We love the festive season! It’s the perfect time to get creative. If you’ve already got your tree trimmed and you’re ready for a new and exciting holiday project — or even if you’re keeping your Christmas décor minimal this year — this DIY wooden tabletop Christmas tree will bring a little extra festive cheer to your home.
These trees are super easy to make and to personalize. What’s more, they’re so durable. Bring them out year after...
When the holidays roll around, I usually break out my glue gun and come up with a few easy winter projects to tackle. Today though, I'm branching out from the materials I almost always use and picking up a hand saw instead. With a bit of careful measuring and a handful of cuts, I made this hanging wood Christmas tree shelf perfect for storing small gifts and holiday odds and ends.
Christmas trees aren't for everyone. They can be pricey when you're on a budget, tricky in a small apartment, and nearly impossible with pets.
This year we came up with a super affordable, easy to assemble, clever tree that only requires a wall, a roll of tape, a stapler, dexterous fingers, and about an hour of your time. Right? Right! Let's make one.
Giving cash this Christmas? (We still think it's better than a gift card.) Instead of just sticking the bills in a card, how about festively folding them into a Christmas money tree shape? With this simple technique, you’ll have the whole project done in less than five minutes. Here's how to make a money tree for the holidays this year...
The other day a friend told me about her family's tradition of getting their Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving. While other people are feverishly chasing Black Friday deals, they spend the morning at a nearly-empty Christmas tree farm, cutting down fresh Christmas trees. Sounds pretty ideal, doesn't it? With proper Christmas tree maintenance, they don't have any trouble keeping them looking good for a whole month, so here's what you need to know to buy a real Christmas tree, and keep it in tip-top shape throughout the holidays.
Though the holidays are supposed to be a relaxing, fun time, for many of us they end up being stress-fests. Between shopping for gifts, preparing holiday meals and treats, and managing family interactions, it can be too easy to end the year feeling worn-out and frazzled. But that's where self-care comes in. Taking the time to give yourself a break can make a huge difference, and if that break takes the form of a hot bath for you, you can incorporate the rejuvenating scent of evergreens via these Christmas tree bath salts. Or package these bath salts up with some other bath luxuries, and give them as a gift!
Ever since I built a mantel a couple of years ago, I'm always on the hunt for fun new ways to decorate it. So as I browsed the paper aisle at my local craft store, it hit me - a folded paper tree forest! I'm a big fan of non-traditional colors, so I bought a few of my favorites and got to work. Click through to check out the full tutorial.
Finding minimal holiday decorations isn't always the easiest. Let's face it, this is not a season known for restraint!
As my own decorating tastes are turning ever more minimal, I decided to take a cue from my favorite design style and make a few DIY Scandinavian-inspired ornaments. I just love how simple and natural this look is, while still being festive.
Keep reading to see how to make all three decorations so you can style your own minimal holiday tree!
First up we'll make a super simple DIY wood bead ornament. It's so easy you don't even really need instructions, but for the sake of thoroughness, read on!
Materials
Wood beads in three different sizes
Metallic embroidery thread, or other string for hanging
Scissors
Optional: a needle with a large eye
Step
Cut a length of thread about 10 inches long, fold it in half, and tie a double knot about 1/3 of the way down. This forms the hanging loop.
Step
Thread three beads onto the string, largest to smallest. If you are using metallic embroidery floss, which unravels easily, it can be helpful to use a needle to guide the beads onto the thread.
Step
Tie a double knot under the last bead, then trim the ends. Voila!
Now let's add a little color to our minimal Christmas tree with these DIY mini cranberry wreath ornaments. Aren't they just the cutest?
materials
Fresh cranberries
Floral wire
Strong scissors or wire cutters
Waxed cotton cord, or other string for hanging
Step 1
Cut a length of wire about 10 inches long, and form it into a circle.
Step 2
Thread cranberries onto the wire until the ornament is the size you want.
Step 3
Close the "wreath" by twisting together the ends of the wire, like a twisty-tie.
Step 4
Snip off the wire ends.
Step 5
Then attach a length of cord to hang the ornament. Done!
Finally, every tree needs a star or two. This DIY wood star tree topper looks fancy, but is really simple to make, promise. And I've included a printable template!
Balsa wood (I'm linking to it so you can see what I used, but balsa wood is much cheaper when purchased in a craft store, so you don't have to buy such large quantities!)
Craft knife
Pencil
Paint and brushes
Thick jewelry wire, 14 gauge or lower
Not pictured: a sturdy ruler, cutting mat, wire cutters, and a hot glue gun.
Step 1
Print the template onto cardstock, and cut out the three shapes (the square and the two points). You don't have to cut out the whole star, I just included it so you would know what the final piece should look like.
Trace the shapes onto balsa wood, and cut out using a craft knife and ruler. In addition to the square, you will need 4 large points, 4 small points, and 1 square.
Step 2
Paint the 4 small points with two coats of white paint. A shimmery metallic paint would also look nice!
Step 3
Glue the points of the star to the square, alternating the large and small points.
If your cuts aren't completely accurate, you may have to trim the last piece a little to get it to fit. Don't worry, that happened to me, too!
Step 4
Cut a length of wire about 10 inches long, and form it into a spiral. I wrapped the wire around my index finger since that was about the size of the top of my tiny tree. Make sure to leave a long tail on the narrower end of the spiral.
Step 5
Glue the "tail" to the back of the star. You can adjust the width of the wire spiral to fit your tree. That's it!
And just like that, you have a gorgeous, Scandinavian style tree for the holidays!
Pin now, make later!
How do you like to decorate for the holidays? Are you a minimalist, or a maximalist?
Though real Christmas trees are wonderful, not all of us have the time, space, or energy to deal with them. So if your tastes lean to the more industrial, minimalist side of things, you can make your own little Christmas trees out of cement. These concrete Christmas trees are reusable, require no maintenance, and you don't have to worry about ornaments or lights. Of course, there's no reason you can't have both a real tree and some of these mini ones. They're pretty quick and addictive to make, so go ahead and make a whole forest.
Materials
CementAll, or other quick-setting cement or concrete
Felt
Hot glue gun
Card stock or poster board
Scissors
Duct tape
Mixing container
Stir stick
Paper cups
Sandpaper (optional)
Tree cone templates
Tree cone templates. These templates make trees 3 1/2, 5, and 6 inches tall.
Gently roll up each template with the shiny, coated side in, and carefully tape closed. Any creases will show in the final tree cones, so try not to crease the molds. Place in an overturned paper cup with a hole punched in the bottom.
Mix cement or concrete according to the instructions on the package. Quickly spoon into the cones, shaking them as you fill to eliminate air bubbles. Let cure according to the package instructions.
After the cement has set, peel the tape off of the cones to reveal your mini cement trees. If the paper has stuck to your trees, you can soak them in water to remove any residue. You can also wet sand to buff out lines and imperfections.
I love a unique Christmas tree. Don't get me wrong, a classic evergreen tree with white lights and red ornaments is great too... but there's something so exciting about a non-traditional tree with interesting colors and unusual decorations. So today I'm going to teach you how to decorate a Christmas tree with ribbon! Read on to check out my tips and tricks for creating a stunning, colorful ribbon tree.
I love a Christmas tree basket so much more than a tree skirt. They finish off a tree with clean lines. My house is full of large storage baskets for toys, blankets, and all sorts of stuff. I really wanted to make one of them work, without cutting the basket, so I could use it as a basket again. The only problem was my artificial Christmas tree base was too big. Here is my simple, no-skills needed, DIY solution to make one of my wicker storage baskets work as a Christmas tree basket stand.
Although I love having a traditional Christmas tree in my home, that's not the case for everyone. Whether a traditional tree it doesn't fit your Christmas style or you don't have the space for one, this simple wooden dowel tree is a great Christmas decor alternative that still allows you to hang ornaments. This minimalist-style DIY will still brighten up a space of your home and fit perfectly in a corner or even on a tabletop!
December is one of my favorite times of the year, but there is something about all of the spending and consequent waste (shipping boxes, gift wrap, etc.) that rubs me the wrong way. So I thought it would be fun to decorate a tree using recycled paper and cardboard, and I'm sharing three mini tutorials with you today. Click through to check it out.
During the holidays, it's a miracle to have time for anything, which means time-saving DIYs are a must. I decided it was time to swap out my dated Christmas tree skirt for something new and stylish, and I love how thick felt holds up underneath my tree. In the spirit of quick DIYs, I decided to make myself an upgrade with this simple no-sew scalloped tree skirt that took less than 20 minutes to make.
It's certainly time to decorate our homes with some much needed Christmas cheer! This year, we are focusing on adding more handmade pieces to our Christmas decor to help the holiday feel more personal and inviting! These simple and modern 3-D cork Christmas trees are a sure way to add that festive touch to your tabletops this season!
