How to Make a Palm Tree

Happy Summer Friends! Last Friday was our last day of school and like all of you I’m already thinking about next year. 🙂 I brought home my palm trees because they were getting a little raggedy and they needed a makeover. So I thought I’d take step by step pictures for those of you on how to make a palm tree.

To start you will need:

an umbrella (I used my husband’s golf umbrella because I wanted the tree to be pretty big)…SHHH don’t tell him!
carpet roll
approx. 20 paper grocery bags
15×15 piece of plywood
23×4 piece wood
approx. 5 yards of fabric
hot glue gun
5 yards of fabric
Stiffen stuff spray (optional)

Steps:

1. Screw the pieces of wood together as shown.

2. Place the carpet roll over the piece of wood.

3. Open your grocery bags.

3. Make a hole in the bottom of the bag.

4. Working from the top of the bag start folding the bags down toward the bottom.

5. After you get the bag rolled all the way down you will need to work the wording toward the inside if it shows. (you are essentially turning the bags wrong side out.)

This is how it should look when you are finished rolling.

6. Start placing the bags on the carpet roll.

7. Keep adding the bags until your carpet roll is completely covered.

I forgot to take pictures of steps 8 -10. Sorry! 🙁

8. Strip all of the fabric off of your umbrella.

9. Cut palm tree leaves from your fabric.

10. Place the naked umbrella’s handle in the top of your carpet roll.

11. Smoosh the top bag down a little so that you have room to work and then one at a time position your palm tree leaves over the spokes of the umbrella and glue in place.

NOTE: I chose a polka dot fabric because I am doing a Seuss Theme and I thought it looked a little more whimsical (yes, I know I should do Truffula trees but I like my palm trees).