Hey Y’all!!!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Are you ready for turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings? I know I sure am! I am so ready to spend the holidays with family, eat all the amazing foods and make memories!
Stephanie Vittorio here from Coffee Stamps Chaos to share a fun 3D Thanksgiving Centerpiece today using gorgeous Cardstock Warehouse Cardstock in several shimmery colors that are perfect for all your fall projects!
I couldn’t wait for this time of year so I could share this fun idea that has become a tradition in my home, that I have made several times over the years, that allows you and your family to take a moment and reflect on the things you are thankful for while also getting in the spirit and decorating your Thanksgiving table!
In the past, I have made our trees out of sticks (found in the yard) put them into a glass jar, and punched out Cardstock leaves, and hung them from the branches using thread. Today, I am sharing an alternative version using Cardstock to make a Thanksgiving Centerpiece, that would be a great conversation starter and a fun family activity. I hope that you could look back on this through the years or maybe even make a new tradition using it!
For this project, I put my Brother Scan N Cut to work using a tree, leaves, pumpkins, grass and fence SVGs I found for free using Google search.
SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED:
Cardstock Warehouse Cardstock Papers:
- Leaves & Pumpkins:
- Stardream: Copper, Gold & Flame
- Tree:
- Chocolate Speckletone
- Cherry Wood Veneer
- Box:
- Parcel Wrap Kraft
- Jellybean Green (grass)
- China White (fence)
Additional Supplies:
- Adhesive - I used ScorTape & Nuvo Glue
- Paper Trimmer with a scoring blade (or a scoring tool to do this by hand for nice clean folds)
- Electronic Die-cutting machine (I used a Brother Scan N Cut)
- SVGs (digital cut files)
- Wooden Skewers (or a popsicle stick)
Initially, I wanted a free-standing tree, but midway through the assembly of said tree, one of my layers stuck to itself and the part of the tree I had already ¾ of the way completed. Sigh…. and then my tree ripped down the center, so I had to come up with a plan B. Nothing is worse than ruined Cardstock, but life goes on. I took a short break to collect my thoughts and figure out a plan B and went back to work.
I already had the tree layers cut out of Speckletone Chocolate and Cherry Wood Veneer, so I glued those together using Nuvo Glue to give the Veneer some support. I also ended up adding a wood skewer on the back of the tree as well, so it would stand up straight inside the box and not lean to the front or back.
Plan B is where the box came into play, so I could utilize the “extra” tree pieces I already had cut and have a stable way to make the tree stand up without repeating the above-mentioned story.
I created a box for the tree using strips of Parcel Wrap Kraft Paper, I kind of winged this part, so I forgot to write down my measurements and photograph it.
I took two strips of Parcel Wrap Cardstock that were about 2 ½” x 8” and then scored those at about 2 ½” on each side - when they are placed together with the flaps (scored ends) placed together, they created a box, so I glued it together using ScorTape. I am sure I could have found a box cut file, but I was really just trying to create something to hold my tree, and this is how I generally operate when crafting, in “winging it” mode.
So I added my cut fence piece to the outside of the box I had created, as well as a couple of pumpkins I had cut as well, I wasn’t sure if I would use them and couldn’t get pictures of their assembly since they required two hands to assemble.
Then I created a third panel about the same size as the box pieces, to use inside the box to adhere the tree to, this piece was also scored at about 2 ½” in on either side to create flaps to attach to the inside of the box, once the tree was attached.
Once I had my tree layer inside the box to my liking, I added ScorTape to the flaps, and adhered it in place. I then realized I needed some way to hold my weight of the tree panel so I created two small flaps with some scraps of Cardstock on my desk and put one on either side of the tree to keep it from leaning.
Once my tree box was all assembled, I used leaves I had already cut when I was cutting everything, and added a few to the outside of the box. Several other leaves were used to write things I am Thankful for, such as my children, family, crafty friends & of course, Cardstock Warehouse! I adhered those to the “branches” of the tree and my project was completed. I have a bunch of extra leaves, and I will have my family add to it and we will use it as table decor for our Thanksgiving celebration!
I hope you’ll give this project a try and share your version with us! You can use the hashtag #cardstockwarehouse for a chance to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook pages!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
May your festivities be filled with great food, company, and many heartfelt memories!
If you’d like to; you can follow me on social media to see what I’ll make next at the links below my name. I would love to see what you create and I love to encourage other crafters!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Vittorio
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