Making a Christmas tree out of newspaper seems like a good alternative for recycling materials that you have lying around.
This advanced and fiddly project is for people used to working with a wicker basket pattern. I think this work would be good for someone with lots of time and if their health would benefit from using their hands, that’s even better.
Watching the video is not for the faint-hearted either. I used the settings button in the bottom right corner to slow it down, but it was still a bit fast. To see some of the steps I needed to progress second by second.
Having said that, the reason I have included this tutorial is that the end-result is an absolutely beautiful Christmas tree. And the method for creating the star is useful and could be used in other projects.
Supplies Needed
- Newspaper
- Light cardboard
- Scissors
- Sticky tape
- Stapler
- Bamboo skewer or thin rod
- Holepunch
- Red or orange paper
For The Star
- A piece of Styrofoam
- Marker pen
- Nails
- Red twine
- Glue
Step-By-Step Instructions
The Star
- Draw a star shape onto the Styrofoam.
- Place nails into the foam in the shape of a star.
- Put one extra nail at the bottom for the stand or handle of the star.
- Squeeze glue into a dish.
- Soak the twine in the glue.
- Run the twine around the nails, including the bottom nail.
- Leave to dry.
- Remove the nails to reveal your Christmas star.
The Cone
- Roll the carboard into a cone shape, tape in place.
- Cut off the bottom of the cone evenly.
- Ensure your tree will stand on its own.
The Newspaper Rolls
- Cut the newspaper into 3 or 4 sections.
- Take a section and place the skewer at the corner.
- Start rolling the newspaper onto the skewer, making sure that the skewer is not completely buried.
- When you get to the other corner, place glue on the tip.
- Continue rolling and set the glued section into place.
- Repeat until you have a big pile of newspaper tubes.
The Wicker Effect
- Place 3 rolls in a star shape on the table, and staple them in the middle.
- Put the cone on top.
- Bend the newspaper rolls at the edge of the cone and twist to start the wicker pattern.
- Twist and add rolls to continue the wicker pattern.
- When you get to the top, cut off the excess of the remaining rolls.
- Place the star in the hole at the top of the cone.
- Glue the top roll around the star.