Though real Christmas trees are wonderful, not all of us have the time, space, or energy to deal with them. So if your tastes lean to the more industrial, minimalist side of things, you can make your own little Christmas trees out of cement. These concrete Christmas trees are reusable, require no maintenance, and you don’t have to worry about ornaments or lights. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t have both a real tree and some of these mini ones. They’re pretty quick and addictive to make, so go ahead and make a whole forest.
Materials
- CementAll, or other quick-setting cement or concrete
- Felt
- Hot glue gun
- Card stock or poster board
- Scissors
- Duct tape
- Mixing container
- Stir stick
- Paper cups
- Sandpaper (optional)
- Tree cone templates
Step
Print out templates, place on poster board or card stock, and cut out.
Gently roll up each template with the shiny, coated side in, and carefully tape closed. Any creases will show in the final tree cones, so try not to crease the molds. Place in an overturned paper cup with a hole punched in the bottom.
Step
Mix cement or concrete according to the instructions on the package. Quickly spoon into the cones, shaking them as you fill to eliminate air bubbles. Let cure according to the package instructions.
Step
After the cement has set, peel the tape off of the cones to reveal your mini cement trees. If the paper has stuck to your trees, you can soak them in water to remove any residue. You can also wet sand to buff out lines and imperfections.
Step
Trace around the bottom of the tree cones on felt, cut out the circles slightly smaller, and hot glue onto the bottom of the cones.
Want to know how to care for a real Christmas tree? Check out our Christmas tree maintenance guide.
