Holiday Craft Series Project 1

I grew up with a mother, grandmother, and several aunts who loved to do crafts and collect vintage Christmas ornaments.

The crafting and antique sleuthing experience is not quite the same with the toddler, but I'm not shelving my favorite leisure activities. Emma enjoys crafting and exploring antique stores with me and I've learned to save some of my craft projects for when Josie is napping or after she's in bed at night. Want to see what Emma and I have been up to lately?



The first project is a button Christmas tree. It requires a white Styrofoam cone, straight pins, seed beads, an assortment of buttons, and a little bit of patience. I managed to finish my tree in about 90 minutes. All the supplies can be found at most craft stores. I bought my buttons in bulk and for those of you that live in West Michigan, I got all my supplies at Meijer (I didn't even have to make a run to Michael's or Hobby Lobby).



I divided out all the buttons, beads and pins into several bowls for easy reaching.






Thread a bead first on the straight pin and then thread the button onto the pin. The bead will keep the button from pushing off the pin. Push the pin into the Styrofoam cone and continue covering the entire cone, overlapping buttons throughout. Make sure to fill in some of the empty spaces with just pins and beads. I also had to use a hot glue gun when I was finished to attach my fancy buttons on the top and secure a few of the thicker buttons where the pin didn't seem long enough. I think it turned our really well and it gave Emma and I some quality bonding time.



Until Josie's hand surgery on 12/18, I want to do a weekly series featuring holiday craft projects. I've got a zillion craft projects started and can't wait to share them with others. With the rate I've been going lately, I might even be able to share at least two new craft projects a week. What special holiday craft projects do you have underway at your household?

Barb and Buffi, I know you have some lovely advent trees that you've hand-designed and I can't wait to see pictures on your blogs. I'd love to hear from other folks too. If you try your hand at this button tree, let me know how it turns out. Be sure to check back often for new holiday craft project ideas. Happy crafting!