Dec
17
Today is December 17th. I couldn’t tell you where the year went. People who are not as crazy as I am (finished holiday decor weeks ago) are busy busy busy decorating their houses for the season and I got an interesting email this week:
Christmas Crafts = I need your help!!!
I have an old artificial xmas tree but don’t want to throw it out. Tips
on how to create decorations out of it?
This is a great question, really, because artificial trees do start to wear after years of being packed and unpacked from that box, gathering dust for 11 months of the year, so I started to brainstorm.
I think you could pull the tree apart fairly easy (or at least with the help of some heavy duty wire cutters). I’m not sure I’d have a use for the stand, so it might be the part of the tree that has to hit the curb, but the evergreen part could definitely be given new life.
*If you want to keep the branches in tact, I would suggest writing a few together to make a length of evergreen. Weave a set of lights and some ribbon through and you have a garland perfect for a mantle or sideboard. It won’t be very pliable at all, so not ideal for winding around banisters, but for a flat surface it would work quite well.
*I would also consider setting a few of the branches in a large vase – probably silver – with some sparkly branches and berries. No one needs to know the evergreens aren’t real. And if evergreens as a table-centre aren’t your thing, spray-paint those branches snow-white and go for white branches anchored in a vase with gold Christmas balls.
* If you’re happy to cut the branches apart, you could make smaller tufts of evergreen. Cut a large circle with a hole in the centre from sturdy cardboard and puncture the cardboard in rows. Press the tips of the tufts into the cardboard, filling up the space, until you have a wreath. I’d also use a dot of glue in each dot to secure the branches, and I’d probably glue a piece of canvas to the back to lessen the chances of scraping myself when I tried to put it up or store it.
Those are a few ideas off the top of my head. Suggestions, anyone?
One Response to “ Give a fake tree new life ”
Hi, A suggestion for those with not enough space for a tree– or with pets or small children who aren’t safe around one.
Cut a big sturdy cardboard box open flat, and put it on the floor. Lay the branches from the ex-Christmas tree on it and rearrange them until you have a nice-looking but flat tree on the cardboard. Consider how and where you could store the tree when it’s done, such as in a box under the bed. You might have to make your tree smaller, or plan it so you can take it apart in 2 or 3 sections. You might also want to paint the tree shape (a big triangle) on the cardboard in a color similar to the branches but darker. Starting with the branches that represent the tree-trunk, fasten them to the cardboard with wire, or nylon zip-ties. Then fasten the branches, working from the bottom up. Trim the extra cardboard from the sides. Glue or otherwise fasten cardboard on the backside to protect the wall. When done, hang it from a sturdy hook on the wall. Decorate your “tree”. Remove decorations before storage.
By June on Dec 27, 2009