Thankful Tree: {DiY}

Yes, you read that title right. I'm about to explain a diy project I did, which means I got crafty, y'all! It was great :).  And now the craftiness is gone for a while...again. Oh well. I sure did love this craft, though!

I'm continuing in all of the thankfulness from November - my cup overfloweth. Seriously. So, what better way than to show you all my November thankful project?!

The initial search for this project was unbelievable because there are literally SO MANY different ways you can create your special tree! Seriously, go google 'thankful tree diy' and there are tons of different variations! So, get creative! And if you lack creativity like myself, head on over to Crafts Unleashed for the version I stuck pretty closely to. While I didn't veer off too much from this tutorial, I did have to get creative {so to speak} with a few parts. Here's the lo-down on the thankful tree diy.

What you'll need:
+ twigs/branches
+ paper mache box
+ masking tape
+ casting plaster
+ green moss
+ silk fall leaves
+ fun decorations and embellishments

Not too bad, huh? I found all of these {besides the branches and silk leaves} at Hobby Lobby! No surprise there! The branches came from our apartment complex - straight from nature! And, the silk fall leaves I actually found at Dollar Tree. SCORE! Crafts Unleashed has options to buy from their site as well, but I was too impatient to wait for the stuff to get to me! So, Hobby Lobby and Dollar Tree it was. Definitely my go-to's! I'm not ashamed.

Directions: {I'm not going to into deep, thorough details here because you can find them very specific at Crafts Unleashed! I didn't sway [much], I swear!}

Collect branches and tape together in the pattern that you like the best.

Mix the casting plaster {yes, I actually used casting plaster - the stuff is cheap!}

Add the plaster to the paper mache box. Then, immediately add your branches! {I also included a giant, sparkly flower to my project, so I added that at this time as well.} The very crafty Shaunte over at Crafts Unleashed propped hers up with a photo easel and a clip. I, however, just held it for a few minutes until it started setting. It worked just fine, as I was pretty distracted by the tv show I was watching at the time. Thank you, Castle!

Now, cover the base of the tree so the plaster and tape don't show! You can use the green moss for this; however, my hot glue did not hold at all for this part, so I had to sort of wing it!  I got enough of it to stick, but it was a hassle.

Then, I followed the creative advice of Shaunte, once again, and used mini clothespins to add the cuteness to my tree! Seriously! Use the clothespins to add the leaves and other embellishments to your tree. It's also a way to change up the tree for the different seasons! I'm on the hunt for some cute snowflakes for Christmas!

I also got Colten to join in on the fun {I won't lie - he also helped me with the plaster part; I didn't want to make a 'huge' mess! Also, he searched for tree branches. That's true love right there!}. He wrote what he was thankful for on one of the tags, as did I! They add such a cute and personal touch to this project! I love it!

Then, decorate the bottom of the tree however you'd like! I added a mini chalkboard rectangle so that I can change out what it says for each season. For my thankful tree, though, it says "So thankful...". I also hot-glued some ribbon to the base of the paper mache box {which is actually the lid}! Country chic for sure! Well, to me anyway! :)

This project was pretty inexpensive and so much fun! It defniitely added some fall spirit to our home!