About five years ago, I lost my antique tree topper when McKinley, then age two, threw it across the room. It shattered behind the couch after hitting the window. I was so sad and mad at the same time. I say it was an accident, he was two, but at the same time.... None the less, I've never found a tree topper I've been happy with since. I bought a snowflake star a couple of years ago and replaced with a white Peace dove last year. The giant spring on both never really sat well on the top of the tree and I always felt like it sat crooked or would simply fall off.
I've wanted a Peace sign tree topper for some time, but you know what? You can't find a Peace sign tree topper. So do you know what I did? I made my own! Almost everything I used to make it already existed in my mom's craft closet or in my own craft bag. The only thing I purchased was some thin ribbon to give it a little shimmer. I wanted it to look rustic. My tree is definitely not a glitz and glamour tree. It's a hodge podge of ornaments we've collected from places we've visited, ornaments my mom made when I was a child, and Hallmark ornaments she's given us for nearly 19 years.
So, how did I go about making a tree topper? Well let me tell you all about it! It all started when I found a bamboo handbag handle! That's right! The circle of my Peace sign is a handbag handle. From there, it all came together in my mind. I used burlap to wrap around the handle, made the Peace sign out of floral wire, and then wrapped the burlap in a thin ribbon that had a slight gold shimmer. It all is held together by hot glue.
I started by measuring the width I would need to cover the handle.
Because the burlap was too wide to wrap, I folded the piece in half. And, the added layer helped with coverage.
Run a line of hot glue at the base of the burlap and adhere it to the handle.
I also added glue to the handle for a little reinforcement.
From there, start wrapping.
Add glue along the way to secure.
And there you have a wrapped circle!
Now it's time to start making the Peace sign. Run the floral wire down the back the length of the handle.
Add hot glue and adhere to the circle.
I measured the diagonals from the center of the base for symmetrical lines.
And continue to add the glue!
Now you have a Peace sign!
It's time to start adding the thin wire to the burlap. Again, this was just to add a little more dimension and shimmer.
Once I had the burlap wrapped, I decided to add a contrasting color to the actual Peace part of the sign. I had some ribbon left over from a project last year and it was perfect. A little red and green in muted colors complimented the burlap. I folded the ribbon in half and wrapped, and wrapped, and wrapped!
I was going to use the same floral wire for the topper piece, but it was way too flimsy. My husband came up with the idea of a wire coat hanger. Worked like a charm!
And now, I have the tree topper I've always wanted and it looks like it was made for my tree. And actually, it was!
What do you think? I love it! I was a little worried that it would appear too small for the tree, but I think it's just right. And I made it! That's what I love most! I didn't settle. I made something for our tree that will hopefully be used for years to come!
Peace!
Andrea
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