Christmas Tree O' Christmas Tree!

 

Well, I really went back and forth when I was trying to decide what to make for the girls at work.  I bought all kinds of stuff but just couldn't make a decision.  Finally, on my long Christmas weekend I said... Just Do It!!  So, I did.  I was inspired to make these by my very creative and talented friend Tracey (you can see her way more beautiful trees here and make sure and check this one out here!)  The first one... cool alternative to searching out thread spools in the store... I am searching all over my house for something to have Pat slice up...lol!  My very favorite though is the second one with those gorgeous non traditional colors... I'm drooling... I'd have copied it exactly if I had the right ribbons... drat!!  Need to go ribbon shopping (the four boxes I rummaged through just aren't enough... I don't have the right colors!)

I definitely knew I was going to use her idea to add the bells.... they are just such an adorable addition.  I bought my spools at Michael's and they were smaller than I wanted, but it was all I could find so far.  To beef them up a little and so they wouldn't topple over, I glued them to a few chipboard bases... first one slightly larger and then another slightly larger than that.

 

I made a few different color schemes.. the green... and then a few red... and some pink... coming later...

 



 

I glued the spools to the chipboard pieces.  I placed a couple little pebbles in the hole because I wanted to add a little height and the sticks I had were precut.. then I poured some liquid glass in the hole and stuck the sticks in.  Once that was dry I painted it all with white gesso to prime.  Then I used gold paint and covered it all.  Then I used modge podge and wrapped some old scrapbooking paper around the spool and after that dried another layer of modge podge.  Then... more drying.. I hate the drying.... and I painted with some gold glitter paint... phew!  Then comes the ribbon....

 

 

Aside from waiting for everything to dry... the ribbon was the hardest part for me... what order, what size, is it laying just right, is that the right color/shade/thickness... It got easier though as I went because I could just copy the one before it... less decisions to make... I hate decisions!

 

After the ribbons were added, all of the other "stuff"... some ribbon, some ribbon flowers, some little gold plastic snowflakes.  Some fibers, the bells, the beads and the buttons... THAT was the fun part.

 

So... took them in to work and they all picked the one they wanted.  They loved them.  I didn't tell them I was up until 3am getting them finished...lol!  So I'm working on another special one today... I mean... they are all special, but I won't show it now.. in fact... I have to rip it out of the box I just put it in because I never did photograph it...lol!  And it's my favorite so far...

 

Thanks for stopping by and come back tomorrow for a special treat!