Add this to the category of "things I DIYed but could have paid less if I bought off the shelf." Also add this to the category of "things I meant to post about before Christmas but didn't and yes today is December 30, so I am getting this one in right under the wire."
Back at the beginning of the holiday season, I made a Christmas tree skirt. And by "make" I mean simply cut some felt and trim, and glue the trim onto the skirt. Super easy, but not super affordable. But I love it, and it's totally my style, and I made it with my little girl, so I guess that is priceless. At least that is what I am telling myself. Here's the skirt!
I saw this gorgeous tree skirt on Design*Sponge last year, and it seemed easy enough. My old tree skirt was very simple red scalloped felt -- something I grabbed at Target just because I needed something to cover the bottom of the tree (my mom had made one for me before but I think it got destroyed or lost in a move or it's possible it's still being used by my ex). So when I saw this gorgeous, textured number from Design Sponge that was a DIY, I thought it was perfect.
I printed out the Design*Sponge tutorial, which was my shopping list and got my supplies at JoAnn's. I bought a big piece of ivory felt that was in their scrap bin (they had several of these) and then spent some time with the trim picking out exactly what I wanted. Ummmm, it was super expensive. I almost died when the cashier told me the total (which was close to $100 ...) but decided I was committed to this project and would see it through. This was last year.
On the morning that we put up our tree (which was the weekend after Thanksgiving), my little girl and I made the skirt by following the directions on the tutorial. It was very easy. The hardest part was choosing which trim to put where on the skirt. First, we cut a hole in the center. Easy enough.
Then, we glued the tassel/brush trim around the edges and in the middle. In order to make the skirt look nice and neat and not like a roving band of preschoolers did it, I used a ruler to make sure that the trim was at least somewhat uniformly placed around the skirt.
There was no science to it. We chose which trim we liked and where it should go. I regret not buying more of the thick sequined trim. We ran out of that and could only do one strip of it. Sad face.
Then, we glued the tassel/brush trim around the edges and in the middle. In order to make the skirt look nice and neat and not like a roving band of preschoolers did it, I used a ruler to make sure that the trim was at least somewhat uniformly placed around the skirt.
There was no science to it. We chose which trim we liked and where it should go. I regret not buying more of the thick sequined trim. We ran out of that and could only do one strip of it. Sad face.
The skirt is a little small, but my tree is also a little small, so the scale works. If I do this again (and that's a big "if" given the cost of the supplies), I would make sure to get a very large scrap of fabric for the skirt. Here it is complete and under the tree!
Whew! Just under the wire with the Christmas craft. I hope you had terrific holidays. The new year is upon us. Time for fresh starts, resolutions and renewed hope that this year will be the best one yet.
