Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!
Christmas is a perfect time of year to test your creativity skills around the home. Garland, wreaths, ornaments, glittered snowballs and snowmen, nativity scenes, desktop wallpapers…whew; the list is as long as Santa’s! One of my favorite DIY holiday crafts started when I was young. My siblings and I would get creative by making Christmas trees out of recycled wire hangers. This craft is easy on time, makes a great gift for neighbors, and adds a festive spirit to any room in the house.
For this project you will need:
1. 6 wire coat hangers
2. Scissors
3. Twist ties, a couple of pipe cleaners, or electrical tape
4. 1 string of 100 miniature lights
5. 2-3 garlands, 12-15 feet long (The thicker the garland, the less you will need).
6. Hot glue gun with an abundant supply of glue sticks
7. Additional materials such as fabric ribbon, bead garland, miniature bulbs, etc. You are building the tree, so it is up to you!
The Christmas tree frame is probably the most difficult part of this project. First, you will use 2 of the 6 coat hangers and use three twist ties, 2 1/2 inch pipe cleaner pieces, or electrical tape. Place the hangers in the position, as seen below, and attach at three locations. You will make two more pairs, with the remaining hangers, in the same way.
Next, you will take the others pairs, placing the leg of the 2nd and 3rd pair, through the middle to form the tree frame. You may have make to small adjustments with the legs to make sure the tree frame is aligned.
This is what your main frame will look like after proper alignment. At this point, I also prefer to use electrical tape over the twist ties or pipe cleaner because I think it gives it a stronger hold.
Now, the decorating begins! Attach your lights to the tree. The plug should hang down the middle of the frame and the first light should be at the top of the tree. Attach the plug to the tree with the electrical tape or a twist tie.
Twist the string of lights around the frame of the tree. The longer the string of lights, the closer the lights will be together on your tree. I sporadically used electrical tape to secure the lights on the tree, but you can also use twist ties.
Hook your garland at the top of the tree and leave a little bit to hang down inside the middle of the tree. Make sure your lights show through the garland. Once you are done wrapping your garland around the tree, you can go back and poke out any hidden lights underneath the frame.
The final step is adding a few more personal touches to your tree. I have chosen to add bead garland and blue bows made out of fabric ribbon. With caution, use the hot glue gun to bond the materials on the tree. Now, play some Christmas music, bake some cookies, plug in your tree, and revel in the spirit of the holidays!
This project is low in cost. If you want to save additional money on a project like this, shop for garland and extra materials at the end of the holiday season when leftover decor is marked at discounted prices.
Additional Site: http://www.mindspring.com/~putertek/coat_hanger_christmas_trees.htm
Category: Decorating, Entertaining, & Dining, Holidays, Special Occasions
All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise "any preference, limitation, discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination."
We will not knowingly accept any advertising which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are on an equal opportunity basis.
This is a great idea! Very easy – we might use it on our apartment!
Thank you! Have fun and be creative! Happy Holidays!