Paper Miniature Tree Skirt

Has your budget been small this year? Do you not have the space for a full tree? Do you just want to add some traditional cheer to a countertop or other small space?

Finding small cloth tree skirts can be a pain, and they may or may not have the colors or patterns you want. Never fear, you can always print one!

What do I mean? Read on to find out!

First, you'll need your tree. I got a miniature 18-inch one from K-Mart. That size seems to work, as it's decoratable without being too cumbersome or unwieldly in small spaces. I find it to be a good size to work with, because it needs a skirt without being too small to maneuver safely when arranging it. We don't want the tree to be so small we crush it, now do we...

Also necessary are: a pair of scissors, a glue stick or other glue, a sheet of aluminum foil and a printout of a 'tree skirt'. I got mine off of the internet, though any circular pattern would do. Just make sure it's big enough to cover the base of your tree, and you're good to go!

First, you'll need to have a printout ready to cut, and make sure it's cut to size. Then you're going to glue it to the aluminum foil so that it's face-up. You can also substitute plain cloth (like a scrap of quilting fabric or an old sheet) if you want it to drape more fluidly and aren't going to have it remain in one place. I chose aluminum, because I can mold it to look however I want without worrying about how gravity or breezes or moving it around would affect it.

You'll want to cut it out now, trimming off the extra foil around the edges. This will leave  you with an aluminum-and-paper patterned disc.

After that, you'll want to cut one line down the back, or wherever you want the back to be.

Once you've done that, carefully cut out a hole big enough to go around the very stem of your little tree, so that the foil doesn't get too crinkled until you're ready to arrange it.

Carefully slide the stem of your tree through the slit, resting the skirt around the base of your miniature tree.

Crease or fold, flare or mold, crinkle or leave flat to your heart's content. Remember, this is YOUR creation, and you can have it molded any way you want.

If you want it bigger, you can always make one out of construction paper or use bigger printing paper, or a different design altogether. The choice is yours.

You can also save it, or make another one entirely for whatever theme you want to go with for next year. It's disposable, so if you want to give a christmas tree to someone who doesn't have one, it won't cost you but maybe five minutes and a piece of foil.

It's a great way to keep kids busy as well, if they want to help with decorating and you happen to have a small tree for them to play with.

Enjoy!