Time for some Christmas crafting! How to create your own alternative Christmas tree...

We’ve done lots of cleaning and cooking recently, so today I wanted to show you a bit of Christmas crafting!

Christmas is fast approaching, so now is the perfect time to get your crafty hat on. It’s a great opportunity to go foraging for beautiful seasonal foliage and create something you can enjoy throughout the festive season, plus feel that sense of pride that you made it yourself!

I love nothing better than getting creative at Christmas time, so I’m thrilled to show you how I make one of my absolute favourite decorative items to pop around the house - an alternative Christmas tree.

You will need:

Wooden batons

Ribbon/Spray Paint to decorate the batons/terracotta pots

Terracotta Pots

PVA Glue

Stonecast powder

Water

Florist’s Oasis (you can also use a polystyrene ball or Florist’s foam that doesn’t need to be soaked)

Foliage/dried flowers/feathers/ribbons - whatever you wish to make the main section of the tree

Start by decorating your wooden batons however you would like - I like to either spray paint them or coat them with PVA glue and wrap a ribbon around them. Leave them to dry - this can take around an hour.

Spray paint your terracotta pot. I love to use metallic gold but use whichever you like! Leave these to dry too.

Once dry, cover the hole in the bottom with gaffer tape. This needs to be well sealed as you shall be pouring the stone cast powder into here.

Mix up your stone cast powder according to the packet’s instructions.

Once it’s just starting to set, pour it into the terracotta pot and add your wooden baton, try to get this nice and straight. This is the ‘trunk’ of your tree as it were. Leave them to harden and set into place.

Grab your ball of florist’s oasis/polystyrene/florists foam and get ready to start covering with your chosen material. I love to use sprigs of Holly leaves with the beautiful red berries still attached, and Ivy to fill in any gaps!

If using florist’s oasis, do give it a soak but don’t over-soak as it will become too heavy for the baton.

Pop your sprigs of holly (or whatever you have chosen) into the oasis. Once it’s mostly covered, squish the ball onto the pole until it feels good and secure.

Now you can get to the underneath and see where there are gaps to fill!

And there we have it! These trees are a fantastic chance for you to go to town with your styling, using any medium you like to make them look spectacular!

They are so beautiful standing outside the front of the house, perhaps with a few fairy lights too for a glow in the evening. Smaller ones are lovely on the table and either side of the fireplace!

Do you like crafting over Christmas? What do you like to create?

Love,