DIY Christmas Tree and Ornaments

As with any children’s crafts, this should be supervised by an adult.

Hey Y’all! I have a special guest today….My daughter! I’m hoping to have her on more often with some children’s crafts. I feel like this is an area that I’m missing from my site, and I think she will be a great addition. I know it’s a bit early for Christmas….but I think this is a project that would be fun to have hanging around a little longer than the average Christmas decor! And…it can hang on the wall….and not in the way. It will give your kids more time to brag about their handy work! So ANY WAY….HERE’S Sara!

Hey everyone! So glad to be here! So Exciting to be doing my first project on Deja Vue Designs!

Looking for a good project to do with the kiddos? This one is perfect. During the winter months, being cooped up in the house is hard on everyone. Cabin fever sets in, and the natives get restless. This project is perfect for getting those little wiggle worms out for some exercise, and give them a purpose…so a little structure…WIN WIN.

Pick a pretty day to take a walk and enjoy nature, have your kid pick out sticks of various sizes and you have the main part of your tree already taken care of! Maybe pick the smallest…or the largest, and tell them to find the next sizes up or down…that way they have a good idea of the size they need to be hunting.

This is a good time to get the other wiggly members out of the house too! We had to take our Westie out for a walk too, he enjoyed himself.

I got all my supplies from our local craft store. This is a really inexpensive project that almost any budget can handle. It also allows the children to enjoy their project for a good while. They can tell everyone that comes to visit during the holidays, about their adventures and activities to create their own tree.

What you’ll need:

Clear string

Clear contact paper

Tissue paper (color of your choice)

Tree branches in various graduating lengths

Instructions:

Cut two identical shapes of each ornament, only in mirror form. So when you cut them…they either need to be back to back…or front to front….so they are actually exact mirror images of one another. These can be circles, hearts, really any shape. Some ideas for shapes would be cookie cutters, and coloring books. So now you have two matching, mirror shapes of contact paper. Set these aside.

Cut or tear (depending on the age of your help) your tissue paper into fairly small pieces. They don’t need to be perfect. I let little J do this for me.

When you have a few bits torn up, take the backing off of one of the pieces of contact paper…and lay it sticky side up. Arrange the bits on the sticky side of one of your shapes. Peel the backing from the other matching shape and place on top of all the tissue pieces…and press smooth.

Poke a hole in all the finished ornaments, so you can pull the string thru to tie them to your branches. Set these aside for now.

Then, tie all your branches together to resemble a tree! This part is a little difficult, because they want to sway back and forth. I suggest making loops out of the strings so you can move them to the right places on your branches, they will need to be balanced. Another way you can secure your tree, is to find one long, larger stick and tie the cross branches, or hot glue them to it.

Tie up your ornaments in random spots on your tree. If you didn’t use a middle “trunk branch”, balance your limbs, and you’re done!