Category: General

So I made a thing.  And I’m really proud of the thing.  Can I show you the thing?

Okay, I know the picture quality leaves something to be desired, but it’s a Christmas tree!  You see, my mom had a stroke over the summer and she’s been in a rehabilitation center ever since.  And the room that she shares with another lady isn’t big enough for her to really have much in the way of personal items. Which is fine, except that woman is one of the biggest fans of holiday decorations that has ever set foot on the planet.  And somehow, I just felt that a simple wreath on her room door wasn’t going to cut it.

So, when I realized that I had about 50 of those plastic hangers lying around, I made up my mind to do something a lot more cool than just a wreath.  It didn’t take long to see how everything needed to fit together to make it work.  And as an extra bonus, during my trip to the dollar store to pick up some small miniature decorations, I found some battery operated Christmas light necklaces.  Score!

So, this is absolutely a great alternative for anyone who can’t put up a tree, since it hangs flat against the wall.  Or you could hang it on your door instead of a wreath!  Anyway, here’s the secret:  It’s not hard to make at all!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 18 plastic hangers
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Green spray paint
• Assorted miniature decorations
• 4 battery operated Christmas light necklaces
• A pack of miniature red bows
• One regular size star or angel ornament
• Optional: garland (one 20 foot strand) and miniature stockings
• Approximately 3 hours of your time (an hour or so gluing, allowing time for each bond to set; about 30 minutes for painting and another hour or so for decorating)
• Note that you should let the paint dry in a well ventilated area, preferably overnight!

Step One:

Preheat your glue gun.  Start arranging the hangers to see how they will fit together best.  (I did clip off the arms of the two on the second level with a pair of wire cutters, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary.  I could have made it work without doing that, but the way it looked bothered me for some reason.)

Step Two:
Starting with the top hanger, start gluing each hanger, letting the glue harden in between.  Try to set the hooked part as flatly on the shoulder area as possible, so there is more surface area for the glue to adhere to.
When you apply the glue, fill the tracks of the hook and then set it in place, holding it in place for a few seconds until the glue starts to set.  Then take your glue gun and put a bead all around the edges, like you’re applying caulk.  Be careful though, I burned myself a bunch of times during this step, before I thought to use wooden clothespins to hold them in place while the glue set. 
Tip: Try to do this close to a sink and if you get hot glue on you, immediately run it under cold water.  This will cause the glue to cool, as well as harden so it can be removed more easily.  Keep running the cold water over the burned skin – it will also help minor burns from blistering.

Now, let me say that you don’t have to do this many rows if you don’t have enough hangers.  Once you hit the seventh row though, you’ll want to put a third hanger in the row, just to keep everything stable.

Step Three:
Give everything about an hour for the glue to completely harden.  Move to a well-ventilated area and be sure to put down newspapers/old sheets/a tarp to catch any overspray.  Apply the spray paint in a steady sweeping motion, allowing time to dry in between coats. (The paint can should have specific instructions on drying time) 
Allow the paint to dry completely before continuing.  I left mine hanging outside overnight, since the paint that binds to plastic best has some noxious fumes to it.

Step Four: 
Time to start decorating!  I already had the blue bead garland and ornament hooks, so all of this only cost me $9 at my local dollar store.

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First, I attached the star, by straightening the hooks and using them to wrap it to the top hanger hook.  After that, I hung the tree on a wreath hook on my china cabinet to make it easier to work with.

Next, I strung the garland, using the red bows (the kind with the twist ties) to secure them to the hangers in strategic spots. Again, I used clothespins to hold the garland in place, so I could be sure I had it distributed evenly on the tree.

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After that, I hung the lights (again securing with the bows) and then the decorations.  I got excited when I saw how close I was to being finished and forgot to keep taking pictures.   
Anyway, here’s the finished product:

My mom loves it and people have been coming by her room just to look at it.  So, well worth the time and effort.

Hope you guys enjoyed this, let me know if there’s anything I could improve! (Other than the picture quality, obviously!)