to the tissue paper.  I suggest using bright color tissue paper, which helps it stand out better.  

Still using hot glue, I attached the first piece to the top center of the Styrofoam ball.

Then I added a row going around from the center....

And covered the entire ball.  I used 12 Ferrero candies for the entire tree.

My dowel was a little wobbly, so I stuck some tissue paper inside to help make it sturdy.

I used tissue paper to cover up the floral foam.

As a final touch, I added Hershey's hugs and kisses.

Tada!  The final product!

I added a small bow made from ribbon to the middle of the dowel to make it pretty. I went ahead and made another one using a mug and different colored tissue paper.  I also added tulle to fill in any gaps.  Here's what the two of them looked like when I was done.