HOW TO MAKE A PAPER CHAIN CHRISTMAS TREE

We made this colorful paper chain tree for our Jolly Santa photo shoot, and it's easier than it looks. Build it over any artificial Christmas tree you already have. We used a 7-foot pencil slim tree.

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What You'll Need

• An artificial Christmas tree (any size or shape; ours is a 7-foot pencil slim)
• 65 lb cardstock in your chosen colors (we used green, mint green, pink, and red)
• 12 x 12 glitter paper for the star (we used Champagne, but gold works just as well)
• A stapler and plenty of staples
• 12-inch bungee cords, one per layer (they stretch to fit a slim tree; use longer ones for a fuller tree). Fuller trees may also need more than 16 chains per layer to fully cover the tree underneath.
• Tape
• Painter's tape
• Optional: a paper trimmer or a cutting machine like a Cricut

Step 1: Cut Your Strips

Cut the cardstock into strips 1.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches long.

Time-saving tip: We took our stacks of cardstock to our local Office Max, where their cutting machine sliced big stacks into strips at once. It cost about $20 and saved hours. A paper trimmer at home works perfectly well too if you'd rather do it yourself.

Step 2: Plan Your Color Patterns

For each layer, make up four random color patterns. You'll make four chains of each pattern, so every layer has 16 chains.

Step 3: Make the Chains

Loop each strip into a ring, thread the next strip through it and staple it closed. Keep going until each chain reaches the length for its layer:

• Layer 1 (bottom): about 3 feet
• Layer 2: about 5 feet
• Layer 3 (top): about 6.5 feet

Step 4: Hang the Bottom Layer

Attach the 16 three-foot chains to a bungee cord, spacing the patterns randomly. Wrap the bungee cord around the lower part of the tree so the bottoms of the chains just touch the floor.

Tip: Tie the bungee cord in place, then wrap a few tree branches around it at intervals. This keeps the cord from slipping and holds it at an even height all the way around.

Step 5: Add the Middle and Top Layers

Repeat with the five-foot chains on a new bungee cord, wrapping it a little higher up the tree. Then do the same with the 6.5-foot chains near the top. Every layer uses 16 chains. If the cord is a little long where the tree narrows at the top, just tie off the extra.

For these upper layers, hang them so the chains puddle slightly on the floor. You'll need that extra length in the final step.

Step 6: Make the Star Topper

Cut two matching star shapes from the glitter paper. We freehanded ours, but a Cricut or other cutting machine works well too.

Place the stars back to back and staple all the way around the edge, leaving the bottom open so the star slides over the tip of the tree and covers it completely.

Step 7: Add the Long Chains to the Star

Make extra chains about 7 to 7.25 feet long. Tape them inside the bottom opening of the star. When you slide the star onto the treetop, these chains drape all the way down to the floor.

We used six to cover the front of the tree. If your tree will be seen from every side, add about six more for the back.

Step 8: Shape the Base

Gently pull the bottom of the chains outward from the base of the tree and tape them to the floor with painter's tape. Work all the way around. This spreads out the base and gives the tree its classic Christmas tree shape.

Step back, admire it, and get snapping!

Make It Reusable with Felt

Want a tree you can bring out year after year? Make your chains from felt instead of cardstock. Cut your strips as thick or thin as you like. Thicker felt is trending right now, but we prefer the flexibility of a thinner felt.

Our favorite trick is to keep each chain to one color family: all shades of pink on one strand, all shades of green on another, and all shades of red on a third. Single-color chains can come back out for other holidays, like pink for Valentine's Day or green for St. Patrick's Day, as long as you don't mix colors on the same chain.

What You'll Need for Felt Chains

• Felt in your chosen colors
• This pink hot glue gun is a game changer. It has two temperature settings and comes with glue sticks.
• A good rotary cutter
• A cutting mat, which makes cutting much easier

How to Make Them

Cut the felt into strips. Loop each strip and close it with a small dot of hot glue instead of a staple, then thread the next strip through and glue again.