Christmas Decor

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it's time for me to get down the Christmas decorations!  I can't wait!  I enjoy unpacking the ornaments, wreaths, trees, stockings - pretty much everything.  Some of my favorite decorations are handmade items.  I still have ornaments that the kids made in preschool - you know the ones - the ones with hand prints and pictures of them inside little ornaments.  Do you have some of those keepsakes as well?  They are all so precious!

This year I've made several Christmas decor items and wanted to share them with you!

The first item I want to focus on is the Christmas tree.  This was so much fun to make and I'm pleased with the results.

I used a styrofoam cone, strips of paper and pins to create this tree.  I started with adding strips to the bottom of the cone and working my way up.  The strip on the bottom of the cone measures 3" X 12".  I then cut little slits in the paper and wrapped the paper around a ball point pen to get it to curl.  It was a little tricky trying to get the strips to wrap around the cone.  I learned that it would have been better to cut shorter strips.  In other words, cut the strips to 3" X 4" and then have them overlap a smidge to go completely around.  Does that make sense?

The strips did gradually get smaller as I worked up the cone (smaller in length and width).  It's one of those things you just have to play with it and see what works best for you.

The topper is an ornament I purchased from Wal-Mart.  The ornament originally had a clip on the end but I was able to wiggle it back and forth until it broke off.  Then I had a nice "stem" to stick into the top of the cone.

Do you have handmade Christmas decorations you cherish?  What are they?  I hope you enjoy this inspiration for your own handmade Christmas decor!  (Stay tuned - later in the week I'll have another tree to share with you using the same materials!)

Happy Stamping & Creating!