Use dollar store supplies and our free, printable template to make this adorable piece of homemade holiday decor. These pipe cleaner Christmas trees look elegant on their own, but you can also decorate them for a merry and festive look. So let’s craft up some holiday cheer and watch your DIY tree come to life!
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Helpful Tips:
How many pipe cleaners do I need to make a pipe cleaner Christmas tree?
The amount of pipe cleaners you’ll need depends on the size of your tree. Using our template the 4-1/2 inch cone takes about 20 pipe cleaners, the 5-1/2 inch cone takes 30 pipe cleaners, and the 6-1/2 inch cone takes 40 pipe cleaners.
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It’s safe to assume that each larger size will take 10 more pipe cleaners than the previous.
What can I use as the trunk of my pipe cleaner Christmas tree?
We used reusable bamboo straws from the dollar store as our tree’s trunks. They’re inexpensive, but they’re really sturdy and stay in place nicely. We did have to saw part of the straws off for the two shorter trees, so keep this in mind if you don’t have a hand saw available. A wooden dowel would also work well. If you have a paper straw that’s good quality and doesn’t bend easily, it would also make a good tree trunk. We tried a wooden skewer and it did work, but it was harder to keep it straight and in place. It felt a lot flimsier than the bamboo straws. If you tie or glue a few skewers together it might work better.
How can I decorate my pipe cleaner tree?
We used mini pom poms and pipe cleaner candy canes to decorate one of our trees. You can also make other pipe cleaner ornaments, like a tiny wreath or mini snowflake. Beads, pearls, or rhinestone stickers also make nice ornaments for the tree. You can even add a bead strand garland, or create your own garland from metallic pipe cleaners. We glued foam star stickers to the top of our small tree for a topper, but you can also make a star out of pipe cleaners.
Showcase your creativity with a pipe cleaner Christmas tree! These pipe cleaner trees are definitely time consuming to make, but we think the effort is well worth it! Plus it’s a really soothing and almost mindless craft, perfect for making while watching TV or for a “crafter-noon” with your friends.
Here’s even more pipe cleaner craft ideas:
Wine Cork Reindeer
Pipe Cleaner Star Ornaments
Beaded Christmas Ornaments
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
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