Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
Humble holiday decoration to gift or keep
Dec 13, 2006 Mary Welling-Bonney
Materials needed:
- 4" x 4" block of floral foam
- 14" of plain mini wooden fence
- brown paint
- white paint
- paint brushes or sponge brushes
- moss
- wired garland
- scissors
- 1 chopstick
- one red ball ornament (plastic)
- scrap of cardstock
- tea bags
- 1' jute
- hot glue and glue gun
- knife
- permament black fine tip marker
- hole punch
- spray snow
Decide which side is going to be the top of your floral foam. This needs to sit firmly on a flat surface. On the top, using the knife, carefully round the edge all the way around. Now round the corners so it is a circle. When you are done it should look like a little hill.
Paint brown.
When dry, hot glue the fencing around the foam. Paint fencing white. Do not be exacting. We are going to make it old and shabby. Before that dries, daub on brown paint into the fencing. If you get it too dark in some places, not to worry. Just go daub whit into that. Old picket fencing usually has years of layers of paint so be sloppy and random.
Set that aside.
Wired garland actually has two different sides. You will need a piece about two feet long. Look at the direction the fronds are going in. If you stood this single piece of garland on end, would the fronds go up or down? You want them to point upward. The other end is your bottom.
The next step is to destoy the garland. You need to randomly and thorough cut off about 95% of the greenery. Do not just give it a haircut. We want long pieces sticking our here and there.
Beginning at the bottom, wrap the garland around a chopstick like a barber pole. Make sure you still have at least 14" left above the chopstick. You will probably need to go back and trim the garland as it will appear thicker around the chopstick.
Using the brown paint, daub paint into the wired area of the garland. It is ok if it gets on the fronds too. Also paint the chopstick. Be sloppy. Precision won't work here.
Set that aside.
Out of the cardstock, cut a 4" x 2" rectangle. On one end, cut the two corners off so it looks like a gift tag. Punch a hole between the removed corners. Tea dye by putting hot water in the sink about 1/2". Let the tea steep in the hot water with the tag. After about 5 minutes, drain sink and set the tea bags on the gift tag for about five more minutes. Remove tea bags and place on a paper towel. Allow to dry completely. I like to write on the tag "A Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" but you can write whatever you want.
Set that aside.
We are now going to attach the floral foam and the garland. Going just off center, push the chopstick into the foam. Hot glue the moss to the base from the fencing to the chopstick.
Using the jute, tie the gift tag loosely to the base of the chopstick. Hot glue the back of it to the moss to hold it in place.
Hot glue the one red ball ornament to the opposite end of the garland. The weight of the ball will bend the garland in an arch. The ball should not be lower than the base of the tree. Adjust the wire if this is a problem.
Flock with spray snow and you are done.
I have made these for several years and have had so many people fighting over them that I now raffle them off for charity each Christmas. They will be used for years and are a great conversation piece.
Have fun making them and giving them. All the best for the holiday season.
related articles:
Embossing with Stencil and stylus
History of Christmas Ornaments
Chair decorations for the holiday
Ornaments to use or give as gifts
gift bags for the kids to make
"Copyright 2006, Mary Welling-Bonney & Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright."
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