Starfish Christmas Tree and Other Creative Ways to Decorate Your Tree

Starfish Christmas Tree

Creative and Unique Ideas for Decorating Your Christmas Tree

By Patty Martinez

When I came back from a business trip to Galveston, I had the novel idea of decorating my Christmas tree with starfish and seashells! Being in a beach environment inspired me to come up with new and simple ways to decorate my Christmas trees. My family loved the idea of a simple starfish tree!

starfish christmas tree supplies
I found a Martha Stewart white tree in a local antique shop here in Mckinney for $5 (!), and decided to use this white tree as a backdrop for the starfish and the sea theme.

I started out by getting a variety of authentic starfish via an online store; I also had some rope on hand and some shells that I had brought back from Galveston, and used some pretty, blue, wired-ribbon to put around the tree to bring in some of the colors of the ocean. I put the starfish here and there on the tree and strung the rope all the way around, and I added some seashells and some seahorses I made out of cardstock. It turned out to be pretty as a picture when it was lit up at night!

I thought about different ways we can decorate our Christmas trees by using a variety of things we have on hand. Here are some ideas:

*Use fun postcards that you collect throughout the years on your vacations. Better yet, enlist the help of family members and include their postcards too! Take some of your vacation photos and put them in cute see-through ornaments and hang them up on the tree!

*Disney tree – Did you go to Disney this year? Did you buy one of those fun mouse-ear hats? Use that as your Christmas tree topper! Then use pictures in ornaments and souvenirs, postcards, Disney toys, etc. and hang them from your tree branches! Make a cute tree skirt out of red felt, cut the Mickey silhouette out of black felt, glue it on and voila! Instant cute Disney tree skirt! Add a fringe to spiffy it up.

*Do you have some old jeans? Make ornaments out of them! Use your printer to print out some star and circle templates on card stock and use them as stencils. Trace them on the backside of the denim and cut them out; then just use fabric glue to glue the two pieces together, leaving a portion open to stuff them with some plastic grocery bags, scrap fabric or newspaper. Use glitter and craft paint to decorate them. Make a hanger on each ornament out of ribbon and hang from your tree. Add a western star out of brown cardstock (or if you’re handy, a piece of plywood) to the top as a tree topper.

*Use burlap to make ornaments using the same technique. Use rope to tie around the tree and make an earthy tree. Use a cone-shaped piece of foam to make an angel for the tree topper. Cover it with burlap or a piece of white fabric made from an old shirt. Use a pipe cleaner for the halo and wings. Use wire to pierce through the foam backing and tie it to the top branch.

*Make a toy-themed tree! Did your kids collect Hot Wheels when they were young? Use them as ornaments. Use other old toys to decorate your tree, such as slinkys, fuzzy dice, travel etch-a-sketch, small dolls – whatever – use your imagination.

*Make your own bread ornaments! That’s right. One year the kids and I made simple ornaments by using a loaf of bread. We took slices of white bread, used star, tree and gingerbread man-shaped cookie cutters and cut out shapes out of the slices of bread. Then you use a straw to pierce a small hole at the top to hang a ribbon through it. Let them sit for a few days until they harden; decorate them with paint and glitter. That’s it: a simple and easy craft to do with young children! We still have ours from years ago and hang them on the tree.

*Book page garland: tear off old book pages and make a garland for your tree. Poke through or glue some twine to each page. Add glued card stock letters to the front that spell out JOY or PEACE – or a combination that goes round and round your tree. You can get pre-made, glittery letters at your local crafts store.

*Make a nativity tree: find print-outs to color on the web and have your children color the nativity story characters; then glue them to card stock and cut them out. Punch holes at the top to hang. Add some plastic animals that are part of the nativity story to hang from the tree as well. I’ve seen bags of these animal toys at the craft stores and dollar stores.

*Kitchen Christmas trees – a thoughtful gift! Get a small tinsel Christmas tree in a festive color and decorate with kitchen gadgets, potholders and other utensils. The new bride and groom or college kid will love it!

By using your imagination and things you have around your house you can make simple and unique Christmas trees that don’t have to cost a fortune. Whether to give or to enjoy in your home, unique Christmas tree decorating can be a tradition that lives on for generations to come.

Patty Martinez is a photographer who lives in McKinney,Texas. A working mother of three children ages 20, 14 and 9, she has been happily married for 24 years. She blogs to maintain her sanity (almost) daily about decorating, parties, cooking, DIY and other randomness at www.nuestrasaventurasentexas.com“Our Adventures in Big Ole Texas”. You can see her photography at www.patriciamartinezphotography.com

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