How to Give Your Christmas Tree a Rainbow-rific Makeover

Try a trendy twist this holiday season with a Christmas tree that's decked out with every color of the rainbow. This vibrant display looks like a million bucks but, by upcycling holiday decor you already have, this makeover is easy on the wallet.

Spray Paint Ornaments

To make spray painting the ornaments much easier, use floral wire to hang them from plastic hangers (Image 1). Hang groups of the ornaments in a well-ventilated area and evenly coat them with spray paint (Image 2). Repeat this step with each color of the rainbow, letting the ornaments dry completely. Paint a tree topper to match your top color.

Pro tip: Divide your ornaments ahead of time. If you start with red and work upward in the ROYGBIV fashion, you’ll need more red ornaments for the wide bottom of the tree and fewer of each color as you go up.

Decorate Tree

Starting at the bottom with your first color, weave the wired ribbon in and out of the branches (Image 1). Next, use the tulle ribbon to fill in the tree with even more color (Image 2). These layers will really make the colors pop. Next, hang the painted ornaments coordinating with the ribbons' colored bands (Image 3). Finally, top the tree with your custom painted topper (Image 4).

Cut Felt for Tree Skirt

To make a coordinating tree skirt, grab an old tree skirt and measure the distance from the center to the edge. Use this measurement to determine how long your felt pieces should be. Start by folding each piece of felt over itself and cutting them into large rectangles using a cutting mat and rotary tool (Image 1). Use scissors to cut the felt pieces along their folded edges to create two rectangular pieces of felt for each color (Image 2).

Glue Felt to Skirt

Lay your tree skirt out on a protected surface. Starting with the first color, line the edge of the felt up with the skirt's edge, then hot glue them together along the side and bottom (Image 1). Note: There will be a lot of excess hanging over the edge of the skirt, but this will get trimmed away later. Layer the next piece of felt over the first one to create an overlapping triangle and glue it into place (Image 2). Repeat these steps with each color in the ROYGBIV pattern. If your violet felt doesn’t reach the end, simply start the pattern over with the remaining felt (Image 3).

Trim Off Excess Felt

Flip the tree skirt upside down and trim off any of the excess felt (Image 1). The existing tree skirt should be completely covered by the new pieces of felt. Now, simply wrap it around your tree and step back to admire your colorful handiwork (Image 2).