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:

Primitive and Proper

Maybe Matilda 

Decor and the Dog

NewlyWoodwards

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 Cuckoo4Design, Shift Ctrl Alt, Nalle's House, Primitive & Proper, Dwellings by Devore, and Bliss at Home.  You'll want to see what we each have up our sleeves! :)

Linking up to:

52 Mantels