Tree Trimming

This weekend we picked out the perfect Christmas tree and I was finally able to put up all the ornaments that have been consuming my evenings for the past few weeks. Every single one on the tree are homemade by me! My goal was to make ornaments that Jake could take off, rearrange, or whatever so I didn't have to worry about him getting hurt or breaking special ones. And I didn't have to constantly tell him not to touch it. After all Christmas is for the kids too!

It took a little bit of time but was really easy. I made 2 different kinds and I love the way it all came together. I like things to be uniform so I decided to not put any of the regulars out this year so I wouldn't have to keep them all at the top.

The paper stars that you can see pretty well. Made with white computer paper, tape, a stapler, and scissors. And then a little bit of ribbon to top it off. They were pretty simple just took a little bit of time to get them all done.

To make the stars: Accordion fold paper. Fold in half to find middle. Staple. Cut both end to a point (for a star look) or more rounded (for a flower look). Unfold and tape sides together to form star. Punch hole. Tie ribbon through. Hang on Tree. **stars look better if you make really good creases when you fold it**

I also elaborated on this same technique but used color paper and added a little bit of glitter. Next time I would make sure to use thinner paper. I used scrapbooking paper and I thought I picked out pretty thing stuff but it was hard to crease and fold. Origami paper would probably be the best thing to use (big surprise right).

The other type that you can't see as well are yarn pom poms. These were also really easy. The only supplies you need for this project is yarn and scissors. A small crochet hook is helpful too.

To make yarn pom poms: Hold end of yarn and wrap around your hand. Keep wrapping until you have a good amount. The more you wrap the fuller the pom pom will be. Try to keep all the yarn pretty close together on your hand. It will make the next step easier. Pull yarn off hand and now wrap around middle of bunch (I should have taken pictures because this is harder to explain). Don't cut yarn just keep wrapping and make sure you keep it pretty tight. Go around the middle a couple of time. Then (this is where the crochet hook comes in handy) thread yarn through middle and tie a knot. Cut off yarn but leave enough so you can tie into a loop to hang on the tree. Or you can add one later whatever works best. Then snip the loops on both ends and there you go. This might be a little confusing....I'll try and get a god close-up so you can see it.

Overall, I love the way the tree turned out. It is not as full and sparkly as it normally is...but I think I like this much better. Its simpler. It has also been great for a toddler. Jake likes to take the ornaments off and move them. He also likes to touch them very "softly" which then ends up with hitting them much like a cat would. But I have nothing to worry about because these are cheap and easy to make! So far there has only been on incident where Jake crumpled a star...but you can hardly tell. And the best part of all. I had most of the supplies except yarn, colored paper, and glitter. So to make a whole tree of new ornaments it cost less than $10!