Cardboard Christmas Tree and Ornaments

These days there is plenty of talk of cutting back. Don't let that get you down if you're unable to get a Christmas tree this year. Cutting back? How about cutting out? Using kitchen shears, a good friend of mine came up with a creative idea...without having to leave the house to buy supplies or decorations!

She says, "I alternated every other branch (circle) to have a light green or dark green paint. The star on top is 3D by cutting notches in the cardboard and sticking the two pieces together perpendicularly. I have a bird and two circle ornaments that I did the same way so they are 3D. For one ornament, I used a scotch scrub sponge to make the squares and wrote with a black sharpie marker. We want to celebrate Jesus's birth and his work in our lives! I painted Jaida's hand and pressed it on some cardboard. I only had red, yellow, blue, and green paints, so I mixed the red and blue to make purple and the red and yellow to make orange (more variety). You can see the 3D bird in this photo. I used the tops off of some beauty products to make the polka dots on some of the ornaments.This tree is free if you already have paint, yarn, paint brushes and cardboard! It was fun to make and will be easy to store. Jaida loves playing with it because it's like a mobile. :)"


What are some creative ways you have decorated on a budget for the holidays?