Thanksgiving Tree

(Edited 10-22-2011 to add:

I added a few more pictures because the nighttime ones were a little hard to see.  The tree was moved to the window for better viewing.)

Tags are used as "leaves" to fill the tree

Thanksgiving Tree in the window

Thanksgiving Tree with Pocket of Tags Hanging Nearby

Our "tree" is a bunch of branches in a tall vase with river rock. It sits in the entryway for anyone to add a tag to when they come to visit.

It seems to me that any type of "tree" would be fine.  Years ago I made a paper tree for my first grade classroom that took up a large part of one wall.  Each month the students hung new shapes on it.  For example, September = an apple with a cute book worm listing the student's favorite book.  November = each child had a leaf that stated for what he or she was thankful.  So this Thanksgiving Tree sort of came from that idea. And that is why I'm not very picky about tree authenticity. I've been making fake trees for years. :-)

Dd2's First Tag for the Thanksgiving Tree

 Dd2 turned seven years old about a week ago.  She takes an active roll in everything that happens in the house.  One might think that she runs the household.  So, it was no surprise that when she found out why we needed to go to Hobby Lobby to buy fake branches, she put herself in charge of selecting them.

I'm going to explain here why we needed to buy branches.  We live in the desert.  There aren't a lot of tree branches available just lying around.  And we had a scorpion in the house about a month ago. EEK!  So, any ideas that I had about retrieving real plant materials perished as soon as I realized that real bugs come along with real branches.  Ok, so back to the fake tree....

Dd2 declared that she wanted to write on the first tag for the tree.  It was a heartfelt message.  She is very thankful for her food. :-)  However, she also knows that not everyone has enough to eat - so her note was prompted by her appreciation that we can give to the food bank and she never goes hungry.

Tags and the box to hold them cut with the  Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

 These are the tags and sizes that we cut:
Tag 2 - 4"
Tag 3 - 4 1/2"

We also cut mats for the tops of the tags:
Square 4 - 3"
Rectangle 2 - 2 1/4"

All the pieces were sponged around the edges with Chocolate ink.  Lines and a few words were stamped using the CTMH Authentic, 10 Things, and Recipe Box sets.

Door hanger box cut at 11 1/2" in Colonial White and covered with  Mischief B & T

Because the door hanger box had a bigger hole than I wanted, I decided to cover the box with decorative paper.  I punched a small hole in the back of the box/hanger to hang it on a nail.  The slit for the door hanger part was also covered.  This probably gives it a little more stability, but it may not have been necessary.  The front of the box was embellished with images from the So Grateful set.

Thanksgiving Tree at Night

This project didn't take very long because the Cricut did most of the work.  I wouldn't have had to stamp lines on the cards, but it helps dd2 contain her writing a bit.  The tags are tied on to the tree with raffia ribbon and brown jute.  (I couldn't decide which to use, so some are one... some are the other.)  The tags will eventually be scrapbooked or made into a small book.

Dd2 wants to leave the tree up until December.  Then she wants to make a "Delights Tree".  "Things that 'delight' us."  I'll let you know if we make one.  She came home from Hobby Lobby and started cutting out tags, so I'm guessing it is a go.  Remember? She runs the house. :-)

I'm playing along with the DYSU Challenge #42 Trees with this project.

Supplies:

Paper: CTMH Mischief B & T, Colonial White, Bamboo, Brown Bag, Desert Sand

Ink: CTMH Chocolate, Autumn Terracotta, Olive,

Stamps: CTMH 10 Things, Authentic, Recipe Box, So Grateful

Misc. Supplies: Twigs or branches or tree, jute or ribbon, 

Tools: Cricut CTMH Art Philosophy