Tabletop Christmas Trees

Good day guys! I knoooow, it's been a while or might I say a month since my last post and I'm sorry for being so lazy, but don't you worry, I'm making it up to you by posting this DIY decor!  Since it's December, and Christmas is just around the corner, I have been in very high spirits and giddy for the holidays that I made not only one, but several tabletop Christmas trees!  I hope you find this post helpful and give you ideas on how to decorate for the holidays, as always, cheap and easy :)  Let's proceed with our DIY, shall we?

First, the materials:
1.  Strings, yarn or jute
2. Faux feather
3.  Scissors
4.  Cardboard
5.  Glue gun + glue stick
6.  Paper tape
7.  Glue
8.  Sequins
9.  Crystal beads
10.  Seed beads, pearls, & shells

First, we will make our "tree" by making a cone out of a cardboard.  Just twist the cardboard into shape like you see below.

Once your cardboard is fully twisted, secure the tip with paper tape.  I like using paper tape rather than plastic tape because the glue adheres better on paper.  Also, secure all cardboard edges with the paper tape so that your cone would not unravel.

Now, proceed to the bottom part of your cone and just cut as straight a line as possible to create a stable base for your Christmas tree.

Ensure that your Christmas tree is stable and not wobbly.  Cut off any excess if you've got an unstable bottom.  This is how my trees looked like after I cut the bases.  Also, another trick, make the cone higher and slimmer by twisting it tighter and a bit loose if you want your trees to look wider and smaller.  If you're making several trees like I did, I suggest you make different size trees to make your grouping more interesting.

You can actually use any material you want to "decorate" your trees.  From feathers to beads or even ribbons.  For my first tree, I used the leftover feathers I used for my dream catcher project several months ago.  You can see the tutorial of my dream catcher here.  I started at the bottom of the tree then worked my way up working in horizontal layers.

For my second and third three, I just used both yarn and jute strings.  I also started at the bottom then just wrapped the strings until the whole tree is covered.  I added some small gold sequins randomly placed on my white yarn tree and left the jute string tree as is.  I also did the same technique with my leftover silver ribbon, wrapped it around the tree, but used glue stick for this one because the ribbon I used was 2-1/2 inches thick.  I just let everything dry then proceeded with my next tree.

This one was a little bit tricky for me.  I wanted to use glue stick at first, but I found it too "webby" and messy so I just took my white glue and waited for like forever for this one to dry, but I must say this one is my favorite because it's super eye catching.  I just layered the sequin starting at the base then working my way up layer by layer overlapping every layer so that no cardboard would be visible.  I let every layer dry first before I add another so that every sequin is in place.

For this one, I used different materials of different sizes so it too was very tedious to make.  I first added the large pearls and beads first, scattering them around the tree.  I used glue stick to glue everything in place.  Next were the medium-sized pearls and shells.  I did the same thing as I did on the large pearls and beads.  Now, to fill in the gaps, I used my seed beads.  I applied white glue to any spaces that are exposing the cardboard then just sprinkled the beads and let it dry.

For my last tree, I used faux crystal beads.  This one I started differently.  Instead of starting at the base, I started at the top of the tree.  I think it was much easier this way because I can layer the uneven corners of the crystals.  I worked my way from top to bottom working in horizontal layers like I did with the other trees.

This is what I came up with.  Aren't they pretty?  These trees will be our centerpiece for our Christmas dining table.  I thought of adding stars on top of each tree, but I think it looks much simpler this way.  The key to grouping beautiful trees is layers (varying heights) and texture.  Feel free to use other materials for your trees.

I'd love to see what you come up with.  Please share them on our Facebook page.  Thanks for bearing with me guys.  Don't you worry, I've got a couple of recipes and DIYs I already have lined up for this month so expect to see more :)

Have a great day everyone and Merry Christmas!