Hey there!  We are so excited to be back for Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas!

12DaysCOUNTER5

For Day 5, I chose to make a Wooden Ornament Tree and it is completely COLLAPSIBLE!Winking smile  It’s always hard to pack decorations away after Christmas and I thought that making this collapsible would be so helpful come January!

Ten Dollar Wooden Ornament Tree

Did I mention it only cost me $10 to build?  Smile  Here’s how:

This hand saw is the perfect tool for this project!  If you don’t have a saw, this is the right place to start and will only cost you $10!

 

round dowels

Purchase 3 round dowels at Home Depot.

dowels cut

Cut them down to the measurements above.

tree trunk

Purchase a 2×2 at Home Depot and cut down to measurements above.

half-inch-drill-bit

You will need a 1/2 drill bit for the next step.

drilling holes for dowels

hole measurements

Drill holes at the marked measurements on one side of the 2×2.  Tip:  I drew a line down the middle of the board to keep holes in the center.

drill measurements

Flip board to the right once and drill holes at the measurements above.

base

Cut a scrap 1×8 at 7.25”.  If you don’t have a scrap, you can purchase a 1×8 at your local hardware store.

drill hole in base

Drill a hole into the center of the 1×8.

drill hole in other end of base

Drill a hole in the center of the 2×2.

attach base and trunk

Attach 1×8 and 2×2 with a wood screw through the bottom of the 1×8.

drill hole in trunk

Drill another hole at the top of the 2×2.

wood finial

Purchase a wood finial at Lowe’s.

 

attach finial

Screw finial into 2×2.

Rustoleum heirloom white

I chose to paint my tree in a favorite, Rust-oleum Heirloom White spray paint.

spray paint tree

I found it easiest to spray paint the dowels while they were in the tree.  Tip: place dowels from longest to smallest from bottom to top to form the shape of a Christmas Tree.

That’s it!  I didn’t use any glue on the dowels and the base and final will unscrew for easy storage!  I finished it off with some simple (medium sized) silver ornaments and have it displayed on my dining table.  The great thing about this piece is that it is so versatile and would look great in any room of your houseWinking smile

wooden ornament tree

how to make an ornament tree

wooden tree

Ten dollar ornament tree

diy wooden ornament tree

I love simple and cheap projects.  If you have 2 hours, $10 and a drill, you can make your own too!  It is so easySmile

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

I would love for you to share this with your friends and PIN it of course!!

We have teamed up with some fabulous bloggers to bring you this 12 Days Of Christmas! Make sure to check them all out, and be looking for today’s great giveaway!

A little bit more about the Shanty Sisters…

 

We are 2 sisters sharing how we transform our homes on a budget! With 8 kiddos between the two of us, we put every naptime to good use ;-)!

From building projects like this Pedestal Dining Table for $125

and this $65 farmhouse table

To transforming things like this $15 mirror made from a Walmart mirror

And even offering free printables like our latest free alphabet banner!

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51 Comments

  1. Thank you – I appreciated this as the trees online are expensive! I’m hoping I might find a round piece of wood for the base. I would also recommend. that a shallow slash be put on the top surface near the end of the dowels before painting or staining so ornament hooks, strings or ribbons will not slide off.

  2. I have the same jewelry and just yesterday I dug around in the mud and I found the same twins you used to hang yours. I find a lot of great ideas on your blog. One of them was a banner I made for Thanksgiving. I’m definitely going to make this tree. I like that it’s also prone to wear and tear because preserving Christmas decorations is definitely a chore.

    1. Ours split, too, even with a new drill bit. We used some wood putty/filler to fill in the splintered areas. Then when it dried, we sanded it before spray-painting it. That worked pretty well.

    2. You need to post a chart of how to get the dowels cuts out of the 3 dowels. I’ve wasted 30 minutes figuring it out which is $25.

  3. I made this last fall. We have collected Hallmark car ornaments for our son and have about 23. I was using wreaths to display them but had to use three. This tree worked great for the cars, the white was a great paint idea due to the many colors of the cars. It was a great display. I would like to get measurements for a smaller version that would hold maybe a dozen. Thanks and keep up the good work. Laura Riddle

    1. We made a smaller version by removing the bottom layer. It sits well on a table, and has room to hang a dozen things. See my post above for a picture.

  4. Made this last night. I love the idea, but next time I would use the same drill bit size as my dowel. I found that 7/16 dowels and 1/2 inch drill bit makes the hole too big and I would prefer it to fit a little more snugly, so I don’t have to worry about it being bumped and the dowels being easily pushed out. I’d make it again, no doubt with the modifications

  5. LOVE this project!!!! I find so many great ideas at your blog. One of which was the banner that I made for Thanksgiving. I’m definitely going to make this tree! It’s not like I have enough Christmas decorations – ha ha!

  6. Wow I really love this project. I love that it is collapsible too because storing Christmas decorations is definitely a job. I know you said this already but it really is versatile! Thanks for the tutorial! I think I’m just going to sit here and live at your blog. =]

  7. So simple and adorable! I have those same ornaments and just yesterday dug around and found that same twine you used to hang yours. I didn’t want to buy the hooks when I only needed 7!

  8. What a neat idea! It would a nice festive touch to my daughters room and also make a great jewellery “tree” for her growing collection of necklaces and bracelets after Christmas!

      1. I love this ! I made one and discovered that I dont drill level. My drill is old and doesnt have a built in level. Any suggestions on how to keep the holes level so the branches are straight ? Love your site !