As we were making our pipe cleaner Christmas trees last week and getting our Christmas decorations out and up I remembered making these two Christmases ago.
We made them in a similar way as the pipe cleaner trees.
The base was cut from a tree limb that fell in our yard. Cut a dowel to about 12" and paint it green. When the dowel is dry drill a hole in your stump and insert the dowel (put a dab of wood glue in the hole first).
Next, using a medium gaged florists wire, start at the bottom and wrap the wire tightly around the trunk of the tree several times. Pull the wire away from the trunk and snip about 12" away from the trunk (dowel). Continue to wrap wire in this manner until you have four different levels. Each of the bottom three levels should have four branches per level. The top level will have only three branches. Next feed the wire through the jingle bells and, using needle nosed pliers, loop the wire around and twist several times around itself. Cut off excess wire. Attach a star to the top of the tree with more wire and adorn the base with ribbon (or washi tape would be cute too!).
Here are Violet and I making a few trees together two years ago, wow, time flies!
And, here is Violet (at only two and a half) cheerfully jingling one of the tree she helped to make.
We made a lot! It also turns out to be the same year that we made our air dry clay Christmas trees!
