Coffee Filter Trees

If you have been following my blog a little, I think you can tell that I like to recycle, up cycle and use materials in new ways.

One of my favorite materials to use is coffee filters.

They are inexpensive and very versatile. 

I have used them for many projects.

With Christmas around the corner, I wanted to share an easy project today.

Coffee Filter Trees!

These are a great project for a creative day with family or friends.

You will need:

Coffee Filters

RIT Dye

hot glue gun and glue sticks

a piece of wire

a cardboard cone 

and 2 stars (I used white tin)

First Dye your coffee filters.

You can follow directions here.

or find directions in my RIT Studio.

You can choose a traditional color like green.

You can leave them white.

Or you can come up with any color you like.

Here I have a green tree and a coffee dyed tree (as well as a little burlap tree).

I have actually made a dusty rose one as well.

I sold it at my fall show.

To make the tree, fold each coffee filter into fourths and twist the end.

I gave similar directions for my recycled sheet banner here.

I fold and twist my filters while watching tv.

Then I just start at the bottom of the cardboard cone and begin gluing the tips on.

I continue to add and fill in the cone until I get a few inches from the top.

When you get close to the top, stop to add the star.

Cut a piece of wire about 12 inches long.

Poke a hole in the top of the cone to be sure the wire will go through.

Now make a loop in the end of the wire.

 Feed the end of the wire up the inside of the cone by holding the loop on the inside.

Once the wire comes through the hole in the top, grasp it and pull it until it is the whole way out and the wire loop is just inside the top of the cone.

Trim the wire to be just a little shorter than your star.

Hot glue the stars on either side of the wire.

Then finish adding coffee filters until the tree is full.

Super Easy.

This is a great project to do with family or friends.

It is cheap for materials and everyone can do it.

Don't you love it when right as you take the photo, a bug lands on your project?!

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs...

Coffee Filter Wreaths

I love materials that are unusual or unexpected.

A very versatile and affordable craft material is coffee filters.

They are fabulous and fun.

I love them for wreaths...

The finished product is very lightweight which makes them great for hanging.

Today I just wanted to share a few of my coffee filter wreaths. 

Many of them I use RIT dye to color.

You can see my RIT Studio here.

This sweet pink oval wreath is a great accent.

You can find the complete instructions here.

                                    

Those basic directions can be used to create a variety of wreaths and projects.

This heart wreath uses the same directions but I cut the base shape from a large cardboard box.

 I used 14 flowers and really pushed them together to get a very dense look.

These make a great Valentine's day accent.

They would also be perfect for a wedding...

When I cut the base shape from cardboard, I wrapped it with scrap fabric strips that I also dyed.

If I hang it on a door or window, the back looks almost as nice as the front...

The great thing about the coffee filters is the variety of colors you can achieve with the RIT dye.

The next wreath color was achieved with a weaker Fuchsia dye bath that I added coffee to.

LOVE IT!!!

The following wreaths were done by coffee dyeing the filters.

You could also just use the unbleached filters.

It would be less work but I like the look of the dyed one.

This round wreath uses the flower method again.

This heart wreath does not.

I took each filter and folded into fourths and then twisted the point like I described here in my Rose Banner Tutorial.

I usually do a huge stack of them while watching tv.

I just toss them into a pop-up laundry basket that I can take to the garage/studio when I am ready.

The base for this wreath was cut from a piece of newspaper and then traced on a cardboard box.

You could use foam core too.

I just started at the top in one corner and glued them on, adding as I went. 

The little twisted point of the coffee filter gets stuck in the glue so your fingers don't get burned.

The wreath below is a favorite. 

I like the rectangular shape.

I donated this one to a local cause for a fundraiser.

I will have to make another one to keep.

Last, but not least, are a couple book pages wreaths that I used the coffee filter flowers for the center.

These are all over Pinterest...with good reason.

They are fabulous.

I am careful what kinds of books I use for the petals...

Only damaged and discarded books.

Very often, Reader's Digest books. 

Seems like no one wants those and they end up thrown away.

I can't let that happen!

So I rescue them from the trash and "to be recycled" bins...

They are simple to make.

Remove book pages.

Twist each into a cone and secure with clear tape.

Then staple about 1 inch from the tip.

I also do this while watching tv.

I fill that collapsible laundry hamper and then I go out and make as many wreaths as that many pages will complete.

At first I used a round shape for the base but I learned to just use a piece of rectangular foam core.

For the large size, I use a quarter sheet.

I sketch rounded corners on the foam core and use that for the base as I am gluing them on.

MUCH easier than measuring, cutting, etc...

This smaller one uses a 1/8th sheet of foam core.

And then I just finish it off with a coffee filter flower.

What common material do you use in unusual ways?

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these blogs...

Got Old Sheets and Coffee Filters? Make this Awesome Shabby Chic Banner...

This sweet banner is made from old sheets, coffee filters and twine.

The coffee filter roses are a cinch to make.

Just dye your filters like I described here.

I used Fuchsia RIT dye and lots of instant coffee granules in the dye bath to get the muted grubby rose color.

Next, loosely fold your coffee filter in half and in half again.

Pinch the pointed end and twist.

Some people staple it at this point, but I find the twisting usually holds well enough.

Each rose takes 7-12 coffee filters.

Lay down one filter as the base.  

Glue 6-8 filters around the edge of the circle.

Finish with one or two in the center.

Now you can add them to a bamboo skewer, your wall, the cover of a book, etc.

For this banner, I glued 2 roses back to back with twine sandwiched between.

I used three different twin sheets from the thrift store.

Two were floral patterned and one was the palest blue.

The sheets were ripped into strips.

Then a pulled off the loose threads.

And I cut them the desired length.

For these, they were about 8-10 inches long.

I just tied them to the twine while watching TV.

I love how it turned out...

I am not sure where it will end up.

Maybe in the studio...

Maybe as a gift...

For this post, I clipped it to the fence in the back yard.

I hope it brightens your day....

Thanks for stopping by....

We will be linking up with these great blogs....

Thrifty Thursday~ Score!

I stopped by the thrift store last week for a quick drop off.

In and out.

That was the plan.

In the back room where they sort and price stuff,  I saw these goodies when I carried in my donations.

Six thread racks.

$1 each.

And a package of really big coffee filters for 50 cents.

I did not come home empty handed....

WooHoo!

Three of the racks are regular size dowels for spools and three are extra big.

I am not sure yet where they will go.

Maybe in the studio.

Maybe in the booth this fall to hold something.

I'll let you know....

Thanks for stopping by....