DIY Celebrate Someone Special: Create a Birthday Tree!

Welcome!

In my recent posts around my son's birthday,

My Millennium Baby Becomes a Teenager,

The Journey in 13 Photos

 and

The 'Lucky 13' Birthday Party ,

I refer to our "Birthday Tree" 

which is a celebratory ritual of  our family's.

( ~The 13th birthday tree is pictured below.~ )

A few readers and friends have expressed interest in the tree

 and so, here are a few details on the easy  

and absolutely gorgeous creation you can make with little effort and expense.

And of course, the reason it'll be gorgeous is  because of

 your kids' smiling, beautiful photos

 through the years will adorn it!

One of my kids' birthdays is in December 

and he adores anything Christmas - related. 

 So, wanting to create something unique for him, 

I decided that decorating a tree in his honor would be perfect.

It was a hit with everyone; so now I make a tree

regardless as to the 'season!'

There are as many ways  to craft the tree as there are crafters! 

I've done it differently each time and  I'll fill you in on the details.

Here's what you need:

1.The Tree~

 Begin with a 3 foot tall (or so) tree.

It'll be a little hard to find at this time of year!! 

Michael's and Walmart will have them on display

 beginning in October though, right?!

You can get one here on amazon, if you  have a 

special person's birthday before then and  can't wait:

3 foot tree

2. Choose a photo from each year of your child's life~

Look through your memory cards, computer files, etc,

 and choose one birthday photo per year of your little cutie.

I know; I know. 

Hard to do, finding just one.

Confession: For my son's 10th birthday tree last December, 
I had a really hard time narrowing it down.... 
For two of his birthdays, there are 3 photos each !!

I keep a folder labelled "Birthday pictures" 
 on my computer so that each year,
 I can just copy and paste the current year's shot right in and be up to date.

3. Print~

Each photo can be printed in  wallet size at your favorite photo "shop."

I use walmart.com.

Never had trouble with them.

They're super cheap, the quality's good
 and they deliver right to your front door.

4. Frame

Slip each photo in a  tiny wallet sized plastic frame.
I use these. 

They'll have little magnetic strips on the back,
 but that's fine.

You can easily pick them up at Micheal's too.

5. Number~

Adorn each framed photo with the year (or age.)

I bought a batch of these stickers.

I really love how the Sticko silver glitter numbers 

shimmer on each birthday picture!
Now you're ready to decorate your tree!

6. Hang~

Punch a hole in the corner of each frame.

Hang on the tree with fancy shimmery ribbon.

7. Affix the "Star" ~

Bedeck the top of the tree with your child's new age.
I purchased these"number sprays"
 individually at our local party store.
You can buy them here as well.

They're long and intended  for centerpieces; 
so you'll need to tie them into the tree's center with ribbon.

And voila!
Your tree is completed and it's  beautiful!!
Congratulations on a job well done!

Additional touches for your tree:

~  Happy Birthday sign~
Decorate  scrapbook paperwith  fancy
"Happy birthday!" lettering.

I love Joelle's Boutique stickers for this kind of thing.

In the photo of the "13" tree above,
 I used plain baby blue  circular paper.


~Personalize /adorn with symbols
 of your child's interest
or hobbies~
Here's a shot of my son's 11th birthday tree 
to show you what I mean:

And the star on our recent 13th birthday tree~

You can choose to create "ornaments" or "charms" to symbolize
 a sport, art, hobby or interest that your child holds dear.

A few shots of the birthday ornaments from my youngest son's
 tree which show his affinity for cards, camping,
the stage, music and our Faith, among others~~ 

Of course, the possibilities are limitless!

~Tree "skirt"~

Well, why shouldn't your birthday tree have one?

Because the tree  I use has an  unattractive plastic base, 

I picked up this table runner

at Dollar Tree!
Isn't it lovely?
It looks perfect draped around the base.

Storage of the tree ornaments~
We all know how birthday prep can sometimes be...
Fun and exciting, but stressful and crazy.
In order to have an easy time organizing the  tree for future birthdays, 
I store all the photos, number sprays, stickers, scrapbook paper and skirt
 in a Rubbermaid bin just like this so I have easy access.

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THANK YOU!

Until next time,

~Chris