DIY Copper Christmas Tree From a Safety Cone
Tis the season to get crafty and today I have the most festive Copper Christmas Tree to show you.
I had so much fun making this Copper Christmas Tree that I actually made not one, not two, but three of them! The crazy thing is these trees wouldn’t have even happened if I hadn’t procrastinated a little.
I’m not encouraging procrastination. I’m just saying sometimes procrastination closes the easy creative doors and forces you to become extra resourceful. I’m making procrastination sound not so bad, aren’t I?
The idea was in the back of my mind to use some copper flashing to make a Christmas tree this year. I wouldn’t have bought copper flashing for this craft because it wasn’t on my radar screen, but we had some leftover from a recent home project.
I planned on using a paper mâché cone for the foundation of my copper tree, but because I waited until mid-November to get started on this project, everyone else had ordered up all the paper mâché cones! This left me with either waiting for the cones I wanted to come back in stock or pay the exorbitant prices that some sellers were now charging.
Nope. Not going to do it.
I also could have left my house to see what was still in stock at the craft store, but I wasn’t in a gambling mood.
I did briefly consider making my own paper mâché cones, but the first rule of any paper mâché project is to avoid making a paper mâché project! In fact, I wrote a blog post about that once. I still don’t understand why that’s not my most popular blog post. If ever there was good advice…
But there must be other cone shapes out there, right?
That led me to the mack daddy of all cones – safety cones. Actual traffic safety cones that are 28-inches tall are really expensive for craft purposes, but safety cones used for sports games (12 – 15 inches tall) are much more affordable. In fact, they were cheaper and larger than paper mâché cones at the time I was purchasing them.
SCORE!
To transform my safety cone into a Copper Christmas Tree was as simple as cutting out the shapes I wanted out of the copper flashing (it easily cuts with scissors) and hot glueing them to the cone.
Bada Bing, Bada Bang! Christmas cheer!
I did end up cutting off the stabilizing base of the safety cone because my Copper Christmas Tree was plenty stable without it. It was also less complicated to cut off the base than figure out how to cover it.
The path of least resistance wins every time, folks.
If you don’t have copper flashing to use for this project you could also use metallic copper card stock.
When I was mid regret on the little issue of how I procrastinated about buying paper mâché cones, I texted a friend and asked, “Would it be weird to make a Christmas tree out of a safety cone?”
She’s been my friend since I was 12 years old and knows all my secrets so I trusted her when she said it wouldn’t be weird, it would be RAD! Also, she had some cones sitting in her garage that she would have given me if we lived closer. DANG IT. This is why we’ve got to make that childhood dream of living next door to each other come to fruition!
It was so much fun using unexpected materials to come up with this Copper Christmas Tree.
I’m incredibly happy with where this creative journey took me. An orange safety cone has never looked so festive!
Have you been crafting anything this holiday season?
Project Tips:
If you don’t have safety cones in your garage, here are the 15-inch ones I ordered. For my three trees, I used one at the 15-inch height. I cut the second and third cones down to 13 and 11 inches in height. Regular scissors easily cut through the cones, but you do need to be careful as the plastic can be slightly brittle.
I used York Copper Deck and Termite Flashing for the copper part of this Christmas tree. The flashing also cuts easily with scissors, but take care as the edges can be a little sharp.
These Copper Christmas Trees can be placed outside. The copper will start to patina if exposed to rain, but I think that would make them look even better! The only weak point in this scenario would be the glue, as the flashing and plastic cones are designed for outside use.
Thanks for following along on my creative process! Here are some other posts you might enjoy!
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