Paper Tree Tutorial

Remember that darling paper tree sent to us by Sarah the other day? Well, some of you asked me how it was made and I said that I would look for instructions. I didn't find any. But, after looking closely at Sarah's tree, I thought I'd give it a go. Mine did turn out a bit differently. I think these are not only great for decorating, but also for holding a gift for a friend.

PS: I apologize for the dark photos. I did this last night by the light of a lamp. Not great for photography!

Here's what you'll need:
1. Two sheets of green cardstock. I used "Wrapping Paper" from our Oh Joy Collection.
2. Brown cardstock for the trunk. Mine is 4x6", but depending on your cylinder, you might need to adjust the measurements.
3. A cylinder. I would have used a tube from a roll of paper towels, but I didn't have one. Funny, but I'm more likely to have a cylindrical Hot Chocolate container than a paper roll tube.
4. Something cute for the top. I used a star from the Oh Joy die cut sheet and matched it up with the chipboard star from our Buck Naked Ornaments.

Here's what to do:
1. Cover lower section of tube to make the trunk of the tree.


2. Cut a bunch of long triangles for the tree. Mine start out 2" wide at the top, tapering to a point and they are 4" long. It looks to me like Sarah's are skinnier than mine. I cut them smaller as I went up the tree. By the time I was up to the top of the tree, the triangles were 1" wide at the top, still 4" long and still tapering to a point.


3. Use a paintbrush or smooth pencil to curl the ends of the triangles and adhere to the tube.


4. Go all the way around the tube, one layer at a time.


5. Continue all the way up the tree, using smaller triangles as you get towards the top.


6. Now for the tricky part! Make a cone for the top of the tree. To do this, I took my second piece of cardstock, flipped it to the backside and measuring from one of the corners, I made a mark 6" down from the corner. Then, I made a mark 6" across the top from the same corner. Continue measuring from that corner down, in between the first two marks until you have enough points to help you draw a smooth curve. Cut out along this curve. Run double stick adhesive down the first edge and roll into a cone. It helps to cut the corner off the top of the cone. It also helps to fold up the edge of the cone with the adhesive on it (before the adhesive is on it) about 1/4" in from the edge. I used the end of a paintbrush inside of the cone to put counter pressure against my hand as I pressed the seam down tight.


7. After the cone part is made, cut the lower edge into a pointed fringe so that you can curl it up and mimmick the layers on the rest of the tree. I cut as far as 2" up from the bottom edge. (I neglected to get photos of the cone as I made it, but you can do it! Give it a try, you'll see.)

Fill your cylindar with goodies to give as a gift, or just place it out as a cute accent piece in your home. If using a paper towel tube, you can make a bottom for it out of cardstock if you want to fill it with treats.