Folded Paper Christmas Trees

Something inexpensive and abundant.  That was my criteria for a Christmas project.  I wanted to make the table decorations for our potluck on Thursday, but I didn't have any starting point.  I remembered making these magazine trees and did a little search and found that they were quite popular all of a sudden.    Tutorials were everywhere!  Even Martha Stewart had them on her site.

You start off with a magazine or a dozen magazines :o)

If you do that next step through the entire magazine, it will end up looking like this. 

You can do each step one at a time to each page or you can do the steps all at once.  On the magazines I tend to do one step at a time through the entire magazine.  On the little books, at the end of the page, I found it easier to do all three steps at once.

I cut some of the magazines in half (quite a chore!) and made some smaller trees as well as the big ones. 

I sprayed the big ones with silver spray paint and then covered them with a fine glitter.  I thought it would look more silver, but it just painted the very edges of the tree.  I haven't quite decided if I'm in love with them or not. 

Once I finally thought about it awhile, I realized that I could use a readers digest or a small paperback to make the smaller trees.  I went to a thrift store or two and purchased all of the small 190 page romance novels.  The ones with the women draped in some man's arms on the front cover!  I tore the book in half (very easy!) and took off the cover and back and made these little trees.  I love their color so I won't even spray paint them.   All of the trees - big and small - will be going to my Liver Transplant Support Group Potluck as the table decorations.  I think they are going to look great.

The trees were super easy to make, as you can see from the steps above, and I was able to fold the pages as I watched TV.  That's of course always a bonus!

Hope you have a great day!
Kristin