A Crafty Christmas: Kids' Felt Christmas Tree (no-sew!)

     This was such a fun project! I saw the idea on Pinterest, looking at different DIY Christmas decorations, and immediately I thought, "I have to make this!" This felt tree has felt decorations that stick to the tree, so that it can be decorated and re-decorated throughout the holiday season. It is perfect for little kiddos who want to mess with the real tree decorations, which may or may not be something you want them to do. 

Now, I do not have any children. And despite the fact that my husband and I act like children half the time (examples: please note in these photos the Ikea "kids' track start line" rug which this crafting took place upon), I could not justify making this to put up in my own house. However! I am a teacher and therefore work with many people who have young'n of their own. My co-teacher and I got to work one afternoon making the trees and ornaments for our other co-workers. We gifted them just before our Thanksgiving break so that their cuties could decorate their own tree to start the holiday season! 

Photos

LEFT: The finished project, up on the wall and decorated 

RIGHT: A few ornaments. Some were plain cut outs (we used cookie cutters - heart, circle, bell, stars- to create patterns to cut out) 

  LEFT: We sewed glittery Christmas colored pom-poms on some of the ornaments. You could also sew on riff-raff (the zig-zag ribbon), ribbon, or other felt shapes if you wish. I recommend sewing instead of gluing, especially with the pom-poms, because those could be swallowed if they fall off!

RIGHT: Some glitter glue was fun for making the ornaments sparkle, and add personality. 

LEFT: The star atop the tree! 

RIGHT: How I hung the tree on the wall in a secure fashion that was also removable when Christmas is over. See the description below of how I used velcro and command strips to make sure the tree stays up!

Products

(for 1 tree)

~ 1/2 yard green felt (use the weekly coupon at a store like Joann's to save a bit on this!)

~ 1 package multi-colored felt

~ glitter glue (red, silver, gold)

~ spray adhesive

~ velcro sticky back squares

~ command velcro strips (refill pack)

~ glitter pom-poms

~ needle and thread, if attaching pom-poms or other decoration

~ hot glue and glue gun

~ newspaper or old cardboard (to put things on when you're spraying them with adhesive)

Process

1. Cut out the tree first. This way you know how to size your ornaments afterwards!

     Pro Tip:  Fold your fabric in half, and draw a tree outline on the fold. I did this by hand without a template, but you could search for a template to use if you needed one! Cut out the outline and open it up- voila! A tree!

2. Cut out a trunk for your tree from brown felt. I used the fold method again, so it would be symmetrical. But you don't have to be that attentive to detail...

3. Attach the trunk to the tree with hot glue and let it cool. 

4. Make your ornaments! Cut out various shapes in different colors, then decorate them with felt cut-outs and hot glue, pom-poms, or glitter glue! This is the fun part. Here is also where I sewed on the pom-poms. 

5. When your glitter glue is dry and you are waiting impatiently to be able to practice decorating, find some newspaper, old cardboard, or a concrete patio outside (but NOT on a windy day). Lay your ornaments pretty side downward on the work surface, and follow the directions on your spray adhesive for a "temporary adhesive." For mine, this meant spraying from a distances of 10 inches away and letting it dry completely before moving it. 

6. Spray the backs of the soft sided velcro squares and attach them to your tree. 

     Pro Tip: Place these at the top of the tree and then on the edges of the branches so the branches don't droop in once you place ornaments on them.

7. Once they are completely dry, place the command strips on the velcro squares so they attach, and then place the whole thing on your wall. Now you have a tree that will be easily removed when you want it to be (just peel it off of the command strips) and take the command strips off the wall. 

A Crafty Christmas: Decorative Letters

Decorating is on fleek! I'm pretty sure I used that phrase correctly. Right? I'm a middle school teacher, I don't actually know I just pretend I do. Regardless, decorating is the "in" thing to do now. Gone are the days where you have to own a large, swanky house in order to show off your home decor. The rise in popularity of blogs like Shabby Chic, discount stores like TJ MAXX and Marshall's, and countless shows on HGTV have finally gotten through to the public- "You, too, can have a beautiful place to live, no matter where that place is or it's size!"

One easy craft (even for kiddos!) to add some trendy pizzazz to any space are decorative letters. I'm making a few of these to give as gifts this Christmas, and personalizing the colors and accessories to fit the recipient.

Photos

Products
 
~ 3-D craft letters (this is a far less complicated craft if you use 2-D letters!)
~ colorful yarn or thick string
~ beads, buttons, jewels, or other adornments (check the button aisle)
~ matching felt (if using 2D letters, you probably don't need this!)
~ Hot glue gun

I purchased all of my supplies at Michael's and used a 40% off coupon, so the total cost was under $10 per letter. I got my hot glue gun a long time ago at JoAnn Fabrics; they have these low heat mini glue guns which cost $2.99 and the accompanying pack of gluesticks (~$5) has lasted me a few years! Definitely a bargain if you do not have a glue gun.





Process

1. Warm up the hot glue gun. Don't start until it is good and ready! Have more glue sticks on hand for easy resupply.

2. Start by wrapping the yarn around the letter; secure the end of the string with hot glue and let it cool before wrapping any more.
                 Pro tip: Designate one side to be the "back" and one the "front" of the letter; make sure the front is clean of any overlapping yarn or see-through spots where hot glue peeks through. If you stop to change yarns, for example, or if you're using a 3-D letter and have to stop to wrap around a different part of the letter (the middle of the A, in my case), you'll need a side where you can start and stop the yarn by gluing and it will look a little patchy. See below.

Front: All lines are pretty straight! No hot glue in sight!

Back: Note there are some wonky overlaps and
see-through spots. 

3. Wrap as tightly as you can. As you wrap, push up the already-wrapped yarn to make it a little tighter. This will prevent any see-through spots. As you go along, on the designated "back," put some hot glue every few rows of yarn, to keep it secure in case you need to stop and use the bathroom, rescue a pet or baby from eating something they shouldn't, or click "play next" on Netflix. Totally plausible situations there.
                 Pro tip: I found it helpful to make "strips" of hot glue on which to place the yarn, instead of blobs. I'd place the glue gun on the letter and drag it, so it left a strip of hot glue behind. Also, wait until your hot glue has cooled before continuing to wrap. No one likes burned fingers or hot glue tattoos.

There's a LOT of hot glue behind
that button, so I wrapped it in
felt and secured the felt with
 hot glue.

4. When you've finished wrapping, secure the end with more dots of hot glue. If you're using a 3-D letter, cut felt to fit any bottom/top spots, unless you want to get crazy and try to wrap that with yarn as well. Hot glue the felt in the center first, and then around the edges after you place it so that the felt strips are very secure.

5. Add something to either hang or rest the letter upon. No one likes a gift they have to do work in order to display! Give your giftee a way to hang it, if it's meant to be hung, or give it a little resting perch (dowel rod, for example) if it's meant to rest atop furniture or on a mantle. I cut a strip of felt and looped it, then glued it on the back of the letter so it can be easily hung.

5. Add your adornments and decorations. Make sure they are secure with the hot glue, gluing in multiple rounds if needed (let each round cool before continuing). If it sticks out from the letter, wrap some matching felt around it and secure it so that you don't see a pile of hot glue under the button (or whatever) or to help it stay in place. (See buttons secured with glue and felt to the right and below)

I placed this button on the side, and wrapped the edges like a rose
in order to hide the absolute mound of hot glue holding it to the side
of this 3D letter. Looks so much prettier now!

That's all! These are very simple, super easy to personalize, and this whole process took me maybe one episode of the West Wing. Possibly longer because I stopped to make popcorn, but that time doesn't really count against me. The point really is, under an hour to make this cute little letter!


Happy crafting!