Twig Christmas Tree

This twig Christmas tree craft can be made for pennies, by using fallen branches found in your yard and a handy dandy hot glue gun.

 While I was picking up fallen branches in the yard, I started thinking about how pretty the wood is, and how I might create something with all the twigs. I decided to try to make a twig Christmas tree to add to our holiday decor. They were super easy to make and turned out better than I imagined.

How to Make Twig Christmas Trees

Step 1. First, pick out two somewhat straight thicker branches for the trunk. Then gather as many small twigs and branches as you can find.

Step 2. In an attempt to rid them of fungus, mold, insects, and larvae, I soaked all the wood in my sink with hot water and about 1/2 cup of bleach. Then I rinsed them off, and set them out on newspaper to dry.

Step 3. Drill out a hole in a couple of pieces of scrap wood. Then use a bit of gel stain to darken the wood if desired. Once the trees are made you can hot glue them into the bases to keep them balanced.

Step 3. Next, start hot gluing similar sized twigs several inches up the trunk. You want to leave enough room to show some of the bottom of the trunk, including space to glue into the wood base.

Step 4. Next glue more twigs above the first layer, making sure that they overlap the first set as shown above.

Thinner twigs worked best at the top. I tried to get them to come to a point.

Don't worry about any stray hot glue strings. Just hit them with a hot blow dryer and they will melt away.

They look very rustic on my mantel. I'm not sure if they will stay there for the holidays or be placed somewhere else in our home. I love the natural look they have, and although I'm calling them mini Christmas trees, the more I think about it, the more I think they would look great all year long.