Anthro Inspired DIY

Hello lovelies, I'm Christy Schnurle from One Handspun Day. I cannot tell you how excited I am that Emilee asked me to join in her guest blog series while she is away on her honeymoon! Usually I would be turning green with envy knowing that Emilee is probably sipping piña coladas and basking in the Hawaiian sun at this very moment, but I am too excited for jealousy today! I am positively giddy to 'meet' all of YOU and we are going to make a fabulous table sign that was inspired by one of my very favorite places ~ Anthropologie!

When I saw these Anthropologie monogram trees it was love at first sight and I thought it would be fun to recreate them! Now, the first thing you should know is that over at Handspun Weddings we use the term "handspun" instead of "DIY" {if you are the curious sort you can find an explanation here}. Now that we have housekeeping items out of the way, go put on your crafting clothes so we can get a little messy!

Anthropologie Inspired Handspun Monogram Trees

 

Materials:
Twigs in a variety of sizes & shapes
Oven-Bake Clay (such as Sculpey)
Spray Paint (we used bronze)
Newspaper or tarp (to use when spray painting)
Hot Glue Gun

Step One: Get the base of your tree ready
Choose a twig that is thick enough to support the rest of your table sign. This will be the main 'trunk' of your tree. Mold clay to form a base of 'roots' for your tree. Put your trunk in the middle of the base and shape it to hold the trunk in place. Carefully remove the trunk and bake the base according to instructions for the clay.

Step Two: Glue sticks together to form the shape of your tree
Once the clay is done baking (and has cooled!) put your trunk back into the base and hot glue it into place. Now start putting together the rest of your tree! Glue twigs to your trunk to form the letters or numbers you want. As you move build further from your trunk you may want to use lighter twigs so they are easier to support. You can also use hot glue to add texture to your tree (I added more nodes to the twigs by placing dots of glue on the portion of my tree that forms the 'H').

Step Three: Spray paint your tree
Once you have finished building your tree you just have to paint it! Choose a well-ventilated area outside or in your open garage and use newspaper or a tarp to cover the ground where you will be painting (I used a cardboard box). Now just spray your tree until it is thoroughly covered. Let it dry for 24 hours and you are done! Ta da!! 

 

Take a few minutes to admire your new handspun beauty and appreciate the imperfections it may have that make it uniquely yours!

There are so many ways to use these trees ~ display your last name over your fireplace, use 'MRS and 'MRS' on the sweetheart table for your wedding, arrange 'LOVE' trees among tapered & votive candles or put your house number outside on your front stoop... endless possibilities!

What are some other ways you can think of to use these monogram trees?
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Christy Schnurle blogs about DIY handspun wedding décor and inspiration on Handspun Weddings {the blog of One Handspun Day}. One Handspun Day is a wedding invitation printables shop that pushes the envelope aside to give you creative freedom & new possibilities for your wedding day. To keep up with the latest handspun projects from One Handspun Day, follow them on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to the Handspun Newsletter.