Mini Forest

I get so excited to decorate my holiday table for Christmas dinner!  I also love to try new recipes…but since my family members are creatures of habit, I often serve up many of the same recipes for our holiday meal each year!  It’s hard to deviate from something that works and everyone looks forward to!  But as far as decorations are concerned…I have plenty of freedom to experiment!  I don’t think I’ll hear any complaining about the color I choose for the table runner, but it would be an outrage if there was no sweet potato casserole!  So since the menu is pretty set…I’ll be content to play around with the table decor and create something special for our meal together!  I haven’t yet decided on a centerpiece…but I can tell you it will be simple!  But while busily crafting for Giggle this season, I’ve had the opportunity to have plenty of holiday supplies on hand, some of which inspired the idea for place cards on my Christmas table!  I love simple DIY projects…and this one is so easy and requires minimal AND inexpensive supplies from the craft store!  Have a peek at what I’m making…

a mini forest for the table!

most craft stores will carry a variety of tiny trees at Christmastime.  and any tree you like would do…whether it be bottle-brush, plastic, or tinsel–pick what you love!  and you’ll also find plenty of items to create the base for your tiny tree…i chose these little wood slices but cork, mini terracotta pots, or styrofoam would work too!

i loved the shape of these tiny green trees found at Michaels in their holiday miniature collection.  knowing i wanted to insert them into the wood slices i used simple nippers to clip the trunk of the tree on an angle.  there’s no wire inside the trunk so scissors would work easily too!

not wanting to haul out the drill for this tiny project, i cut corners by using a large nail to create a hole which would hold the tree trunk.  besides, a drill might go directly through the wood slice and right into my craft table!  this alternative was much easier…and potentially less destructive!

…a tiny squirt of hot glue is just enough to hold the trunk snugly in the hole.  don’t worry if the trunk doesn’t fit perfectly inside…the glue will hold it in place easily since it’s so small and lightweight!

whenever i’m crafting i typically make a mess!  when you’re cutting things apart you’re bound to have tiny scraps of materials all over your working surface. this isn’t a requirement for crafting but a useful thing to have on hand–a tiny trash container to quickly tidy up your space!  i used the adorable packaging of a favorite candle to contain my mini messes!  i stole the idea of using this cute cardboard container from a friend who uses hers to hold supplies!  i thought it was a brilliant notion…

and a great way to recycle!

once the tiny trees were secured i just needed some name tags!  these tiny flags from Hobby Lobby are just the right size…

and i just love the gold grommet!  some simple jute twine to tie the tag on…and done!

this mini forest will be the inspiration for my holiday table…

simple, natural, and easy!