Paper Trees, No Water Needed!
Warning: These little gems, may consume your entire house! You have been warned!
This week we are diving into more of a craft feel. I was shying away from sharing this because I equated it to a true craft project, instead of an art project. Ain’t gunna lie that when I think about craft projects, I think of red, white & blue, all American, distressed wood & although these can be great at the right time and place, they aren’t really what I am going for here. After all, this space is for all of us to play with art, to dive into our creativity just for the fun of it. Some of it will be amazing, others, not so much, but at the end of the day, we sure had fun using our gifts to create a one of a kind piece of ART! So, what do you think the difference between art & craft is? Is there a difference? What do you picture when you think of ART? What about CRAFTS? Please share your thoughts below, as I assure you I will be thinking about this for days to come!
There is a difference in my mind & It’s hard to explain. I would much prefer to be known as an artist, with a studio, it sounds more prestigious & professional. But truth be told, I love all things creative & would be thrilled to take on a craft project of any sort! Good ole’ Websters defines ART as the expression/application of human creative skill & imagination. CRAFT is defined as an activity involving skill in making things by hand. This was the morning conversation with my daughter as I drove her to school. Pretty deep thoughts for a 15 year old at 7:30am, don’t you think?? We decided that although they really do have a lot of crossover, ART tends to encapsulate more individuality & imagination. Artists’ work can often be noticed because of their “style”, whereas a true CRAFT project tends to be more focused on the enjoyment of working with the hands; a specific project, definitely individualized, but possibly not overflowing with imagination. And that is where we left it. So I will try to drop this, but please know that this conversation is most likely NOT over!!!
OK…paper trees! Got the idea years ago from a huge Anthropologie tree. It wasn’t even made out of paper (I think it was made out of mesh wire, which would be amazing, and maybe we set our goal for figuring that one out for next year!) Anyway, after several attempts, and mess ups, I think I have fine tuned the paper tree to my liking. I really hope that ya’ll love them as much as I do!
Ingredients needed: small pot (mine are 2.5 inches tall), dictionary paper, scissors, floral foam, stick from outside about the diameter of a pencil, and ribbon of choice. In this week’s Friday Fringe (for paid subscribers) I will share a few tools that I use for cutting … but clearly, for this project, the most satisfying way to cut is with the perfect scissors…addicting, right?
Let’s get going! Start by cutting the floral foam to fit in the pot. It doesn’t have to be pretty or fit perfectly because the paper will cover it. Make sure that it fits very snug, as this will be holding the tree in place. Put this aside and get ready to become one with your scissors. “Scissoring” as my sister calls it! For my trees I used dictionary paper (literally ripped out of an old Goodwill dictionary.) It makes for a great weight of paper, and I find it endearing to see all the words trickling throughout the trees! You will be cutting three sizes of squares out of your paper … 3.5, 2.5 and 2 inches. You will need ALOT of each size.
Once your have a bunch cut, crumple the paper, and slide it onto the stick, starting with the largest squares for the bottom of the tree. As the stick gets filled with paper, change to the 2.5 inch squares, and then to the smallest squares for the top of the tree. These are simple steps that take time, which makes this a priceless project to do with your children. Working with your hands while connecting with each other … this is a gift to both of you! They will not forget moments like this, and neither will you!
Slowly push the stick into the middle of the foam, by holding it at the bottom to make sure that the stick doesn’t break. It can be kind of clunky to press it into the foam with the paper on the stick, but I have found if you put the paper on the stick after it is anchored into the foam, the stick will move quite a bit as you add the paper and the tree will be wiggly, especially if working with sweet, little artist hands!
Shop around for the perfect ribbon, and tie a not so perfect bow on top to add character!
Let’s be honest with each other … it’s the perfect tree … lots of paper (be still my heart), and no water needed!!! Some are short and fat, others tall and lanky, some lean to one side, they all seem to have their own personailities! Keep making them … if you have an open surface, it needs a paper tree! Use them as hostess gifts! Take the time to ooooh and aaaah over them as much as possible! Oh, and did I tell you that I have had a few of my trees for about 5 years…they keep really well!!!
Until next week … Xoxo, ellen