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This craft takes me back a LONG time lol, when I was in 4th or 5th grade, my class - along with my teachers help of course, did this cute little craft and took it home for our parents. My mother just loved it and kept it for years and it became a regular along with the other Christmas decor she put up.

This is called plaster of paris Christmas tree.

What you will need:

White construction paper (best size would be 12 or 14 inches x 18 inches)

scissors

newspapers

plast er of paris (do not make until ready to pour it drys VERY fast!)found in most crafts stores

small ornaments for your tree

glitter or any other decorations that you like

First you need to make your cone, this will be the shape of the Christmas tree so you can play with the height and width that is most appealing to you, a good starting point is either a 12 -14 inch base (the widest part of the tree) and 16 - 18 inches tall.
To make the cone shape, draw a wide triangle, then change the bottom from a straight line to a curved shape.

You may want to experiment using newspaper to get the shape right. Put a line of white glue ( I use the quick drying kind) down one side of the triangle. Then roll it into a cone shape. Use a paper clip on the top and bottom to hold it together until the glue dries.Once you are sure that the glue has dried, make sure you lay out the news paper or better yet, I do this outside just to make sure no plaster of paris lands on anything that it should not be on.

Place your cone on the paper lay out the ornaments you want with in close reach.

Now make the plaster of paris according to the directions, once it is mixed well, begin to slowly pour the plaster over the cone. This will form the shape of your tree. I have also used a dull knife to add designs in the plaster or make little curls up out of the tree to add a different look. but you must work fast. After you have the general look to your tree and the plaster is starting to set up, start adding the decorations, you can press them into the plaster - this works well with those tiny little balls you can buy or small figures that you would hang in a tiny tree.

After you have decorated your tree put it in a dry place and let dry completely 24-48 hours.

I have made these as gifts, for decor around my house, and let my kids make their own to put in their rooms.

Just be careful and pack it up nicely after the holidays so the plaster does not crack or break.

Remember that once the plaster is mixed you have to work relatively quickly have as much done as you can within 10-15 minutes after that the plaster is pretty hard to work with.

After you do your first one and get an idea of how it works you can get really creative and put tinsel or garland on your tree, fabric bows, etc. you can also tint the plaster with some food colouring, though I like the clean look of the white. I place my tree on a bit of angel hair on a table in my living room and get loads of compliments. A good way to store the tree is to stuff the interior with news paper to help support it. Enjoy!

Learn more about this author, Pamela Rodriguez.
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