How to Make a Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree
Add a playful twist to traditional holiday decor with a pipe cleaner Christmas tree! This pipe cleaner craft is really fun, easy, and affordable to make, and they look so cute on display! Place the mini trees on your mantel or desk, or add them into a holiday village.
Yield: 1 pipe cleaner tree
Cost: $3
Materials
- Free Printable Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree Template
- 20+ Green pipe cleaners
- Green cardstock
- Tape
- Bamboo straw (cut to size; or wooden dowel)
- Pipe cleaners (2 brown, 1 white, 1 red)
- Wood slice
- Mini pom poms
- Foam star sticker(s)
Instructions
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Cut and fold the pipe cleaners
- Fold a 12 inch green pipe cleaner and cut it in half.
- Fold those halves and cut both pieces in half again.
- You should now have four equal parts of pipe cleaner, each 3 inches long.
- Fold the 3 inch piece in half.
- Repeat, cutting and folding at least 20 pipe cleaners (80 pieces).See below the tutorial for more details about how many pipe cleaners are needed for different tree sizes.
Step 3: Make the cone base
- Print our free pipe cleaner Christmas tree template. The link is in the materials list above.Cut out the cone size of your choosing.
- Trace the template onto green cardstock and cut it out.(You can also print the template onto the coloured cardstock.)
- Roll the cardstock into a cone shape and secure it with a couple pieces of tape.
Step 4: Glue pipe cleaners to the cone
- Add a generous amount of hot glue to the bottom of the paper cone, enough to fit 2 to 3 folded pipe cleaners.
- Place one of the folded pipe cleaner pieces into the glue. The rounded side should point down and stick out from the bottom of the tree about half way.
- Repeat around, adding more pipe cleaners into the glue with the folded edge down. Place them snugly together.Work small sections at a time so the glue doesn't dry before you add the pipe cleaner into it.
- Begin the second row by adding more glue directly above the bottom row of pipe cleaners.Place a folded pipe cleaner piece into the glue, overlapping half of it with the previous row.
- Again, repeat all the way around.
- Continue these steps, adding more rows to the tree, until you're about 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the top of the tree.We added 5 rows to our 4-1/2 inch cone, but taller trees will need more.
- Twist the ends of a folded pipe cleaner together, forming a point.Repeat with another 4 to 5 pieces.
- Add hot glue to the tip of the tree.
- Place one of the twisted pipe cleaners into the glue, lining up the point with the tip of the tree.
- Repeat, adding twisted pipe cleaners to the top of the tree until it's covered. Adjust them, if needed, so they form a nice point.
Step 5: Make the Christmas tree trunk
- Add glue to bottom inch or so of a bamboo straw or wooden dowel.
- Press the end of a brown pipe cleaner into the glue, holding it until it's dry.
- Fold the pipe cleaner up and begin wrapping it snugly around the dowel.
- Glue the end of the pipe cleaner down and hold it until it stays in place on its own.
- Add more hot glue where the first pipe cleaner ends. Attach a second pipe cleaner, wrapping it around and securing it in place with more glue.
Step 6: Put the tree together
- Add hot glue to the center of a wood slice.
- Place the pipe cleaner wrapped side of the straw into the glue, holding it nice and straight until the glue is dry.
- Add a generous amount of hot glue to the top of the bamboo straw.
- Place the pipe cleaner tree over top of the straw, connecting the glue covered top with the inside top of the tree.Again, let the glue dry for a minute.
- Begin folding the pipe cleaner branches up so they stick out from the tree.
- Repeat all the way around, for all layers of the tree.
Step 7: Decorate the Christmas tree (optional)
- To make a candy cane ornament for the tree, begin with red and white pipe cleaners.(We used 6 inch pipe cleaners here, but you can also use full length ones.)
- Twist the two colours together and cut them into 3 equal pieces (6 pieces if you're using 12 inch pipe cleaners).
- Bend one end down on a curve, creating a candy cane shape!Repeat with the other pieces.
- Now decorate your tree: glue on pom pom ornaments, place the candy canes on branches, and glue on a foam star for the tree topper.
- Your pipe cleaner Christmas tree is complete!
Video
Notes
Looking for more Christmas tree crafts? Here's a few of our favourites:
Bow Tie Pasta Ornaments
Paper Christmas Tree
Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees