Fabulously Festive Burlap ChristmasTree tutorial

My favorite holiday has always been Christmas. I love everything about it - decorations, lights, Christmas carols, yummy food...well, maybe not everything, because I really hate snow, LOL! Christmas crafts are my favorite type of craft, too, so I'm really excited to be working with Jo-Ann to make something fabulously festive!

Do you have a favorite type of decoration? I have several, but it seems like every year I am attracted to a specific type of decoration. This year, it's Christmas trees! Not just the large ones we decorate, but also all of the little ones - metal, paper, fabric - all shapes and sizes. So cute!




Have you seen the trees made of burlap loops? And the prices? Yikes!! Adorable, but I'm not spending that much, so I figured out how to make one of my own - and I'm going to share my tutorial with you!

What I used:

• burlap, cut into strips (I used 6" strips from the bottom to 2/3 up the tree, then 5" strips from the 2/3 to about 2" from the top, then 4.5" to the top - all were 1/2" wide)
• styrofoam cone
• 8mm metal brads
• hot glue gun
• something to top the tree (I used a glitter star from a Christmas floral pick)

Directions:

1) I didn't want to worry about any of the styrofoam showing, so I wrapped the cone in burlap and hot glued it in place.


2) Starting at the bottom of the cone, I attached the burlap strips one by one. I formed a loop with the strip, then attached it to the tree by pushing a brad through the burlap into the styrofoam. With each successive row, I staggered the loops so that they layered between the previous row.


About 2/3 of the way up the cone, I switched to 5" strips - and then about 2" from the top, I switched to 4.5" strips.


At the top, taking two slightly longer strips, I shaped each one into double loops, then hot glued them together crosswise. Then I hot glued them to the top of the tree.


To finish, I hot glued a gold glittered star to the top of the tree.


See? Super easy - super cute - and costs just a fraction of what you'd pay in a store!


You could also easily do variations:

• add glitter to the edges of the loops
• glue tiny ornaments or jewels to the loops
• use fabric instead of burlap

To get you started on your own fabulously festive project, here is a link to the Jo-Ann holiday catalog and a printable coupon for 50% off a regular-priced item!


What holiday crafts are you making this year?



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