Nitty Gritty Christmas Card Tree Christmas Craft

 

Making a homemade tree is a great way to practice recycling! Use last year’s recycled cards and make trunks out of discarded pine branches.

Materials

• Good sized pine branch either from your yard or nearby woods. It should have smaller branches, looking almost like a miniature tree.  (Often places selling Christmas trees will have piles of discarded branches to choose from.)

• Small pots, discarded coffee mugs, or medium to large disposable cups

• Potting soil or earth from your yard

• Pencil

• Scissors or craft knife

• Spiral paper clips

• Cookie cutters of stars, Christmas trees and circles

• Red, white and green construction paper or scrap booking papers in christmas colors and designs

• Last year’s Christmas cards

• String

• Red, white, or green ribbons (if desired)

• Christmas crystals

• Colored pencils or markers

• Christmas stickers

• White glue

Introduction

Use last year’s Christmas cards to make this year’s craft!  At Christmas we often ask what we can get under the tree. Often, we forget to ask what we can do in return!  One thing we know we can do is take care of the planet. So instead of wasting and spending lots of money, let’s recycle and still make  a craft that is cool and fun!

Instructions

1. Place the branches in the containers and fill with soil so that they are sufficiently heavy that the branch will stand up.

2. Use cookie cutters to draw stars, circles, and Christmas trees on construction/scrapbooking paper, and then cut out the designs.

3. Use front cover of old Christmas cards to make small folded cards.  Fold a front cover in half (or whatever size you prefer – mini cards are super cute!!!!).  The design should be on the front and back, with the inside blank.

4. Paste your cut out pieces on the cards (inside and outside if desired). Use markers or colored pencils to decorate, and for extra sparkle, sprinkle some Christmas glitter on glue. Card can also be decorated using pieces of red or green ribbons glued around the edges, and with Christmas crystals, stickers, etc. Use your imagination!

5. On each card write a message of love and a Christmas prayer. Use paper clips to “hang” the cards on the tree. You can borrow quotes from the old Christmas cards if you need inspiration!  The important part of this project is to be creative and put a some of YOU into it! :D

Conclusion

Tell your parents to save this year’s Christmas cards! We’ll make something else fun next year, while saving a tree on our beautiful planet.

Mary Kate Warner

Mary-Kate is a regular blogger at Christianity Cove ( http://www.christianitycove.com/).  You can often find her writing about Christian Motherhood, Homeschool Teaching, Bible Study and Sunday School Activities, Faith and inspiring children to love God.

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!