DIY Mini Trees :-)

Hey Guys! Here's another Christmas DYI. Want some mini trees for your tabletop or mantel? They're surprisingly easy to make! On a random trip to the dollar store I picked up a couple of cone shaped foams; at the time I had no idea how I would use them, but I knew they looked a lot like trees and it's the Christmas season, hooray! Once I decided on a natural/woodsy theme for my table décor, I decided to do a simple moss tree. For this project you will need:

• Cone shaped foam
• Floral Moss
• A base
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue

 

Here's the materials I used.

A few things, because I wanted my cone to look like a tree I opted for Floral Moss instead of Spanish Moss. Floral Moss looks more green while Spanish Moss appears dry and brown. You can probably decorate these foams with just about anything (beads, lace, flowers, candy, etc.), the key is just to try it and have fun.

Also, I used a simple candlestick as my base. I imagine a tin, small planter, or even a gift box would also work well. I went with the candlestick because I thought it would add a bit of simple elegance. If you decide to use a candlestick, remember that it can be painted to offer a different look... gotta love those possibilities ;-)

Because this project is so simple it feels silly to write steps, so I'll omit them. Simply cover the foam in a bit of hot glue and add the moss by pressing it into the glue. Although the mini trees are easy to make, it can be very time consuming. You want to make sure that none of the foam is showing beneath your moss--in my case that meant adding several layers.

It goes without saying to be careful. Hot glue burns like the dickens on your skin! The moss isn't pretty on your hot glue gun either. If you have more than one gun use the one that you don't mind having pieces of moss stuck to for all of eternity. Once you're done applying the moss, simply dab a bit of hot glue on the base as well as the middle of the cone and hold it in place for a few seconds until it sticks.

And Wahla!




Here's the finished product:

 Even though I made these trees for Christmas I think they could be used anytime of the year. Ball shaped foams may also work well if you're going for a topiary feel.

I really like the way my mini trees turned out and my husband likes them even more than I do! In the next week or so I'll show you how I used them in my tablescape, be sure to check back in ;-) These may not look like much now, but they compliment the rest of the décor extremely well if I say so myself.
I think a set of these guys would also make excellent gifts. Can you imagine these in a beautiful box? :-)
If you decide to experiment with mini trees I'd love to see your results. Leave a picture in the comment section or just tell me what you think about the ones here.

Until the next time, XO & happy decorating!