Christmas is coming!

Good Morning Tuesday bloggers! I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I'm so looking forward to decorating for Christmas! Hope you had a nice weekend. I have been busy working on projects and enjoying my family. The grandkids are out of school every Friday this month, plus this whole week of Thanksgiving! That puts grandpa and me on kid patrol, since dad works and mom goes to school full time now. Yesterday we did the cutest little Christmas trees in preparation for decorating for the holidays. Night before last I couldn't sleep and I just kept working out in my mind this project for the kids to make. They are a take-off on the yo-yo trees I have been making, which I'll post photos of when they're done.

So, I just started by getting out my compass (the type you draw circles with, not the kind you find your way with) and making patterns of circles. I made circles of graduating sizes, starting with 1 1/4" and going up 8 sizes and ending with a circle 4" across. Then we cut them out of different scrapbooks cardstocks and punched holes in the middle of them. I have a long-neck punch that I used on the bigger circles, but you could use a punch meant for putting in eyelets and such. 

Start with a length of 1/8" or 1/4" ribbon, about 24" long. String a bead or bell onto the ribbon and fold it in half, with the bell at the fold. From now on, everything you put on the ribbon will go on both ends at once, and I found it was easier for the kids if we threaded the ribbon ends through a big yarn needle. Next, thread on a small thread spool and push it down against the bell. This is the tree trunk. Now string your largest paper circle, then a bead or two, then the next size circle, then a bead or two......you get the picture. We staggered plain colors with prints, and I say a bead or two because it depends on the size beads you are using and how tall you want your tree to be. After you do a couple of them, you will see what I mean. You can make then short and squatty (and very cute that way) or tall and slender, just by varying the amount and size of the beads you use. When you put the last circle on, you can top the tree with a bead or a star or a bow, whatever you like. You could even NOT top it with anything! That would make it a "natural" tree. I just happened to have these cute star beads that came from a kids' necklace that I bought at a yard sale for .50! Wasn't that lucky? And they are the perfect size for these trees. The kids loved them, too, so that made them perfect. Here's the finished product.

From the side you can see the beads and the "trunk".

A close-up.

From the top, you can see that not all the cardstock was two-sided but....

...when they are hung from the ceiling, you won't see that side, anyway.

Aren't they cute? My gandkids are 10 and 11 and this was easy for them. The hardest part for kids will be the cutting of the circles, and little ones' circles might not be too round, but I think that would make them all the more precious. I'm hoping to make some with the other grandkids when we go to Elko for Christmas. I have a few other things planned for the holidays with the family, too. It's going to be so much fun!

Anyway, that's it for today. I hope you will try some of these little trees. They are fun, fast and easy to make, and they look so cute hanging up. BTW, mine won't go up until after Thanksgiving, so I hung them on a yardstick and put it across the knobs of the cupboard doors. That's why they look a little funny and have such big shadows. It was the best way I could think of to hang them for you.

I read the funniest thing the other day by someone names Irv Kupcinet. He said, "An optimist is someone who starts a diet on Thanksgiving Day." I'm glad I already started mine, but I'm sure I'll be mad at myself the week after, when my lack of self control will show on the scale. Have a good week, and there won't be any Friday Friends this week, because I will be shopping! Until next time,