Monday, December 16, 2013

DIY Starburst Tree Topper

Hubs and I have a skinny, pre-lit, artificial tree in our home.  My parents bought it for me when I first purchased my townhouse in November 2006.  It was perfect then because we didn't have a ton of floor space to work with, and luckily, the skinny tree transitioned well into our new home.  Even though we now have much more space, our layout is very open, and that makes Christmas tree placement quite tricky. Therefore, our skinny lil' tree = still our best bet.

And I don't mind that we don't have a huge-statement-making tree.  In fact, it's one of my least favorite things to decorate for Christmas. {GASP!}  Maybe that'll change as we grow our family and they help to trim the tree, but for now, I have a lot more fun spreading the festive cheer to all different areas of our living space. The mantel is by far my favorite thing to decorate, and what I focus on most.

All of that back story may help to explain why I don't have a great tree topper for our beloved little skinny. As a matter of fact, I think there were a few Christmases where I never even used a tree topper. {GASP again!}  Any super cute topper I'd find in a store would inevitably be too heavy for fakey to hold up straight.  Usually, I'd end up MacGyver'ing something to finish our tree off each year.  This year, I was set to MacGyver something again, when I saw the best DIY tree topper from Bethany, and I knew I had to make my own!

Unfortunately, I didn't have the exact supplies she used, so I had to improvise because I was on a tight deadline for the Blogger Stylin' Home Tour series and I was too lazy to run out to the store. ;)  Thankfully, I had everything I needed to make a knock-off version of hers: 1) a small styrofoam ball {from a craft project that never came to be}, 2) toothpicks and 3) gold spray paint.

Bethany used a PVC pipe to hold her topper up, but since I didn't have one myself, I used a small screw driver and dug out a narrow hole that went 1/2 way through the ball.  I stuck the top branch of my tree through this hole to keep my topper on and upright.

Then I just started poking toothpicks into the styrofoam...nothing too difficult here!



Watching Home Alone while you make your topper ins't mandatory, although it makes the process go more quickly! ;)




What do you guys think?  Not bad for a $0 project!!  I might even use this topper in years to come! ;)

I'm linking up my project to the Dare to DIY series hosted by four amazing bloggers:


This week Kim is hosting, so make sure you go by to see her project and to link yours up too!

Also, make sure you come back Wednesday for some jingle bell inspiration! I am participating in a Jingle Mingle with Cuckoo4DesignShift Ctrl Alt, Nalle's House, Primitive & ProperDwellings by Devore, and Bliss at Home.  You'll want to see what we each have up our sleeves! :)



Linking up to:

32 comments:

  1. Cute! I honestly didn't even pay attention to how skinny your tree was in the home tour but did notice the mantel and how everything went well together. Maybe I just thought the tree was perfect for your open living area? It definitely didn't stick out as "wow, she has a skinny tree" moment. I always buy real trees and every year it's something different - short and fat, tall and fat, tall and skinny... This year I kept it simple, looked for a tree with open areas, and put about half of my ornaments/decor on the tree. Keeping it simple!! :)

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    1. Thanks Megan! I like that you mix your tree up each year...and your keeping it simple theme is wonderful! :)

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  2. I want to make a handful of these for next year! Such an easy and awesome DIY!

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    1. Me too! I want to add to my collection...they make a great statement! :)

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  3. ooo this jingle mingle sounds fun...and yep you pulled it off as usual....plus when you spray paint anything gold it's a win in my book ;)

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    1. Aw, thank you, Trina! I feel the same way....anything gold = success! ;)

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  4. Love the topper. I just adore starburst and urchins. Such a big statement and so pretty!

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  5. so fabulous! i love the ease and cost of this project!

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  6. I love this topper! Believe it or not I have never put a topper on my tree! Haven't found one that screamed out this belongs on my tree. I love what a great statement yours makes!

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    1. Thank you, Cindy!! I'm glad you said that because I toppers just never felt right until this one. I'm glad I'm not the only one! :)

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  7. I love it! Sucha fun statement for the top of your tree. It's sparkly and beautiful, just like you! ;)

    Thanks for linking to Dare to DIY!

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  8. This is such a great idea!! I've had a tree without a topper for years now and finally bit the bullet and bought one - but I should have DIY'd something like this! So much more fun!

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  9. I should probably do this considering the top of my tree is currently bare! I love how it plays up the red ornaments and striped ribbon!

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    1. I totally support a bare tree top if you haven't found the right topper!! ;) Thanks Jenn! :)

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  10. Such a fun idea! We had to MacGyver our tree topper on this year. It's still standing but I'm honestly shocked it hasn't fallen yet haha

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    1. Thanks Caitlin! I love your tree and the topper...absolutely gorgeous! And yay for MacGyver'ing things! :)

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  11. Cute! I love anything gold =) Your tree looks beautiful!

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  12. I love your tree topper, especially the color!! :)

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  13. I love it, it looks great! I'v never really had a tree topper either so I was glad to finally have something festive up there!

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    1. Aw, thanks...and thank you so much for the inspiration!! Xo!

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  14. LOVE this, Gabbi! I'm featuring it on my blog today. Thanks for joining in!

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    1. Thank you so much, Rachel! You made my day with your feature!! :)

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