Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

  • Home
  • Our Family
    • Our Home
  • Courses
  • Shop
  • Contact

Rustic Christmas Tree Tutorial

November 19, 2014 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This post has affiliate links.

DIY_simple_christmas_treeIt’s almost the most wonderful time of year. I like to think everyday we get is a gift and can be the most wonderful time of year, but Christmas is special.

I love the lights, color, spirit, meaning and joy that it brings.

As we wait for a house, I have been busily getting back into crafting. I started with Christmas projects of course!

Today, I am excited to share with you my rustic trees. I started with getting some basic supplies together. You might have some of these things already on hand.

rustic_christmas_tree_craft

  • white poster board
  • hot glue gun
  • jute string
  • scissors
  • small wood circle (I bought mine for $0.97 at Wal-mart), but you can also find it here
  • burlap
  • any decorative fringe (I used embroidery floss and pom-poms)

Start by wrapping your poster board into a mega phone shape. Depending on how tight you wrap your poster board will depict how tall your tree will be. You can see from my picture, I wrapped them differently, so I would get two different height trees. I then used a little hot glue to hold my mega phone shape intact.

how_to_make_a_christmas_tree

DIY_mega_phone_formI then dropped my wood circle inside the mega phone to where it got snug and it stopped going down. This is where the base of the tree should be. I cut all the poster board off that was higher than the wood circle.

craft_christmas_tree

craft_christmas_tree_baseNext, I hot glued the wood circle in place. This created an inexpensively made tree form. From here, you can use your imagination and decorate that tree any way you want! I will show you a wrapping idea that I used.

I started by hot gluing some jute string to the base of my tree. This also made the seem from poster board to the wood circle pretty and clean. I then simply added a little glue, pressed my string into it and started wrapping and continued to add glue and string as I went up and around my tree form.

jute_christmas_tree_tutorial

jute_christmas_tree

DIY_jute_christmas_treeTo be completely honest, the jute string took a while. It was mindless. No thinking was required, but it got a little tedious. That is why on my second tree form I did the same technique but wrapped and twisted burlap. It was so much quicker. Ultimately, I am glad I did the jute string on one of my tree forms. I love the look of the string tree with the burlap tree. They are both rustic materials, but different mediums that created its own look.

To help the jute string not look quite like a cat scratch-er, I strung some pom poms on embroidery floss and wrapped it around my tree. I love how this added a pop of color, but the tree still holds a simple look.

burlap_christmas_tree_tutorial

DIY_burlap_christmas_treeWhat do you think!? Do you like the rustic look too and want to incorporate it for Christmas? You can use your imagination once you have your tree base and embellish your tree form any way you like!! I think glitter would be beautiful or gluing pom poms or feathers all over would be stunning as well! There are lots of possibilities!

This idea is an inexpensive way to get some heightened decorative trees. These would be cute by a fireplace or on an end table.

Where would you use them?

DIY_rustic_christmas_tree

simple_christmas_tree_craftI don’t usually share Christmas before Thanksgiving, but with moving I think Christmas will come and go so quickly and I don’t want to miss it. If you like this tree idea, you might also like my burlap wreath. It’s another simple craft!

Turn on a fun movie, get some hot chocolate, coffee, or tea and create!

signature

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

DIY {easy} Burlap Wreath

January 2, 2014 By Erica Deuel 16 Comments

DIY_burlap_wreathToday it is cold and rainy. The perfect day to craft and push-off cleaning, doing laundry, and packing those last odds and end Christmas items away. Come make an EASY burlap wreath with me. This thing is so easy. It will surprise you. There is no sewing. No glue. If you want, it can be as simple as only three supplies. Have I got your attention?

Let’s get started. Grab some burlap, a pair of scissors, and a metal ring. I have no clue what this ring is really supposed to be used for. I found it while browsing a craft store and got this idea. I have found some rings here though for $2.49.

Burlap_wreath_suppliesThe first step is to cut your burlap into strips. I used strips that were about 10″ by 1.5″. Depending on the size of your ring and how you want your wreath to look, you may want longer or fatter strips. One easy way to cut burlap straight is to pull out a thread and cut down the open space as you see below.

cutting_burlapNext, you fold one of your burlap strips in half and place it behind the metal ring.

simple_burlap_wreathYou then wrap the ends of your burlap around the ring and pull them through the looped part of your burlap strip.

folding_burlapSimply pull the ends tight and flip them out of the circle to create the first part of your wreath.

simple_burlap_wreath_steps

Loop_wreathThat is the basic step. You just repeat that all the way around your wreath with additional burlap strips. Depending on the size of your ring, it will depend on how many burlap strips you use. I wanted a really full wreath. The fuller the wreath is, the easier your wreath will have pieces that stick straight out and up at the end. Rather than them flopping over or forward as the wreath is hung up.

Ring_wreath

burlap_sunflowerOnce you have stuffed as many burlap strips on as you can, your wreath is done! I think the simplicity looks really beautiful. It could be left alone like that. Which gives it a multi purpose function. It would be cute as a table’s centerpiece with flowers or something in the middle too. I see a pumpkin in the center in the fall!

I wanted my wreath to actually be used as a wreath. So, I made a quick lace bow and slipped some wire through it to attach it to my burlap wreath. That way I can easily untie the bow, if I want to switch it out or use my wreath for something else.

easy_burlap_wreath_tutorial

burlap_centerpiece

craft_roomI hung my wreath in my office for now. I’m sure I will move it at some point, but for now I really love the rustic natural look with all the color I have going on in there.

I hope you are settling into a new routine with the holidays behind us, and the new year here! Happy new year! I hope it is a beautiful year for you and are able to live out using your gifts and passions for good.

signature

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Easy DIY Fabric Bookmarks

November 4, 2013 By Erica Deuel 5 Comments

fabric_bookmarkI love a fun, easy project. With a little scrap fabric, you can sew these sweet fabric bookmarks. They are colorful, fun, and a cheap thrill.

They would make a great favor to a reading book club or at a bridal shower. My bookmarks doubled as name tags (as I painted everyone’s name on them that attended) at my Spoonful Lab. You can do the same or keep them just as bookmarks with the simplicity of the heart. I think both are great options.

Here is how I made mine. I started with little scrap pieces of fabric about 2″-3″ in height. I just folded the fabric a little and sewed a straight line down the middle to create about 5″ long strips of fabric. This made a haphazard ruffle effect that I love.

ruffled fabricNext, I cut out a bunch of flat burlap hearts. I made sure to cut them just a little smaller than my ruffled fabric pieces.

burlap_heartsI then pinned a heart into the middle of a ruffled fabric strip and sewed around the outer edge of the heart. Contrasting thread color looks best! You could also use another fabric instead of the burlap. I love the contrast of the dull burlap color with the pop of bright color behind it. The texture of the burlap is also very fun.

fabric_bookmarks

DIY_bookmark

sewing_a_bookmarkI left all the edges raw because I like the frayed look, so my bookmark was then done! With the holidays coming this idea would even be cool as a way to mark presents. There are lots of possibilities, if you just add a little imagination!

homemade_bookmarks

cheap_party_favorsThank you so much for checking in! I hope you all had a great weekend!

Just as a quick reminder, registration is going on for my NEXT Spoonful Lab. Read all the details and register here. Thank you so much for all your support!

**I am so sorry I am late on announcing my two winners! I used random.org to draw my winners, and Amber you won my send out love tags and Gene you won my spoonful swag! Congratulations! I will be in touch!**

signature

 

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

“LOVE” Wall Art

September 18, 2013 By Erica Deuel 3 Comments

love_easy_wall_art

You know how a Target run can go. I went in for shampoo but then found myself in the lampshade and picture frame aisle. How that happened-I do not know, but I liked it. I found a set of four little white frames for less than $3. I grabbed them, knowing I would find a use for them somehow.

After a weekend of painting our foster care bedroom and stripping a funky furniture piece, I wanted a quick fun craft. I came up with this simple wall art with my little frames. Here is how I did it.

First, I took the backs off all my frames.

white_picture_framesI browsed my scrapbook collection and found a piece that I wanted to use. One 12″ x 12″ piece was enough paper for all four 4″ x 6″ frames. I used the glass from the frame to cut the paper the right size. Once I had four sheets of paper for my frames, I set them aside and started on the letters.

scrapbook_paperI used just plain brown wrapping paper and stenciled my letters on to it. The brown paper was to act as my guide to cut my burlap latter, since it’s hard to write on burlap. See below.

using a stencil

love_stencilI picked up my brown paper and placed a small square of burlap behind it. As I cut my letter out, I made sure to cut the burlap layer as well. This gave me a burlap letter without having sharpie markings on it (as sharpie might be the only thing that would have shown a stencil traced on burlap).

cutting_burlap

I then pulled some burlap strings out to make the letter look more rustic, just like I did on my greeting cards. I then dabbed a small amount of glue stick on the back of the letters and placed the letter in the middle of my scrapbook paper cut out. The glue stick just needs to be strong enough to hold the paper in place to get it in the frame. Once the wall art is in the frame with the back of the frame back in place, the rest of the burlap will lay flat on the paper as it is pressed together. I didn’t use my brown paper cut out letters, but you could use them to create a more layered look.

burlap_letter

burlap_lettersAfter all the letters were in frames, my new wall art was complete! It was such a simple craft. I love that I can easily switch this art out to use the frames for something else, but for now I have some fun, cheap wall art. I want to try this same idea, but with animal silhouettes instead of letters.

LOVE_framed_art

LOVE_artHave you created anything lately? A spoonful of imagination can go a long way! Thanks so much for checking in!

signature

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
Next Page »
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
YouTube-Channel
Erica Deuel

Subscribe for Weekly Updates!




Most Popular Posts

Painting Flower Pot Party Tips
DIY Paper Butterflies- Spring decor for cheap
DIY {easy} Burlap Wreath
The Encanto, Madrigal's House Craft For Kids
Repurpose Old Kitchen Chairs
Cheap lamp to Industrial Beauty
School Desk Makeover
Engraved Wood Sign Tutorial (and Dremel Micro)
DIY King Size Rag Quilt {Repost}
Paint That Captures the Magic and Inspiration of Disney

Categories

  • All About the Kids
  • art journal
  • Blogging
  • Christmas
  • Craft Projects
  • Dancing Zebras
  • DIY
  • Eddy's postcards
  • Embroidery Journal
  • Family
  • Featured
  • Fireside Chat
  • Foster Care
  • Giveaways
  • Guest Posts
  • Home
  • Homeschooling
  • Kid Activities
  • Kid Craft
  • My Heart
  • Our Outings
  • Project Spotlight
  • Send Out Love
  • Shop
  • Sponsored Posts
  • Spoonful Lab
  • Spoonful Tribe
  • Tips + Tricks
  • Traveling
  • Uncategorized
  • Vlog

Favorite Categories

Subscribe for Weekly Updates!

Favorite Categories

© 2023 Spoonful of Imagination, Inc.