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DIY Christmas Tree Collar

Prep Time20 minutes
Active Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: DIY with Dana
Yield: 1 Christmas Tree Collar
Author: dana vento
Cost: $5-6

Equipment

  • Scissors
  • Zip Ties
  • Glue Gun & Glue 
  • Big Clips (optional)
  • Drill (or a boxcutter to make crisscross cuts) 
  • Tape measure
  • Marker for measurement marks

Materials

  • 3 Dollar Tree Plastic Buckets see image - I purchased 9" tall buckets
  • Burlap or Material YOU choose 2 Yards
  • 30 Feet 1 Roll of Bow with Wire (your color choice) *Optional
  • Scissors
  • Zip Ties
  • Glue Gun & Glue
  • Big Clips optional
  • Drill or a boxcutter to make crisscross cuts
  • Tape Measure

Instructions

  • BEFORE BUYING MATERIALS
  • Measure the tree stand and then measure the middle of the tree.
  • That is the THICKEST part of the trick and how wide you want your tree collar.
  • You don't want the Christmas Tree Collar to HUG the stand exactly
  • Next, measure Criss-Cross of your tree stand, and left to right to check and double-check the width (diameter)
  • **Consider how far your lowest branch is from the ground (which translates to how much you will be cutting off to the bucket. Will your tree collar be flush with the tree or a bit lower? Ours was a bit lower and I will show you what I did to pull it all together!

START HERE

  • First, cut both handles off of the bucket, and then cut out the bottoms, on ALL three. 
  • Throw the handles out.
  • Be sure to use good scissors with sharp blades and watch your fingers. 
  • Second, cut from the bottom to the top, to make this one 'sheet' of flexible plastic. 
  • In other words, the buckets are becoming sheets of flexible plastic.
  • Repeat the same process above until all 3 buckets are disassembled and each in long pieces. 

Putting All The Pieces Together 

  • Drill holes at the top and bottom of each of the 4 corners, of each long piece. (obviously, you will have 12 holes 4/sheet).
  • Now use zip ties to fasten. Don't pull too hard or it will buckle once you join all the pieces together.
  • GOAL >> The object is to join all the pieces together. 
  • As you work, I suggest checking the fit under the tree, each time you join an additional piece on. 
  • Each top and bottom should match, and look uniform, as though they are ONE piece.
  • Continuity and flow of look matter here. 
  • For the last piece (the third), makes sure it too is uniform and flush with the others.
  • You will have an overlap on the inside (no one will see it no worries). 
  • The overlap is good as the plastic is a bit more flexible, but when reinforced by itself (the other pieces) it is stronger. 
  • Trim the zip ties and I suggest adding a bit of glue to the areas between the zip ties.
  • Totally optional

Gluing Process

  • Measure from top to bottom of the plastic bucket for height, and then the length for your material cuts. 
  • Cut material to size.
  • Since your collar may be a different size than mine, I won't suggest a particular length here.
  • However, I will tell you that I unrolled 3 feet of material if you are curious. 
  • Glue the material on.
  • If using burlap and not a solid material, you may want to double coat the material.
  • Glue the material all the way around the exterior.
  • Using a glue gun, glue at intervals.  

Material Again or Finish It - DIY Christmas Tree Collar 

  • Since I could still see the blue underneath the first layer of material, I decided to go against the grain and wrap the collar again. 
  • Now, this step can be skipped for those who don't care and are just happy that the bucket plastic is not showing. 
  • I cut a large piece of material, about 3-4 feet in length.  
  • Rather than going around the collar, I went up and down, giving it a bit of texture and depth (IMO). 
  • Gluing at the top and bottom only.
  • It's more of a swirling effect now. 

The Bow & The DIY Christmas Collar 

  • Measure up  1/2 way from the bottom to the top.
  • Use that middle measurement as the 'sweet spot' for fastening the bow. 
  • Cut a strip of the bow to go around the entire tree skirt. 
  • Glue the bow around the middle measurement to fasten. 

If you want more of a 'stand-out' bow, continue on with the next steps here, otherwise, fast forward to the next paragraph. 

  • I added a second round of Bow in order to achieve a 'WOW' factor. 
    DIY Christmas Tree Collar For Under $6 and It's Easy To Make
  • Simply make a 'u' inside out leaving just 1" or so glued down, in between. 
  • Repeat this ALL the way around the tree collar. 
  • The wire ribbon is easy to work with and adheres nicely to the material. 
  • Each inside out 'U' shape is approximately 2" done freehand and eyeballed. Super easy to do. 

Add the Tree To the Finished DIY Christmas Tree Collar 

  • Place the tree stand inside of the collar without the tree attached.
  • Once the tree stand is inside place the tree in it.
  • Put the tree in place, stand back, and enjoy! 

Notes

Tip to Consider- 

Since the plastic is blue, I was more concerned about finishing the material over the top, but keeping it FLUSH with the bottom. 
Why?
The bottom needs to sit EVEN and FLUSH on the floor.
Adding glue, and the material does not allow for that. 
Instead, I made a basic envelope seal over the top of the whole collar.
In other words, I was 1" taller on the top of the material and folded it over.
Gluing that material both along the very top with a fine line of glue on the top frame and then a few drops on the back (inside) of the collar. 
After that step, no plastic showed!
Again, totally optional, just my choice to make it look very finished and pro.