Post by Chad Angel on Apr 28, 2012 6:42:04 GMT -6
What you need:
-Wooden skewer sticks
-round toothpicks
-twigs ripe (sisal) Do not use anything with plastic added
-spray paints (black, brown, green)
-bottle paint for bark
-spray glue (craft area at walmart, not hardware)
-fine turf or grass
-woodland scenics rasp or wood screw
-pencil sharpener or knife to make points on skewer
-plastic gloves (hardware/automotive area cheapies)
-newspaper
-catch leftover turf to reuse
How to make your trees:
1. Make "bark" on skeweres with rasp/screw then paint.
2. Make 2 batches of "branches" using rope that has been cut into 1/8 inch piles and 1/4 inch piles.
3. spray your tree trunk with spray glue, avoiding the bottom of the trunk where there is no foliage.
4. Now sprinkle the wet tree with 1/8" cut sisal, all around the trunk.
5. Quickly turn the tree upside down and rotate it back and forth between your thumb and index finger in a twirling motion. This "opens" the tree branches.
6. Depending on the length of your tree, you may want to repeat step 5 near the bottom of the tree to make it appear thicker. Let dry.
7. Spray the tree again & sprinkle it with the 1/4" longer sisal pieces. Turn upside down and twirl. Let dry.
8. When you are happy with the look, spray the whole tree area with spray glue, making sure you don't get too close to the sisal area or it will clump. Let dry overnight. This holds the sisal material in place.
9. From the top of the tree, spray with glue then sprinkle green/brown turf color from the top down. Do not coat the under branches, they should remain more brown. Like in nature. Use gloves or you will have a whole new meaning to the phrase "green thumb". Let dry.
10. "Set" you new tree with hairspray or other spray lacquer to keep turf from falling off.
These trees are very fragile. Place immediately on layout. They do not "store" well.
-Wooden skewer sticks
-round toothpicks
-twigs ripe (sisal) Do not use anything with plastic added
-spray paints (black, brown, green)
-bottle paint for bark
-spray glue (craft area at walmart, not hardware)
-fine turf or grass
-woodland scenics rasp or wood screw
-pencil sharpener or knife to make points on skewer
-plastic gloves (hardware/automotive area cheapies)
-newspaper
-catch leftover turf to reuse
How to make your trees:
1. Make "bark" on skeweres with rasp/screw then paint.
2. Make 2 batches of "branches" using rope that has been cut into 1/8 inch piles and 1/4 inch piles.
3. spray your tree trunk with spray glue, avoiding the bottom of the trunk where there is no foliage.
4. Now sprinkle the wet tree with 1/8" cut sisal, all around the trunk.
5. Quickly turn the tree upside down and rotate it back and forth between your thumb and index finger in a twirling motion. This "opens" the tree branches.
6. Depending on the length of your tree, you may want to repeat step 5 near the bottom of the tree to make it appear thicker. Let dry.
7. Spray the tree again & sprinkle it with the 1/4" longer sisal pieces. Turn upside down and twirl. Let dry.
8. When you are happy with the look, spray the whole tree area with spray glue, making sure you don't get too close to the sisal area or it will clump. Let dry overnight. This holds the sisal material in place.
9. From the top of the tree, spray with glue then sprinkle green/brown turf color from the top down. Do not coat the under branches, they should remain more brown. Like in nature. Use gloves or you will have a whole new meaning to the phrase "green thumb". Let dry.
10. "Set" you new tree with hairspray or other spray lacquer to keep turf from falling off.
These trees are very fragile. Place immediately on layout. They do not "store" well.