This is the easiest Christmas craft on the internet. You can make it for under $10 and give your little kids a tree that they can decorate without breaking ornaments, electrocuting themselves, or tipping over a 7-foot-tall fire hazard. All you need are felt, scissors, and a few Command strips for hanging your new creation on the wall.
Looking for something to keep your kids occupied while you do your holiday baking? Something other than asking you “Is Christmas tomorrow?” for the umpteenth time?
I needed some distraction while in the doldrums of the 40th week of pregnancy, so a good friend suggested we make some Christmas crafts together. She knows me too well! I had been meaning to make Little Stapler a felt Christmas tree that he can decorate and re-decorate with felt ornaments.
You may have seen these all over Pinterest. They come in various shapes and sizes, which is something that makes them pretty special because, like a snowflake, no two families will have the same exact Christmas tree.
This was right up my alley. It brought back fond memories of unpacking our Christmas decorations every year, where we found felt banners my mother made when we were little. The banners depicted Christmas scenes in our home, and included our beloved dog who passed away when I was four. No Christmas decor — no matter how fancy — could hold the place in my heart that my mom’s handmade banners do. I was thrilled to start making some Christmas touchstones for my kids, starting with this tree. I hope to add a felt ornament each year that signifies something about the year.
The basic premise is that felt sticks to felt.
All you have to do to make this fun craft is to cut out a tree and ornaments out of felt. It can take under an hour and cost just $10, or if you want to get fancypants it can take a little longer.
I went a little fancypants and sewed a garland onto the tree. I planned to also cut out the felt ornaments and make a nice star for the top, but then Baby Stapler arrived and I bought pre-cut ornaments instead. With a ribbon loop on the top of the tree and a Command hook on the wall, it’s ready for Little Stapler to decorate. Over and over and over again.
Here is my list of supplies and what it would cost if you used a 40% off coupon to get everything at Michael’s:
- $4.79 — Bolt of green felt, with 50% off coupon (regularly $7.99)
- $4.79 — Bag of pre-cut felt ornaments, with 50% off coupon (regularly $7.99)
- $4.79 — 2 strands of garland (regularly $3.99 each)
- $1.20 — Gold ribbon (regularly $2)
TOTAL: $15.57 plus tax
If you don’t want to sew a fancypants garland onto the tree, you can do this craft in under an hour and for just about $10. Easy peasy, and your child will play with it for at least a few years. It might be a nice gift to give to kids on your Christmas list, too.
Do you have any beloved Christmas decorations with fond memories attached to them?
That’s definitely an awesome craft to do with a kid. I remember playing with all sorts of felt boards and stuff like that in Sunday School when I was little.
What a great holiday decoration idea! I’ll have to give this a try next year.
Thanks!
I actually contemplated making a more “adult version” of something like this! I have lots of open wall space in my apartment since I keep things pretty minimal around here! Using maybe washi tape and pictures of highlights from the year? Good for kids and grown-ups! 🙂
I think you’re on to something there! Before the kids came along, I never had a tree because I traveled home for Christmas. But I could have done something like this.
Beautiful… and you’ll always have it as a memory of the project you made for the older lil’ stapler while the younger lil’ stapler was finishing up in the oven. May it give them both years of fun and imagination!
That’s an awesome idea. Soon, Ana and I are going to start having kids and I can definitely see us doing this type of stuff with them! Thanks!
I think this is a wonderful concept and I will be do a try it few days later. It’s really eye caching and beautiful.