A Glass Ornament Tree That Sparkles

Combine greens, berries, glass ornaments and glitter to form a festive glass tree.

Filed under: Crafts, Holiday, Trees, How To, Materials and Supplies

Materials:

1-by-3-inch poplar lumber
miter saw
tack cloth or rag
measuring tape
finish nails
hammer
drill
wood glue
220-grit sandpaper
spackling compound
latex primer
gold craft paint
paintbrushes
serrated knife
hot glue gun
floral foam
48-inch wooden dowels in various widths (5/16-inch to 3/8-inch)
gold spray paint
various glass ornaments
gold craft ribbon
gold craft jewelry wire
hand saw
pencil sharpener
needle-nose pliers
copper refrigeration wire

Steps:

1. Cut five pieces of poplar lumber using a miter saw to the necessary dimensions to make a box without a top. Nail and glue the pieces together after drilling pilot holes where the corners meet. Sand the entire box and remove the dust with a tack cloth or damp rag.

2. Fill the nail holes with spackle and prime the box once it's dry. Apply several coats of gold paint, allowing it to dry between layers.

3. Cut floral foam pieces with a knife that extend no more than one inch above the top of the box to line the inside (the foam will hold the ornaments plus garland and evergreens in place to decorate the base of the tree). Secure each piece with hot glue.

4. Push the dowels into a scrap piece of foam and spray them gold in a well-ventilated area.

5. Remove the ornament hooks and pour hot glue in one to form a pool at the bottom that you can stick the dowel into. Hold the dowel in place for a bit so it's centered, and then glue gold ribbon around the base for a finishing touch.

6. Using trial and error, determine the placement of each ornament starting with the star in the center as the tallest trunk. Cut the other dowels to length using a hand saw and sharpen the ends of each a little with a pencil sharpener. Stick the sharpened end into the foam, and secure each with hot glue.

7. Fill holes by curling craft wire and hot-glue each piece to select ornaments between the gold ribbon and the dowel. Add an assortment of juniper and evergreen branches so they cascade out of the box.

8. Curl copper refrigeration coil and stick it into the foam.