Sparklin' Spool Tree

Here at the Patch, it's beginning to look a bit like Christmas.  And I have the {unexpected} honor of "kicking-off" its holiday season for you.  Be sure to visit The Creative Patch often this month for lots of holiday inspiration, recipes and creative tutorials.  Also, there will be some lovely new gardeners participating this month; you won't want to miss them!

Every year for more than a decade now, my daughters and I have gotten together with Sheila and her two children for a pre-Christmas party.  We always make a few crafts and a glittery mess, too!  When I saw a Christmas tree {in an issue of PaperCrafts magazine} made out of cute little spools, I knew it would be a fun craft for all of us to enjoy.

To make one of your own, you will need the following supplies...

Spools, tart tin, spray paint and adhesive, mica flakes and/or glitter, decorative papers (I used pages from old books}, glue gun & glue, scissors or paper-cutter, ribbon, and a variety of embellishments

{ buttons, pins, etc}

The first thing you'll want to do is to spray paint the tart tin {and the spools if you choose} and allow it to dry.  Then spray the tin with an adhesive {like Elmer's} and sprinkle some glitter all over it. 

(Hint: It's best to use the spray paint and/or adhesive outdoors or a well-ventilated place.  And be sure to protect your surface so you don't get unwanted patches of paint/glue on anything special!}

While the paint dries on the tin, you can cut strips of paper to fit the width of the spools.  Wrap a strip around each spool, remove any excess and glue the paper to the spool.

Next, you'll need to start gluing the spools together to form your tree.  Lay each row of spools end to end, placing some glue between them, and press them together.  Starting from the bottom, add each layer and glue together. For my tree, I used twelve spools total...

two rows of 3, two rows of 2, 1 spool for the top, and 1 for the trunk.

After your tree is formed, then spray it with adhesive {I did one side at a time} and sprinkle mica flakes/glitter all over the spools {it will be messy, so again, protect your crafting area}.  Let dry for a few minutes. 

All that's left to do is wrap some ribbon around the trunk/base and glue the whole thing to the tart tin.

Add some pretty embellishments and enjoy your sparklin' spool tree.

Wishing you lots of holiday happiness! And remember to stop by TCP often to see what else will be sparkling.