christmas tree craft – Blue Willow Lane

Hello and happy Friday! I’ve been busy with a little DIY project, and I have to say, I’m happy with how this one turned out! I love the subtle look of this modern farmhouse style Christmas decor. These little decorations would also look fabulous with a Coastal Christmas theme.

We eat A LOT of pistachios around here, so I asked my husband to start saving the shells for me a while ago. With a small bag full of shells, I had more than enough to make this project. I made the tree base out of paper and the wreath bases out of cardboard and container lids destined for the recycling bin. So this fun upcycled project cost me next to nothing.

I achieved the shaded look of the tree by painting the shells with several shades of chalk paint. The wreaths are a single color on each, and I added some grosgrain ribbon and rustic jute to give them a finished look. The wreaths could be hung from a mirror, on your Christmas tree, or even used as votive holders!

Here’s how I made this fun DIY project!

Materials:

9 by 12 70 pound paper

pistachio shells

various matte or chalk paint

jute

ribbon

glue gun

cardboard or round plastic container lids

For the tree, make a cone out of the paper by forming a tight cone and taping along the edge. Then cut off the uneven bottom so that the cone stands straight.

Divide your shells into several groups for the colors you would like to use. For the tree, I left some natural (which are the ones that almost look like a light peach shade) and painted some in light celery green and some in light gray. I also painted some white for one of the wreaths. You could also do your tree in all one color, or make a group of trees that are one color each. It all depends on you and your creativity!

Once the shells are dry, attach them to the tree using a hot glue gun, alternating colors for a shaded effect. When you place the next row above, make sure to slightly overlap the previous row so that the paper cone will not be showing. I found it was helpful to keep the little shell pieces for spots where I didn’t have quite enough space for a full shell. Continue this process until the whole tree is covered. I added a single shell with a little gold paint at the top.

For the wreath, I used the lid from a breadcrumbs container and also traced this onto cardboard for the rest of the wreaths. I used a small drinking glass to trace the center circle. Cut out the wreaths and the centers for the size you want. This same method could be used for a much larger pistachio shell wreath as well.

Using the hot glue gun, glue the shells in a slightly overlapping fashion, starting with the innermost row. Continue until the circle is covered. Add jute for hanging and the ribbon trim of your choice.

When your project is finished, pull off all the little glue strings. This project took me about three hours to complete, including painting the shells.

I read this week that getting into a state of “flow” where you can accomplish something productive that is fairly easy is a great way to cope with stress. I think we all could use that right now! So it’s more crafting from now until Christmas! 🙂

Have a beautiful day and try something creative! 🙂

bead garland

reindeer pillow cover

wrapping paper set

farmhouse vase set

Today was a cold snowy day in the mid-Atlantic. We’ve had some unusually warm weather, but today’s chilly breeze is a reminder that it is definitely time to start pulling out some fun DIY Christmas projects!

I love these merry and bright Christmas trees! They’re so fun in a grouping with other bright Christmas balls and pom garlands. They bring a modern, contemporary take to the traditional Christmas tree, and are easy to make. This is a great project to try with your older kids (old enough to safely use a glue gun) when they’re home for Thanksgiving break or later in the holidays, or if you find yourself pandemic homeschooling. Not just a project for kids, these trees are pretty enough to use on your mantle or table display. Also, I made these trees with very simple materials; all you need is some heavy nine by twelve paper, colorful felt, and trims!

My post contains affiliate links for supplies.

I created three different tree styles. Here’s how!

Materials:

9 x 12 70 pound art paper

package of colorful felt (this was a great deal for a variety of felt colors in the small size I wanted)

2 feet of rainbow pom pom cording

tape

scissors

hot melt glue gun

pencil

For all tree styles, the first step is to make paper cones. There are other methods of doing this, but I found the easiest was just to take a sheet of paper and form it into a tight cone, and then tape the side along the whole edge. When the cone is formed, the bottom will be uneven. I trimmed the bottoms with scissors until the cones were straight across the bottom edge. Admittedly, this is a non-exact approach, but it works very easily without a lot of trouble.

Style 1: Pom Fringe Tree

The pom fringe tree is the simplest to make. You will need about 2 yards of fringe. Extra fringe is really fun to have to use elsewhere for your bright Christmas decor. Starting at the bottom of your paper cone, place the trim around the tree, going upwards and slightly diagonal with each row. Each row will be about 3/4 inch to 1 inch apart. As you place the cording, glue it down with the hot melt glue gun.

Draw a five-pointed star on the felt with a pencil. These trees are whimsical, so it’s not that important that your star is drawn exactly. Cut the star out, and attach it to the top of the tree with a dab of hot glue. Make sure the light pencil marking on the star are on the back (glued) side. When the tree is completed, pull off any stray glue strings.

Style 2: Ombre Petals Tree

The ombre tree is made with several shades of the same color. It’s also very simple to make. The hardest part is cutting the petals, but once that’s done, you can complete the tree quickly and easily. I think this ombre tree would be great in a grouping of various colors of ombre trees. Here’s how to make yours!

Find felt pieces in a gradient. You need at least three shades, but you could use four or even fade to white at the top.

Cut small petal shapes out of the felt. I used the felt pack from Amazon listed on the supplies list, and I cut petals from the entire piece of the darkest color. The lighter colors require slightly less because the cone is narrower at the top. My petals are about an inch long and half an inch wide.

Beginning at the bottom of the tree, glue rows of your darkest felt color with a hot melt glue gun. Make sure the bottom edge of the paper cone is not showing and slightly overlap the petals in each row.

Continue this process using lighter shades as you get to the top of the tree.

Cover the tree completely in felt petals. Add a felt star to the top.

Style 3: Bright Contrast Tiers Tree

For this tree, you need four contrasting pieces of felt. I have also seen similar trees in all one color of green that were very cute. I had planned to cut the felt edge with a fancy cut pinking shears, but mine were not sharp enough to cut through the felt. You might have some that would work, which makes the project slightly easier.

Using the pack of felt from Amazon, I cut my yellow piece in half for the bottom layer. This works for all colors except the top, where you will have to adjust the felt size to the top of your tree.

Once you have your felt pieces selected, create a notched edge using scissors to cut out small triangles.

Starting with the lowest layer, glue your felt onto the tree keeping the bottom edge of the felt even with the bottom edge of the tree. Because the felt is straight and the cone isn’t, you’ll have to finesse this bottom layer a little bit. I tucked the felt slightly and glued it with the hot glue gun to make it even all the way around. You can see that small tuck on the left side of the yellow felt on the picture.

Continue gluing on your tiered layers. There is going to be a back side to this tree that does not look perfect. Make sure as you’re gluing, you have a front side that looks nice and displays all the layers. For the top tier, place your felt as it would have to be glued. Mark the felt for how much you will need to cut off so that the felt doesn’t go past the pointed top of the tree. Add a felt star to the top of the tree.

This was a really fun and simple project. I finished all of the trees in about two hours. I hope you will give one or all of them a try and see what you think.

Have a beautiful day, and try something creative! 🙂