Thursday, December 02, 2010

DIY with the Fab Miss B: Feather Christmas Trees

You've all seen the pretty tabletop Christmas trees made out of unconventional materials like fringed sheet music, lace or ruffles in Anthropologie, Target and Pottery Barn for years now. Guess what? They are a cinch to make at home! You will need:

Boxboard- cereal or cracker boxes are perfect
Scissors
Glue- I used my trusty hot glue gun, but other types would probably work just fine
Feathers (you could also try ruffles of tulle, ribbons, tiny pine cones, or fringes of crepe paper!)

Here's how I did it.

Styrofoam Christmas Tree forms were $10 and up at my craft supply store, so I decided to make my own with recycled box board. Open the box so it lies flat and trim into a square or rectangle.

Curl the box board into a cone shape, taking care to leave the printed side facing in.

Staple the sides together at the base. Trim away the excess board from the sides, then trim base so it will stand flat on the table. It doesn't need to be perfect- these are whimsical pieces after all.

Make an assortment of sizes and shapes to make a cute display. Depending on the colors you are using, you may want to paint your box board to match the feathers so any gaps are less noticeable. I decided my shades were close enough.

Get your glue gun fired up and start adding feathers, curl facing out to resemble pine boughs. After each row is completed, trim away the pokey base of the feather flush with the cardboard to keep the "stems" from poking through the next layer of feathers.

Keep adding...
Untill you've created yourself a darling Vintage Inspired Christmas Feather Tree!

I made a little tableaux with the handmade clay Nativity I bought while in Puerto Vallarta Mexico for my Bachelorette Party! (No tequila shots for this girl.)

What handmade Christmas touches are you adding to your home this year? I'd love to hear all about it!

2 comments:

Sharon Lei said...

Wow! how fun and incredibly easy peasey. :)

xx Love & Aloha

Simply Sarah said...

I remember when you got those little nativity creations!!! Are you sure you didn't have just one shot of tequila?!? Maybe that was just me and Katie!?!?
I love this little craft, will definitely be doing it with Norah one day! Thanks for more brilliant ideas!

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