DIY String Christmas Trees

First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I hope everyone has had a lovely holiday so far.  :)  Now, down to the crafts - these were pretty fun to make, and I think they turned out nice!  As you can see, the glue is still visible on the dark red tree.  If I had known, I would have made more light-colored ones… obviously!  I used cotton yarn for the green and red tree, and white embroidery thread for the white tree.  I like how the white embroidery tree turned out the best - it is delicate, and you can't see the glue.  (It would look especially nice with red and green stars as opposed to the silver stars.)  Next year!

MATERIALS

Yarn of string

Glue (I used homemade glue - 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 and 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp white vinegar.)  I hear you can also use watered down mod lodge or Elmer's glue.  

Paper

Tape

Plastic wrap

Confetti (for decoration, if desired)

INSTRUCTIONS

Create a cone out of your paper and tape - if you are creating multiple trees, make different sizes of cones.  Cover the paper cones in plastic wrap.  Take your string or yarn, and dip a good section of it (maybe 1 foot) into the glue.  Use your fingers to wipe off any excess glue, and start wrapping the string around the plastic-covered cone.  How closely you wrap your string around the cone will affect how dense your trees are.  

You will need to wrap your glue covered string around the cone several times - you can go up and down as much as you want, until you feel like the cone is sufficiently covered.  Keep dipping the string in the glue (and wiping off the excess) as you go.  When you are finished, let the string covered cone dry overnight.  In the morning, gently pull the hardened string off of the cone - this might take some maneuvering, but overall it should be pretty easy.  Glue the confetti onto the tree.  Voila!  

INSPIRED BY:  

http://trocasdelinhas.blogspot.com/2010/10/arvore-de-natal-e-bolas-feitas-com.html

(This blog is in spanish - you will need Google Translate for this one!)