If you love inexpensive craft ideas for fall, this DIY tree centerpiece is for you.
It’s easy to make and will look great as a part of any DIY fall decor projects or in your Thanksgiving tablescape.
I love the colors of fall. Everything is changing and the trees take on a wonderful palette of colors that are perfect for decorating.
Fallen leaves always embody the change of seasons for me. If you’re interested in learning about more fall symbols, check out this guide for the symbols of Thanksgiving.
Be sure to also check out my leaf cookies for another colorful fall project that would be perfect for Thanksgiving dessert.
The leaves are falling and the cool temperatures are here. Head on over to Always The Holiday to find out how to make a tree tower to use as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving. #Thanksgiving #autumn #fallingleaves 🌲🍁🌳🍁 Share on X
Note: Hot glue guns, and heated glue can burn. Please use extreme caution when using a hot glue gun. Learn to use your tool properly before you start any project.
Making this DIY tree centerpiece
This inexpensive fall leaf tree can be made using leaves from your yard or with silk flowers like I did. Either way, it ends up as a fun leaf tower that really screams “autumn is here.”
Supplies needed:
The supplies for this craft project are just a few and you can make use of other items in your home to finish off the project and make a little vignette for your Thanksgiving table.
You will need these supplies:
- 2 foam cones of varying sizes. The large one is 18″ tall and the small one is 7″ tall.
- 250 silk leaves (or leaves from your yard)
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Basket for the tall tree
- Terracotta saucer for the small tree
- Sphagnum moss
- Green moss
- Plastic packing peanuts
Let’s make a DIY fall tree!
I ended up using 5 packages of leaves for this project. I got mine at the Dollar Store and the packages had a nice variety of leaf sizes and colors which made them perfect for my project but only cost $5!
The 2 foam cones give the shape that you need for the trees. All you need to do is cover them with leaves!
The leaves are easy to attach. Just add a small dot of glue on the back center at the bottom of each leaf. This will allow the leaves to stick quickly and will still let them move at the top to give a nice finished look.
TIP: The glue will be hot to touch. Use an old pencil with the eraser almost gone to hold the glue till it sticks to keep from burning your fingers.
Start at the top and attach leaves around in a circle to cover the foam area. The top will show but you’ll be adding a few cut pieces at the end to cover it.
Continue adding leaves in a circular motion as you move down the tree.
I alternated colors and also alternated sizes of leaves for the rows to give a more natural palette of colors to the tree.
Keep adding leaves as you move down the cone. Think of the project as a puzzle, where you place leaves next to each other to fill in gaps to cover the foam.
I used more small leaves at the top and more larger leaves as I got closer to the bottom. (On the small tree, I used mainly smaller leaves and cut the larger leaves into pieces to fill in gaps and add variety to the color.)
I also made sure to tilt the leaves as I worked, since this made them fit better.
When you get to the bottom edge, alternate large and small leaves and have the bottom leaves line up to the edge. Finish of the tree by cutting a few leaves and gluing them to the top to cover the top of the cone.
Tada!
The next step is to give the trees something to sit in. I had a green harvest basket that I used in a previous project. It was the right size for my tall tree and matched the green leaves nicely.
I filled the basket with packing peanuts to raise the height.
I also have lots of terracotta saucers since I also love to garden. I added green moss to the saucer and brown sphagnum moss to the basket for the trees to sit on.
The trees are ready for my Thanksgiving tablescape. I had a small Dollar Store sign with the word “gather” on it and a small candle of the right color.
An old hurricane lamp project that I made last year also fit right into the look with coordinating colors.
Adding these to the DIY leaf trees gave me a harvest themed centerpiece decoration
And don’t stop there! There are so many ways to incorporate these leaf trees into your fall table decor.
Add a bowl of my Thanksgiving snack mix and frame the free blessings printable to sit near this festive tree.
For this fall vignette, I added another candle, some pine cones, a galvanized water jug with Japanese silver grass plumes from my yard and a basket of mini pumpkins and gourds.
The table is all set for Thanksgiving! You could even add some fun Turkey name card holders when you set the table for guests.
Pin this DIY tree centerpiece for later
Would you like a reminder of this fall table decor idea? Just pin this image to one of your holiday boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
This project took me about 2 hours and cost $12. Your mileage will vary depending on where you get your supplies. The only thing I had to buy were the two cones (one from the Dollar store) and the leaves.
Everything else I had on hand from other projects, which is a type of craft that I love. I enjoy finding new ways to use old craft supplies to keep the cost of crafting down.
Admin note: This post first appeared on the blog in November of 2019. I have updated the post to add new photos, a printable project card and a video for you to enjoy,
Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece - Fall Tree Tower
This easy fall centerpiece is made from a foam cone and silk flowers to form a tree tower. It looks great as part of a Thanksgiving tablescape.
Materials
- 2 foam cones of varying sizes. 8" tall and 7" tall.
- 250 silk leaves (or leaves from your yard)
- Basket for the tall tree
- 3 inch Terracotta saucer for the small tree
- Sphagnum moss
- Green moss
- Plastic packing peanuts
Tools
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- pair of scissors
Instructions
- Add a drop of hot glue to the bottom center of each leaf and press into place.
- Start at the top and attach leaves to partially cover the tip.
- Rotate the foam cone as you work down the tree, alternating colors and sizes of leaves to make them fit.
- Use more of the small leaves towards the top (especially on the small cone) and more of the larger ones on the bottoms.
- Tilt the leaves as you position them to make them look more realistic.
- Finish by alternating small and large leaves and end with a flat bottom to match the edge of the cones for the last row.
- Cut some leaf pieces and glue them in the very top to cover the top of the foam cone. Also fill in any gaps with cut pieces where the white foam is showing.
- Add packing peanuts to the basket and top with sphagnum moss.
- Add green moss to the saucer and position both trees in place.
- Display with pride.
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