I absoloutely fell in love with this tree. It was so cute, and elegant, and DO-ABLE!
Hubby and I had both looked high and low for dead/dying shrubs at Wally World and Lowes. We looked in the yard for branches that might do and NADA! He mentioned the nursery a mile away from our home and one day I loaded boys #2and #3 in the car and away we went. Courtney, the manager at the nursery, went roaming and found 3 options for me. I was thrilled! You really should go to your local nursery and Beg ask politely if they have any items that they are willing to discount that are dead /dying. You may get lucky and they may give you their trash!
Besides that dead/dying tree you will need
- white spray paint
- Folk Art brand acrylics in Inca Gold and True Gold
- A pot/urn/pail
- Floral foam
- Glue gun
- scissors/pruners
- Coke/flavored coffee
- Good music
I started this project by adding yummy creamer to my coffee and turning up the Third day Worship album. I then cleaned the dirt off my trees.
Wow- my water spots were horrid!Anywho- rinse, rinse and rinse some more!
Get your fingers in there and pull at the roots to loosen the ret of the soil.
Take some scissors or pruners and snip away the escess.
By now your little tree should look like this. If it has some funky branches just prune away.
Want a topiary instead? Go for it!
And your sink probably looks something like this. Please clean it up before you move on.
At this point if your tree was somewhat alive you could hang it outside upside down for 5-7 days to dry. OR you could just spray paint it white like I did. After the spray paint dried I took these paints
Inca Gold and true Gold and I mixed them together about 50/50
Some of you are wondering- WHY didn't she just spray it gold? Because I could not find the right color. Seriously. The Rustoleum gold was too light, and sheerish. Krylon had champagney-ish colors...
So I then brush painted the entire tree. Sounds like a lot of work- it wasn't.
It took maybe 20 minutes. And was quite relaxing. Now- are you asking WHY paint it white first? Well- so glad you did ask! Thats so you can see easily where you may have missed spots! Genius, eh?
Hang this little booger upside down to finish drying.
And the next day- or an hour later if you are impatient like me go get her and your glue gun, urn and floral foam.
Squish your tree right in the center of your foam like so.
Hold her steady and GLUE! Hold until the glue dries. Glue around the edge, and under any roots that are a little up off of the foam- fill those cracks with glue!
Squish your foam into your base.
Now you have this.
Pat yorself on the back and get a refill of rasberry delight coffee, or pour another Coke!
Take some floral moss and spray paint that white. Once it dries take your golds mixed together, pour them on your moss OVER a sink or paper plate and rub the gold into your moss.
Stretch out and let dry on that paper plate and then place/glue around your tree.
The end result?
I LOVE the elegant milk glass base.
TADA!
Luh-uh-uh-vely!
Needing birds for your tree? Well, they cost a fortune online. BUT Wal-mart has 6 glass birds with clips on silver or green for $5.99. Theya re mid sized and look as nice as the ones Frontgate is offering. Joanns had some little birds- 3 for $9.99, but they are on sale 50% of- or just use your coupon.
I found these little guys at the dollar tree 3 for $1.00.
This next pompous lovely was $2.00 at Micheals on sale
She may be a little large for my tree, but will go great in my mantle swag!
This red one was fall clearance- .75 centses gals! and a little glue to help her wing...
While I prefer the glass ones, and may get some in the future, I did want you to know your options.
Made Blessed Mama Way the total cost of my project...
Urn- free, from my stash.
Paint, free from my stash
Tree, it was free! (Go smile sweetly at the nursery staff! AND take your cute well behaved kids!)
Moss, free from my stash
Birds $1.75
Floral foam $1.00 for 4 squares at Dollar tree
Glue and gun- Free
My version? $2.75 plus tax and time.
Frontgates Version? $99.50 for the tree.
Birds? They had 3 sets in their tree at $89.50-109.50 PER SET OF SIX!!!!!!!!!!
(Girls- GO TO WALMART!)
Total cost $388.00 plus 10 percent of the order total...
$427.00 Smackaroos
AND this tree isn't even available until December 4th!
Now that I've shown you how to, please go save yourself the total cost of this years Christmas gifts for your children, hubby, a needy family and Great Aunt Sally!
1 comment:
What is funny is that I did something similar to this only o'natural. See my post here:
http://spindlecottage.blogspot.com/2009/11/ok-so-it-is-time-for-tablescape.html
Mine has acorn tops that were still attached when it fell, and I have a cardinal from the dollar store or tree--whatever it is called.
when I was in Pa one Christmas there was a giant one in a barn. They sprayed it white and hung white lights on it and Beautiful Christimas balls.
Post a Comment