Host Cindy Piccoli demonstrates how to make a unique holiday decorative tree for the home, and how to make dazzling fruit ornaments to hang from the branches.
Materials:
tree branch, one that when standing looks like a small tree, with several limbs to hang ornaments from
base container to place the branch in (a medium brass planter works well)
plastic container that fits completely down into your base container
art plaster to fill the plastic container
polystyrene fruit
gold floral spray paint
gold ribbon or thread
moss
optional: other materials like glitter, spray adhesive and pearlizing kits to make different kinds of ornaments
Steps:
- Start with the tree. Take your branch and the base container to stand it in, and make sure the plastic container you have will fit all the way down into the base container.
- Mix some plaster, and pour it into the base container. Once it is starting to set up, put the tree branch down into the plaster. Let it harden with the branch standing straight up. Tip: Make a grid using masking tape to help the branch stand straight until the plaster has hardened (figure A). Placing pebbles on the top of the plaster will also help the branch stand straight.
- After the plaster has completely hardened, you can either pop it out of the plastic container or leave it in, and place it down into the base container.
- Cover the plaster and any empty space with moss (figure B). The tree is complete.
- Spray-paint the fruits with a gold spray paint (figure C), and let dry. Once the fruits are dry, tie the gold ribbon or thread to the stems (figure D). Hang the fruit ornaments from the branches of the tree. Optional: Take the fruit that you have painted gold, and cover it with spray adhesive. Sprinkle clear or white glitter onto it to make it look as if it is sugar coated (figure E). There are kits available at craft stores that have all of the supplies to pearlize the fruit. The ones on our tree were base coated in white paint and then pearlized, but you could do any color. Just follow the instructions on the kit.
- The result is an elegant alternative to a Christmas tree that can be uses as a table centerpiece or as a decorative accent anywhere in your home.
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