I wanted to make an inexpensive mini christmas tree this year. And when I came across the fallen palm stalk in the exact shape of a christmas tree, I thought it would be perfect.

At first I was going to dress it with mini christmas tree balls, but when I saw the price ($5) I decided to hit the dollar store. I went twice and unfortunately they didn’t have mini ornament balls or the gold garland that I was looking for. So I decided to make my own.

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Step 1:

What I used & (my cost):
â Palm stalk or tree branches shaped like christmas tree (free)
â Berries (cranberries will work if you can’t find red berries) (free)
â Mini pine cones painted gold ($2.40 with Michael’s coupon)
â Pine seed husks (not sure if that’s the actual name) (free)
â White spray paint (free – left over from another project)
â Ornament hooks (free – already had them)
â Small round glass vase (free – already had it)
â Small rocks (free – from garden)
â Burlap – small piece (.80 cents)
â Needle and thread
â Needle nose pliers
â Glue gun

Total spent = $3.20
*You can substitute any of these ornaments with whatever you have in your area.

We gathered berries from our palm trees and pine seed husks from a nearby pine tree. I was actually looking for acorns, but that’s kinda hard to find in Miami, but so are the mini pine cones. I went to Michael’s and found the perfect gold painted mini pine cones.

Step 2:

I was going to go to the dollar store to buy a small round vase for the base, but then I remembered that I already had one. Just filled it with rocks (to make it heavy), inserted the ‘tree’, and hot glue it so it wouldn’t fall out. I wrapped a small piece of burlap (cut in a circle) around the vase and tied it with a ribbon.

Step 3:

Creating the ornaments:

-Take the berries and string them using the needle and thread. In an effort to preserve the berries I painted them with some clear varnish. Didn’t quite work out, they still shrivelled up. But they look like they aren’t decomposing ay further.

*Safety note: If using random outdoor berries, keep them away from children and pets and wash your hands after handling them. Or better yet wear gloves, just in case they are poisonous.

-Break the pine seed husks into smaller pieces and give a quick coat of white paint.

Step 4:

In order to hang the ornaments you are going to have to attach hooks to them:

-Take the hooks straighten them out and cut them in half.

-Twist one end 90 degrees with the pliers and the other end to create the hook part.

-Attach the hook to the pine cones and seed husks with hot glue.