Make a Beautiful Spring Celebration Tree! March 12 2015 135 Comments

Trees and ornaments are great for every season, and Spring is no exception!  It is easy to make a pretty tree to celebrate Easter or simply the arrival of Spring.  

  

You will need the following materials:

1.  Plaster of Paris - You can find this in any hardware or craft store.

2.  A container for your tree - You can use pretty much anything for this!  Vintage vases, containers, and flower pots work well, as do little Easter tins and buckets that you can find at craft or dollar stores.  I recently saw some really cute little buckets in the Target dollar section.

     

3.  A branch - The best ones have lots of smaller branches for hanging ornaments and affixing flowers.  Just make sure that the branch you choose is proportionate to your container.  You don't want a huge branch that could tip over a small container. 

4.  Faux flowers and leaves - Small ones work best.  I really like the kind that you can pluck off the plastic stems and pop right onto the smaller branches of your branch.  If you don't have this kind of flower, you can use a glue gun to attach them.

5.  Spray paint - This is optional.  You can leave your branch bare or paint it any color that you choose.

6.  Moss or Easter grass - You can get moss from your yard and dry it or buy it at the craft store to put at the base of your tree to cover up the dried plaster of Paris.  You can also use Easter grass or whatever strikes your imagination.

 

7.  Ornaments and decorations - Butterflies, Easter eggs, ribbon - whatever you like!

What to do - 

Once you have all your materials and your branch painted, you can mix the plaster of Paris per the instructions. Make sure you mix the water in slowly so it doesn't get too lumpy. Also, it is a good idea to have something handy to prop up your branch (like bricks or boxes or whatever you have around the house) before you start mixing.  Pour the plaster of Paris mixture into your container, then stick your branch in the center.  Then prop up the branch so that it dries straight as the plaster mixture hardens.  I usually leave it overnight just to be safe.  Once the mixture hardens, you can start decorating your tree.  Attach your flowers, add ornaments if desired, and place your moss or covering around the base of your tree. Voila!

Another option that makes this whole process even easier is to find faux flowers on a plastic branch that can already work as a tree.  Then you can skip finding a branch and put your faux branch and flowers directly into the container.  It is up to you and what look you want for your tree. I made this tree with a plastic branch and pre-attached flowers for my daughter's room.

 And that's it!  Have fun bringing a little bit of the festivity of Spring into your home!