Good Saturday morning. My project today is what I would refer to as an over-the-top Christmas scene with the large tree, garland across the top and of course a few cats. LOL! One of my Splitcoaststampers community friends asked for help and a tutorial on how to make a Christmas tree using the Martha Stewart Branch Punch so I took a few photos while I made my tree this morning. I love making a tree with the Impression Obsession Bare Christmas Tree for the base but today I just cut a tree shaped base to apply the branches to. Please note that you can make a tree with any of your punched or die cut evergreen branches.
I cut the tree base 4 inches tall and 2.75 inches wide. I marked the top of the cardstock with my pencil and cut the sides off with my paper trimmer. I attached all the branches to the base using glossy accents.
I started by placing the first branch in the top center of the tree.
For the second row I attached one branch to the left of center and one to the right of center.
Continue the pattern of center, left right until the base widens. You will then need to apply two left and two right.
As the base widened I started adding three left and three right. The final rows at the bottom were four left and four right.
I attached the final row of branches to the bottom of the tree base by tucking them in under the second to the last row of branches.
Before I started to dress the tree I lightly bent the lower sides back to curve out the center of the tree slightly. I decorated my tree with ribbon garland, tiny bows, candy canes and lots of red bling and white pearls. I love placing a gold star at the top of the tree and finishing it with a small multi loop bow. When I was finished decorating the tree I attached it to the card base using double layers of mounting tape on the lower center and a single layer of mounting tape on the lower sides and the top.
Here’s a closer view of the finished tree.
When I got the tree, train and cats attached to the card base I felt the card looked really bottom heavy. I decided to add a piece of white crimped cardstock molding across the top and finish with an evergreen garland and bows. Thus….the over-the-top finished card.
I’m sorry I haven’t posted as often as usual this past couple of weeks. I have been experiencing neck and shoulder pain from muscle spasms. Well….you know what they say about getting old. LOL! I’m on the mend and hope to be back at my regular card making and blog posting pace.
Thanks for coming by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Card size: 5.50” x 4.25” Red ribbon is Offrey 1/8” from Michaels
Stunning! Wow! What an amazing work of art. Thanks for showing us the how to do it. Happy Thanksgiving!
HOOOO- LEEEE cow!
this is quite remarkable! what a clever way to make that gorgeous tree! Helene
Ellen, that Christmas tree is fabulous. I love your sense of adventure in your craft. Thanks for the inspiration.
All I can say is wow! Amazing!
Good morning kittie ,so sorry for your discomfort. I know what you mean about
These so called golden years . Sometimes the pits.
Your tree is absolutely gorgeous, looks real
I would love to have it in my home.
It shows lots of love an beauty. I love the garland
At the top. Perfect. …..hugs an keep well
Wow Kittie this is absolutely gorgeous and thanks for a great tutorial on how you assembled it- hope you are back to normal soon-sending prayers and hugs
This is fantastic. I don’t usually look at a card and think. “I have to copy this” but looking at yours I know I am going to have to make one. I’ll share it with you when I do. So sorry about the aches, spasms and pains. I hope you get feeling better soon.
WOW! AMAZING! BEAUTIFUL! AWESOME! GORGEOUS! Kittie I am speechless and cannot think of enough words! Simply stunning!
Wow this is so gorgeous! You and dies are incredible~
I love this card Kittie! The tree is amazing, thank you for sharing how you created it. Glad to hear that you are on the mend.
Absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for the tutorial.
I love it
hugs Linda
Hope you feel better and heal very soon Kittie, I hate it when my body hurts and I cannot get into my craft room. Thank you so much for the tutorial so beautiful.
Absolutely gorgeous card Kittie, what a beautiful tree. I always miss your posts but do realize you have other things to do in life. Sorry to hear you have a problem I also suffer from much too often, muscle spasms, neck, legs and back sometimes, it is horrible. No answers from doctors yet as to from what or how to avoid them.
So enjoyed your step by step of how you created the tree, very time consuming but so beautiful. I love your additions of the train, candy canes and kitties too. 🙂
When I read your post this morning I hollered so loud it made my dog bark! Just yesterday I was working on a tree very much like yours and could not make it come out right. I was going from bottom to top. It was fine until about 3/4 of the way up, and then the tree started to look wonky. Now I know how to do it correctly so it looks balanced. Kitty, how can I thank you enough?! As always and every day, you are awesome!
This is stunning Kittie! I love this tree and those cats are such a nice touch. Wonderful shading of them.
Oh, my goodness–over the top is right! This would be a gift in itself–never mind putting a gift card inside. 😉 It should be framed and treasured!
WOUAHHHHHHHHHHHH BRAVO BRAVO a= BISES
Oh WOW! When I first saw your card it made me smile! It is “over the top” and it is WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for showing how you did this Kittie. It’s beyond amazing!
Oh Kittie, this is absolutely over the top….This is truly one of your very best cards. I so love the tree…. it’s one I would have in my house…. again, I bow to your creativity and talent…. beautiful card… thank you for sharing your wonderful creativity.
PS: And I can’t imagine the amount of patience you have to paint/color ALL of the candy canes… lol….
This is one gorgeous Christmas tree card! How long did it take you? :). Thanks for the tutorial too!
One word. Unbelievable!
Another BEAUTIFUL Christmas card made by you. Your talents are AWESOME!!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing!
Oh my….. You are amazing!
Mary from NH
Kittie, you are a true Christmas elf! This is fantastic. As always, thanks so much for sharing.
Very nice card! LOVE the tree and scene. Your cats always look so cute the way you color and place them. THANKS so much for the tutorial, it’s invaluable to me. I never could figure out how to place the branches just right to get the lovely look yours has. 🙂 The M.S. branch punch is my most favorite punch ever. I am always hoping, because I have used it soooo much, that it doesn’t break. Hee. (I guess they’re easier to find now but a while back they were no where to be found.)
All I can say is “WOWZA”!!!!!!!!!
A lot of steps but well worth it. Beautiful!! Edna
So beautiful and so impressive! Thank you so much for showing the step by step. I have been trying to learn how to use the fir branch dies and tried my hand at making a wreath with them but to no avail. My cards never even approach the perfection of yours!! By the way, how do you adhere all those branches?! Thanks!
Your card is amazing and you are such an inspiration! I had to just stare in awe at this one for a while and really take it all in! Such a cozy little scene! Thank you for showing step by step how you did this! Very impressive piece of art!
Kittie.. I cant say it often enough. But your cards are stunning. Something very special. But this one is STUNNING and AWESOME !! Oh gosh you are such a talented creative artist. Love and adore all your work. This card must have been very time consuming… !!!
Very impressive what YOU can do with paper, cardstock, colors and dies !!
Thanks a lot for sharing. Also enjoyed your inspirational tutorial !!
Hugs from Monica… Spain
I am STUNNED, and the instructions look so simple. WOW, WOW WOW.
Thank you.
Lurdez
When you said over the top- I had no idea. I mean all your work is wonderful, but really. I have run out of superlatives.
So amazing — it’s perfect.
You make it so easy for us to follow your beautiful creativity. Stunning tree. Thank you.
Over the Door is “over the moon”!! Amazing, enchanting and simply beautiful.
TFS the card and tutorial…you always give so much. I pray that you have a 100% healing. There is nothing like some pain to tire you out totally. God Bless and HUGS.
Kittie, it’s a amazing card ! A wonderful Christmas Tree ! And the cats are so cut ! I love it !
Wonderful card. I’d been missing your posts as I do check in every day – sorry to hear that it’s because you’ve been in pain.
Feel better!
Argh, I just read through your post for the second time and I see that you use Glossy Accents to adhere all the branches. I’ve been trying to learn how to work with tiny leaves and branches to form a wreath and I have new respect for you after fiddling with all those little die cut pieces and getting glue everywhere! Thank you so much for your tutorials and inspiration!
Oh Wow that is absolutely amazing, wonderful job of decorating, love the scene, every detail!! Thanks for sharing how to do it 🙂 I sure hope your feeling better soon, I know how that pain goes and the older I get the longer it seems to take to get better from my back problems.
hello
very beautiful,
Sorry, I’m not speack English
thanks for the tutorial
C’est une formidable idée qui va me changer des sapins coeurs ou papillons fait sur le même principe. Très belle réalisation. Bonne semaine