Paper Curl Christmas Trees
How to make Paper Curl Trees
AKA George Washington Trees
Can I just day that these trees are awesome.
They're cheap and quick to make... but they're so unique!
They're cheap and quick to make... but they're so unique!
I love making Christmas trees.
All shapes, sizes, and materials! One year I painstakingly rolled tiny cones of paper and made a paper cone tree...it was adorable...I gave it away, but here's a picture of it.
Cute, right? It was made with vintage sheet music...it took much more than I expected and I think I used up my supply....
So for this year's tree I used pages from a dictionary that I bought at a yard sale (thrifty economy!)
This was my inspiration:
I love the real wood trunks...but sadly I didn't have any trees that I could cut down...at least not without Mr Diy noticing :)
My version uses much longer paper strips...I really wanted a curl in them. Little Diy says they remind her of George Washington...so we've dubbed them 'George Washington Trees'.
Here's what you do if you want to make your own:
Obviously you start with a cone shape..cardboard works best. While you're heating your glue gun, tear strips of paper. I used the edge of a ruler and tore my dictionary pages (about 3 at a time) down the length into about 5 strips per page. They don't have to all be the exact same width..a little variety is nice.
Then, using the sharp edge of your scissors, just as you would curl Christmas ribbon, pull the scissors down the length of the paper. I was really careful at first, not wanting it to tear, but found it's tougher than I thought. Obviously if you're using really thin, vintage paper, it will tear easier. Just experiment to find what works best. I made some curls really tight and others a bit looser.
Starting at the bottom of the cone, add a little hot glue to the top edge of a paper strip and press it down. You want to make sure that the curl extends to the bottom and even a touch beyond so it rests on the table. Then just work your way around and up, overlapping your paper strips and filling in bare pieces.
You can be done or embellish it a little as I did mine.
I took a really long length of jute and wrapped it around the top edge of the tree several times. I then tied on three jingle bells to the ends and let the jute hang down.
For the topper, I used a cardboard star that I cut out and covered in more paper, both sides. I glittered the edges with silver glitter glue and hot glued it to my tree top. Once it was dry, I realized I wanted to add a word to my star. In hindsight, I should have done this before attaching to my tree, but it all worked out. Using tiny stamps, I stamped the word 'joy'.
Isn't it fun and different?
I think it would make a great gift for someone who loves books....either an author, or a teacher or someone who just loves to read.
So there you have it...the George Washington Curled (minus the wig) Christmas tree
Have a happy week!
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those are super cute! would love to have you link up to Fishtail Cottage's Christmas party??? xoxo, tracie
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracie...linked up :)
Deleteoh I love your trees!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Merry Christmas :)
DeleteThese are really cute! Thanks for sharing on DIY Sunday Showcase!
ReplyDeleteShelly
minettesmaze.blogspot.com
Oh my, I love them all! They look wonderful in your home with that sweet rug and pop of red snow woman! Thanks for sharing with Sugar and Spice Christmas!
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
Aw, thanks Jann :) Merry Christmas!
DeleteBeautiful Christmas trees! Thanks for sharing them at The Pin Junkie. They were featured at this week's party. http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2013/12/friday-link-party-47.html Please stop by to grab a feature button and to join this week's party. Wishing you very happy holidays!
ReplyDeleteWow! Who knew? Stop by my Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop to share it? Please do! :)
ReplyDelete