When I decided to teach PLANTED, my 10-week Bible study for women, I decided to film the teachings. I mean, why not? Right? But I didn’t want the stage to look “BLAH” either. So I prayed about a background. I needed a sturdy, light, easy to move, creative, cool enough to be in an ANTHROPOLOGIE window, and big enough to cover up the empty band instruments. That’s not a hard request, right? Not for God. He totally came through, as always. And, this is what He gave me . . . TREES!
Below is a tutorial for how to make these awesome trees!
You will need: 1/4 inch 4 x 8 feet Plywood, Circular Saw, Pencil, Fabric, Glue Gun, Glue Sticks, and 3M SprayMount

Start with a piece of 1/4 inch, 4 x 8 feet plywood and trace a triangle. I made a total of six trees. Two trees had a four foot base and the top of triangle measured 8 feet. Two trees had a four foot base and reached to 7 feet. Two trees had a four foot base and reached to 5 feet.

Step One: Start with a piece of 1/4 inch, 4 x 8 feet plywood and trace a triangle. I made a total of six trees. I had five sheets of plywood. Two trees had a four foot base and the top of triangle measured 8 feet. Two trees had a four foot base and reached to 7 feet. Two trees had a four foot base and reached to 4 feet. Place the plywood on sawhorses and using a saw, cut out the shapes. Obviously, I had some help!


Step two: Using one of the scrapes left over from your “triangle trees,” cut a half moon. This measures about 2.5 feet wide and 1.5 feet high. Make two “slits,” one in triangle tree and one in half moon so the pieces will fit into one another like a puzzle. The half moon is the base of the tree that makes it stand on its own. Make a Half Moon for each tree.


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Step Three: Assemble the trees to see if this is the height and width that you envisioned. It’s looking good!


Step Four: Collect the fabric that you want to cover your trees. I stuck with a green/ brown palate . . . but you could get really creative here! I also went to the remnate section to get my fabric at a lower cost.

Step Four: Collect the fabric that you want to cover your trees. I stuck with a green/ brown palate . . . but you could get really creative! Tip: I went to the remnate section to get my fabric at a lower cost. You can also get “scrapes” from an upholster.


 
Step Five: Lay out and cut your fabric to fit the "tree." I decided to go with a stripe look so I could use all different fabrics.

Step Five: Lay out and cut your fabric to fit the “tree.” I decided to go with a stripe look so I could use all the different fabrics.


Step Six: Once you have your fabric cut, glue the seams with hot glue. I decided to make my seams inside out for a cooler effect. Once you have the fabric ready, spray the underside with 3M SprayMount. I started at the top of the tree and worked my way down. Tip: I took my "trees" and placed them back on the sawhorses to do this. Spray the board as well and do this outside!

Step Six: Once you have your fabric cut, glue the seams with hot glue. I decided to make my seams inside out for a cooler effect. Once you have the fabric ready, spray the underside with 3M SprayMount and stick to the plywood. I started at the top of the tree and worked my way down. Tip: I took my “trees” and placed them back on the sawhorses to do this. Spray the board as well and do this outside! Make sure you cover your “half-moons” as well!


 
Step Seven: I added "tiles" of fabric to each of my trees to give it more texture and stood them all up to see how I liked the end result! I love it!

Step Seven: I added “tiles” of fabric to each of my trees to give it more texture and stood them all up to see how I liked the end result! I love it!


 
Voila! This is set for PLANTED! It's perfect! And now, I have a great Christmas decoration as well!

Voila! This is set for PLANTED! It’s perfect! And now, I have a great Christmas decoration as well!

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