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Make a Rustic Leather Tree Topper
Totally unique and on trend, this striking tree topper is easy to make and adds a rustic touch to any holiday tree.
Leather Tree Topper
Totally unique and on trend, this striking topper is easy to make and adds a masculine touch to any holiday tree.
Photo by: Tomas Espinoza
Tomas Espinoza
Materials Needed
- 9" stick
- 3/4"-wide leather strips (brown and black)
- raffia wire
- hot glue gun
- leather shears
- ruler
- pen
Cut Leather
Measure, mark and cut three strips of black leather at 8" long (Image 1, 2) and three strips of brown leather at 9" long. Cut the strips to 3/4" thickness. If you're using thick leather, you’ll want to use leather shears. (You can buy leather strips at a craft store or online.)
Glue Inner Strips
Using a glue gun, add a bead of glue to one end of the strip (Image 1) and attach it to the top of stick. Repeat this two more times. You want your leather at the top to butt up together and look like a triangle (Image 2). Then, bump out the leather strip and glue the bottom portion of the strip to the stick. Repeat again to finish this inner layer of the topper (Image 3).
Glue Outer Strips
Repeat the process in the prior steps, but with the longer strips. Once you’ve glued the strips down at the bottom, you’ll have completed the outer layer of the topper. Make sure you line up the strips evenly before securing with hot glue.
Leather Tree Topper
Step 3- Glue Outer Strips Repeat the process in the prior steps, but with the longer strips. Once you’ve glued the strips down at the bottom, you’ll have completed the outer layer of the topper. Make sure you line up the strips evenly before securing with hot glue.
Photo by: Tomas Espinoza
Tomas Espinoza
Wrap Base
Next, using the leather shears, cut two pieces of raffia wire in 18" sections. You’ll use these to create the base of the topper. Wrap the raffia tightly where the leather meets the stick (Image 1), and add a bead of hot glue to keep it in place. Widen the raffia spiral once off the stick to create a fastener for the topper (Image 2), and secure this to the stick with hot glue, too.
