Sound Wave Wood Art

Twig Holiday Trees

Dumpster Day.......O' Dumpster Day..... You would not believe the crafting supplies I find on trash pick-up day. My husband has even gotten in on the joys of looking at what is discarded on dumpster day recently commenting, "I saw something up the block that looked interesting.  I'll bet you could make something out of it!"  Recent finds include cabinet doors that I plan to turn into farmhouse signs, scrap lumber that has become pieces for wooden wall art projects, and sections of willow garden fencing that I have been taking apart and using for all kinds of projects.

This week I have been using the willow twigs from the garden fencing to make holiday trees--even though it is the beginning of November and the grass is still green (or it was until yesterday when it snowed!)

Crafters, craft.........makers, make and dumpster divers are always trying to figure out how to turn trash into treasures.

Materials I Gathered Before Starting:

• Sharp Kitchen Scissors/garden pruners/saw:  The willow twigs are easily cut with kitchen scissors or garden pruners, which is what I use for this project 90% of the time.  When I am making a bunch of these little trees, I will use a saw and cut a number at once.  
• Wood base: Downed branches cut into rounds is what I used in the samples on this page, but I have also used scrap pallet wood or a 2 x 4  cut into squares.
• Drill with large & small bits:  I use the large bit to drill the hole in the wooden base and the smallest bit to drill the holes in the twigs.
• Wood Glue:  Maybe not needed, but I use a dab of wood glue to secure the twig to the base.
• Wire:  Baling wire or the wire flags that are used to mark sprinkler heads or underground cabling  I have used both but love it when I see the marking flags in the trash heaps of our neighborhood--it is like striking gold!
• Needle Nosed Pliers/Wire Cutters: I use these to cut my wire to the correct size.
• Ruler:  I like to have a ruler close by so that I can reference it when drilling the twigs.
• Twig of varying sizes:  As I have shared above, I used willow sticks from a "dumpster find" but tree twigs/branches of varying sizes work well--especially if they are dried and easy to cut.  
• Jute/Ribbon:  I like to add a little jute bow as a tree topper. Ribbon, stars & buttons also work well as tree toppers.

Getting Started:

Step #1:  Gather your materials and cut a 3-6" twig/branch to use as your tree trunk.  You will want to select one that is roughly as wide as your largest drill bit.

Drill a hole in the base for the
tree trunk, then add the stick tree trunk,
glue and wire.

Step #2:  Drill a hole in the base you are using (pallet square or tree/branch round) with your largest drill bit and add a dab of wood glue to the drilled hole.  Place your 3-6" twig tree trunk in the drilled hole.  Make sure the branch is inserted in the hole and relatively straight.

Step #3:  Switch to your smallest drill bit and drill a whole in the top of your 3-6" twig tree trunk.

Step #4:  Use needle nosed pliers or wire cutters to cut a wire 5-7 inches.  Add a dab of glue to the end of the wire and insert the wire into the hole that was drilled in the top of the twig tree trunk.  You now have the base for the tree and the fun part begins.

Step #5:  Use your garden pruners or kitchen scissors to cut the gathered twigs in sizes ranging from 6 inches to 1/2 inch.  Lay the cut branches out to look like a Christmas tree with the largest ones at the bottom and the smallest ones at the top.  You will need a few of each size depending on how long you have cut your wire.  I have a ruler close by to measure my wire and the twigs as I lay them out. (see picture below)

Here is the work process--base tree trunk is
assembled, twigs are drilled (notice the ruler)
and I have begun adding the twigs to the wire.

Step #6:  Using the smallest drill bit you have available, drill holes at the center of each twig.  If I have a 6 inch twig I drill a hole at 3 inches.  I like to drill all of the twigs at once which makes the assembly process much quicker.

Step #7:  Now it is time to assemble the finished trees!  Beginning with the longest twigs, find the drilled hole and place it on the tree trunk wire.  Continue adding the cut twigs that you have drilled until you reach about 1/4" from the end.  You could just turn the wire down with pliers and add a bow, but I like to glue a small wooden twig to the end to cover the wire.

Step #8:  Use wood glue to add your tree topper.  I used a jute bow in my example, but you could use ribbons, and brass button, etc.  

Tips:

• When doing this project with the "littles" I cut and predrill everything so that the little ones can simply assemble and decorate the tops.