Do you have odd Christmas traditions in your family? Ever since I was little my Mom has been making these DIY Potpourri Christmas Trees.
For her birthday this month we had a craft day together and made them over warm mugs of Twinning Christmas Tea. They’re a cute addition to your Christmas decor, especially if you use the cinnamon/spiced scented potpourri!
The big star of this craft is… well… a HUGE bag of potpourri! You can find it at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond or just about any craft store. You’ll have a variety of colors to choose from – from reds and browns (like mine!) to bright greens and purples.
Getting started is easy. First, PUT ON CHRISTMAS MUSIC. Then, pick out the mostly flat pieces of potpourri. Starting from the bottom and working up to the top, swirl some hot glue on a piece of potpourri, then press it onto the cone.
Your goal here is to fill up as much space as you can. Don’t worry about gaps/holes — you’ll take care of that in the next step.
Don’t get too discouraged in the first step. It won’t look like anything spectacular. Just keep glueing away and soon you’ll be able to add your creativity/textured pieces to the mix.
Psst. See that small cone in the background? You can make miniature trees, too!
My Mom was a pro – covering her tree in lightning speed! See those scissors? If a potpourri piece was too big, we cut it into the shape we wanted.
Here’s my tree with: (1) flat pieces of potpourri; (2) textured pieces added to fill in holes; (3) embellishments added (cinnamon sticks); (4) any “bare” spaces filled in.
Now the fun begins. Sparkles. Lots of sparkles! Grab your can of glitter spray and head to a garage or outside to do this next step.
Set your tree on a piece of newspaper or cardboard. Sprinkle about a hand full of fake snow over your tree, then spray it with glitter from about 3 feet away. Shake the tree of excess snow.
You’ll see the difference immediately! The plain potpourri tree is very pretty, but the glitter and snow add that extra Christmas touch (see below)! If you have any questions about making this tree, leave a message!
Have a Merry Little Christmas!
- 1 styrofoam cone
- Hot glue gun, with a whole package of glue sticks
- 14 oz bag of potpourri (note: you won’t use all the potpourri, but the more you have, the more pieces you have to choose from!)
- 1 piece of newspaper/cardboard
- Fake snow (small hand full)
- Spray glitter (I used a 5.75 oz can of Krylon Glitter Blast in Diamond Dust – it’s the most clear, sparkly version)
- Pour the potpourri into a large bowl for easy sifting. Turn on your hot glue gun and have extra refill sticks nearby (you’ll need them!).
- First, stand your cone so that it looks like a Christmas tree. Pull out the MOSTLY FLAT pieces from the potpourri bowl. One piece at a time, swirl hot glue on it and press it onto the styrofoam cone. Repeat until the cone is MOSTLY covered.
- Next, pick out textured/non-flat pieces to fill in the gaps you missed is step #2 (note: this is when your tree will start to look nice – be creative!)
- Lastly, pick out little flowers, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, etc. embellishments and scatter them around the cone. Ensure that your tree is balanced – fill in any sections that need more texture, a different color, etc.
- Once your potpourri tree is filled in, place it on newspaper or cardboard. Sprinkle fake snow onto it. Then, from a 3 foot distance, evenly spray the glitter Krylon around the tree.
- Shake free of excess snow, then let dry (about 20 minutes).
these are cute. will be trying this out too. Nice site Ashley.
Thanks! My Mom and I used to make these all the time growing up.