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Today, Amy from Plucking Daises is back to share with you this technique packed tutorial for a lovely, glittery winter tree decoration. You will learn several ways to create fun wintery decorations for little to no cost using recycled items and dollar store supplies. Warning: you will be headed to the dollar store after reading this post. I know I am.
Hi there! so happy to be back at Saved By Love Creations! Last time I was here I showed you how to make a mosaic flower-pot. Today I’m going to show you how to use that pot to create a festive holiday display. You can make this winter tree with some spray paint and a few items from the dollar store!
All you need is a tree branch from your back yard and some spray paint (Krylon Brilliant Silver)…or you can skip the paint and leave your branch au naturale!
*Be sure to pick a sturdy branch…brittle branches will break under the weight of the ornaments. (Gently pull down on the branches to test their durability.)
Now all you have to do is decorate! Creating a branch tree is a great way to use up those mismatched ornaments from your collection, vintage finds or other pretties you may discover in your travels that may not fit the decor of your big tree. Like these craft birds for example.
I can’t resist a craft bird, much less a pack of 2 craft birds for a buck! You can find cute clip on craft birds like these in the dollar section at Michael’s. If you have some vintage birds that aren’t looking their best check out this tutorial for re-feathering old birds. These tiny birds would get lost on a large tree but perching them on a nearly naked silver branch allows them to sparkle and shine!
I have a “Mieneke” approach when it comes to decking the halls. I wouldn’t “pay a lot for a muffler” and I certainly won’t pay a lot for ornaments. A quick trip to the dollar store does it for me!
I found these sparkling snowflakes in a pack of 6 for just a buck! Six seems to be the magic number with dollar store finds. Notice the silver blossoms, also found in a package of 6 in the bridal section at Dollar Tree.
Altering Dollar Store Snowflakes
The snowflakes were a bit too plain for my tree and most of the glitter fell off when I pulled them out of the package. Not to fear Ranger Ink is here! By using a wintery blend of alcohol inks, Elmers spray glue, and Martha Stewart glitter my snowflakes are new, improved and far from plain. Plus, I still have a bunch left over for other projects. Tie your snowflakes to your branches with Tinsel ribbon for an extra pop of holiday flare.
Create Floating Stars
To fill in the gaps among the branches I created floating stars strung on monofilament. These are easy to create with paper punches and mounting squares.
- Punch stars from sheet music and card stock using a Marvy Star punch. *I used Core’dinations Couture Glitter and Shimmer card stock
- Adhere monofilament to back of card stock star with a mounting square.
- Add Distress Ink (Tumbled Glass) to edges of sheet music star and adhere to top of mounting square.
- Embelish with rhinestones, snowflake punches, and crystals with Glossy Accents.
- Attach monofilament to branch with a drop of hot glue
Creating Faux Snow
To “plant” your tree simply stuff your pot with floral foam (also available at the dollar store). Create snow by filling the top of the pot with cotton batting. In a pinch you can use bubble wrap painted white.
Give your batting or bubble wrap the look of freshly fallen snow by misting it with spray glue and sprinkling it with a variety of glitter. I used a variety pack of Martha Stewart Glitter for a range of sparkle and shine.
A tree like this can be displayed all winter long even after the holidays have come and gone. The mosaic pot (made with dollar store glass gems) can be used as a planter when warmer weather arrives. This particular pot is used to grow Sunflowers in spring time .
By using smaller pots and branches you can create a festive tree to give as a gift for Teachers, neighbors, and friends. No time to wait for mosaic adhesive to dry? No problem! Try Mod Podgeing wrapping paper to your pot and tie a ribbon around it. I’ve made many of these trees for teachers, family and friends. They make lovely gifts that won’t break the bank!
I hope you all have a warm and wonderful holiday season!
Amy*
