Video Tutorial: Dollar Store Tin Tile Christmas Trees

Watch me make these start to finish in the video below, including my birch log cutting struggles and my star Plan B. Then scroll down for the step-by-step photos and tips.

Step 1: Trace and Cut Out the Tin Tile Trees

Lay a wood tree cutout on the back of a tin tile scrap and trace around it with a Sharpie. Since you traced on the back, you don’t have to worry about cutting inside the marker line. Just do your best with your craft scissors and work your way around.

Cut out the star at the top too. At the bottom, skip the little trunk and cut straight across, because we’re adding a different tree trunk later. Repeat to make three.

Step 2: Remove the Labels and Spray Paint

Each wood tree has a little label on the back. Give it a quick blast with a heat gun and peel it off. Mine was really wonky and kept falling apart, so I used the smoothing tool I use for craft vinyl to scrape off the rest.

Normally I’d paint a layer of white chalk paint and then pounce on a green. This time we’re taking a shortcut: Rust-Oleum moss green satin spray paint on the backs of the wood trees and the fronts of the tin tile trees. Hold the pieces up at an angle while you spray so you get all the way around the edges of the wood.

Step 3: Glue the Tin Tile to the Wood Trees

Once the paint is dry, it’s time for my dynamic duo: E6000 for the permanent hold and hot glue for the instant hold, because I’m too impatient to wait for the E6000 to harden.

Remember, this is faux tin tile, which means plastic. Use the tiniest dots of hot glue, not a big blob, or it’ll melt. Put the two glues next to each other (don’t mix them). Your little wood trunk will still peek out at the bottom. No big deal, we’ll cover it.

Step 4: Distress with Dark Green Paint

We don’t HAVE to distress these, but we’re going to. Grab a small piece of a Dollar Tree dish sponge and the tiniest bit of FolkArt Matte paint in Thicket, and rub it over the raised details.

When you distress with one color, go light. But since we’re layering two colors, this first coat goes on thicker, because part of it gets covered by the gold. (One of my hot glue dots let go right about here. We’re just going to pretend that worked.)

Step 5: Add Antique Gold Rub ‘n Buff and Paint the Stars

Once the green is dry, grab a fresh piece of sponge and the tiniest bit of antique gold Rub ‘n Buff. Do a light coat over all three trees, stand back, and only add more if you want it. It’s hard to take away, and since our base coat is spray paint, you can’t just brush more base color back on.

Plan B moment: I wanted to cover the tin tile stars with wood stars from a Creatology wood kit I snagged on Michaels clearance (originally $24.99, on clearance for $10). Boo, the stars were too small. So I painted the whole star top solid gold with a small brush instead. The bottom of each star gets covered by a bow later anyway.

Step 6: Cut the Birch Log Bases

These birch logs come on a roll at Hobby Lobby every Christmas. My first try on a big log did not go well. I couldn’t get through it, so pick the skinnier logs.

Pull off the felt, then plan a 1/3 and 2/3 split so the trees end up with staggered heights. (Three same-size trees need a little visual interest!) Press in with your miter shears, score each side with the tip, go back and score a little deeper, then flip it over and score the back until it snaps. This only looks easy because the first time, there were four-letter words involved. Cut a front half and a back half for each tree.

Step 7: Attach the Birch Log Bases

Add a generous dab of hot glue to a log half and line it up right against the bottom of the tin tile tree on the front. Flip it over (look how pretty that painted back is!) and do the same with the other half on the back.

Make sure the bottoms are flush so the tree can stand. There will be a little seam between the two halves. If you want to get real extra, you could fill it with wood putty. Then the moment of truth… it stands! Big sigh of relief.

Step 8: Tie Mini Burlap Bows

Plan B, part two: I meant to use teal velvet ribbon, but it was too close to my green and didn’t give enough contrast. I thought about black and white check, but I get plenty of comments that it’s overused (and maybe there’s some truth to that). So I went with a thin 1/4-inch burlap ribbon with white trim.

Make a bunny ears bow: one loop, two loops, tie them in a knot. The white trim is only on one side, so flip the center piece before you tighten. Pull the tails down so they both face front, then finagle the loops until they’re the right size for your tree. Mine were too big at first, so I tightened the tails. Much better!

Cut the tails at a 45-degree angle and seal the ends with a lighter. Please be careful and don’t catch your craft room on fire. Easier option: make a loop, pinch it into a figure eight, and tie the center with another piece of ribbon.

Step 9: Glue the Bows Under the Stars

Add a little dab of hot glue and press a bow right at the base of each star. It hides how wonky my star bottoms turned out, and I’m happy with the way that looks.

Repeat with the other two trees.

Step 10: Steady the Trees with Poster Putty

I admit my tall tree was a little wobbly. You could hot glue the trees to a wood round or a stand, but I wanted three separate pieces I can move around and display anywhere.

I always keep poster hanging putty around, because my daughter is always changing up the concert posters in her bedroom. Wedge a dab into the crevice in the bottom of each log base, smooth it toward the edges, and press the tree down where you want it. A little goes a long way. No putty? Try Play-Doh, or the candle wax you use to keep taper candles in their holders.