See how easy DIY Christmas Tree Decorating can be. Using a few simple supplies, you can decorate an entire tree for under $30. Follow this tutorial to make a DIY burlap tree skirt and burlap garland.
For those of you who don’t know, I have two-year-old twins running around the house these days. They are adorable and tons of fun, but they are totally cramping my holiday decorating style! Last year I didn’t bother putting up a full-sized tree. It just didn’t seem to be worth child-proofing when I could put up a mini-tree instead and keep everything out of reach.
This year, I decided to put up a full-size tree, but with serious limitations on the decorations. Even with the “shatterproof” bulbs, I just don’t think having a bunch of ornaments for the kiddos to pull off the tree seems like a good idea. I opted instead for burlap and silk flowers – if the twins pull apart these ornaments, no harm done!
- Do you love dollar store decorations as much as I do? Then you’ll love these 16 Gorgeous Dollar Store Christmas Wreaths.
- And if you’re looking for a deal on quick Christmas decor, be sure to check out these 17 Insanely Affordable Christmas Pillow Covers.
Easy-Peasy Christmas Tree Decorating
Supplies Needed:
I ran over to JoAnn Fabrics on Black Friday and spent less than $30 on some supplies. You heard that right. I spent less than $30 decorating my tree this year. Hooray!
You’ll need:
- 7 yards of burlap (with a 50%-off coupon). You could probably get away with 5 yards. I had quite a bit left over for future projects.
- 7 bunches of white flowers – 75%-off special.
- 5 bunches of decorative acorn sprigs – 75%-off special.
- White ribbon – you could use twine or any old ribbon you have lying around.
- A large piece of cardboard
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Polyfill stuffing or crumpled paper
- … oh, yeah, and a tree. Mine is a 7.5-foot pre-lit tree.
How to Make a Burlap Tree Skirt
I started with my “$3 tree skirt.”
Step One: Measure the diameter of your tree base. The base for my 7.5-foot-tall tree was 22-inches. Add two inches.
Step Two: Cut a circle of cardboard the diameter (plus 2-inches) of your tree base. My circle was 24-inches in diameter.
Step Three:Â Center the cardboard circle under the tree base.
Step Four: Cut a large square of burlap with a length of 2 times the diameter of your cardboard circle plus 8-inches. Mine was 56-inches (24 plus 24 plus 8). Mine also wasn’t a perfect square, since the width of the bolt the burlap came on was a little less than 56-inches. It still worked out fine.
Step Five: Center your burlap square under the tree stand and cardboard circle.
Step Six: Add polyfill stuffing or crumpled paper around the tree stand.
Step Seven: Gather the corners of the burlap and tie a ribbon around the base of the tree.
Boom! There’s your $3 tree skirt solution!
How to Make Burlap Garland
Next up: Burlap Garland
Step Eight: Cut 6-inch strips of burlap. Follow this picture tutorial for cutting burlap without losing your mind:
Step Nine: Wrap your tree with burlap garland.
Step Ten: Gather your flowers and pine cone sprigs. Cut apart the bunches.
Step Eleven: Make bunches with three flowers and two acorn sprigs. Tie together with a ribbon or piece of twine.
Step Twelve: Set your flower bunches in your tree. No need to fasten them in – they will just sit in-between the branches.
There you go! That’s my toddler-friendly, under $30, Christmas tree decorating solution.
If you’re a seasonal decorator on a budget, you may enjoy this video where I set up a tree AND decorations for about $60!
LOVE the burlap tree skirt. LOVE IT!!
I love the simplicity of it! I have an 11 month old and our tree is decorated down to the last two feet…it’s not pretty, but its better than not having a tree at all I guess. 🙂 These are good tips, though. Perhaps next year.
First of all, I don’t blame you on the ornaments. Second, your tree is so beautiful! I love the burlap wrap on the bottom; gorgeous! Thank you for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in this week’s issue.