These sweet little paper trees will add a punch of Christmas color to your home and they’re fun to make; when I started I had only planned to make one, but I just couldn’t stop!

I – mostly – alternated the layers in red and green, but there are endless ways this would look cute.  Start by gathering they scrapbook papers you think you might use, and spread them out so you can see what you have.  You will need a full 12 x 12 sheet for the bigger layers, but as you get smaller, you can use up scraps.

Start by tracing a star that fills the 12 inch paper.  I used a metal star as a template, but if you don’t have something on hand to trace, you can look for a shape online.  Cut out the star.

Once you’ve gone all the way around, cut out the smaller star.

When you are finished, you will have a stack of paper stars, in descending size.

The next step is to fold them into a 3D shape.  Use a straight edge on the back to connect each point with the valley across from it, and score a fold with your finger. (if you need more detailed directions, see here.)

Repeat that step for all of the stars.

Now grab a dowel – this one is square, but it doesn’t need to be – and is about 12 inches long.

Using hot glue to keep it in place, wrap twine around the tip of the dowel.

Cut a small X in the middle of the paper star – don’t cut too big, you want the paper to fit tight onto the dowel to help keep it in place  – and then push the dowel through.

Repeat this process all the way down, alternating wrapped twine and stars, finishing with twine to keep everything in place.

For my medium sized tree, I used 7 stars.  For the bigger tree, I used 10 stars, using 4 of the same size on the bottom.  For the smaller tree,  I used the 5 smallest stars. When they were all done, I plopped them into white Ikea vases to display, using some blue tack in the bottom of the vase to hold them in place.

Chalkboard art is all the rage! I made a chalkboard last month and I love it. I saw this design on Pinterest yesterday and it looked easy enough to free-hand on my chalkboard. And it was! Took me about 10 minutes. There are more complicated designs out there, but I love the simplicity of this one.

If you want to make a chalkboard, here is what I did. I wish I would have taken photos to write a tutorial!

1. Measure the inside part of your frame where the board needs to fit in. Make sure it won’t be too loose, but not too tight.
2. Go to Home Depot and buy hardwood (comes in flat sheets 24″ long) and buy the 1/8″ thickness. Have them cut it to the size you want right there in the store!
3. At home, sand up the side a bit you are going to paint into the chalkboard.
4. Then prime it. (I used spray paint primer.)
5. Start painting with the chalkboard paint. Again, I used spray chalkboard paint. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS on the can carefully!!
6. After it has dried for 24 hours, ‘prime’ the surface of your chalkboard by taking a piece of chalk and color in the entire chalkboard with the side of the chalk. Then erase.
7. Insert into your frame, and make sure it is secure.
8. You are ready to go!

One thing I have learned is to use the right kind of chalk. ONLY USE chalk that has been made from calcium carbonate. Or it will ruin the chalkboard. This is a good kind to get, it is the kind I use and I love it.

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This is a very cheap and easy upgrade to a boring frame.  I had this painting in a simple black frame and it looked just fine where it was hanging before, but when I moved it into this grouping, everything was too much the same size-boring!

Rather than spend my afternoon chasing down an overpriced picture frame, I just mounted the existing frame on a bigger piece of wood painted to match the frame.

I started by cutting an old weathered piece of plywood down so that it was 2 inches bigger than the frame on each side.

This rough piece of wood works for the way I decorate, but you could easily find something more polished for cheap in a home improvement store and they will cut it to size for you.  This same method is adorable using a piece of beadboard.

Sand the wood down and paint it the same color as the frame – this is a good time to touch up the frame too if it needs it.

Once the paint is dry, put the art or photo back in, then attach the frame centered on the board.  I used hot glue because I want to be able to remove it later.

One hour upgrade; cost to me?  Nothing!

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