How to Flock a Christmas Tree the Child & Pet Safe Way
I have never flocked my own Christmas tree before, but I can remember how my Granny Jo would let us spray some of that canned snow onto her tree every year.
Though spraying that stuff was fun and would certainly be nostalgic, it is not the most non-toxic of options.
With that in mind, I thought I would give a natural flocking option a try that would be safe for children and pets that may get into the tree (not that I have either, but hey).
To get this DIY Christmas snowy flocked tree underway all you need is some coconut and liquid corn starch!
Get ready for the quickest, easiest and tastiest way to add some fresh "snow" to your Christmas tree!
Tools and materials:
- 1 Lb. Desiccated Coconut (I know... it sounds horrible, it's finer than shredded coconut, but not as fine as coconut flour)
- Liquid Corn Starch (2 cups)
- Bowl
- Fork
- Measuring Cup
- Christmas Tree
Note: I have a 7' Tree and these supplies covered it fine, but if you want a more coated look or have a larger tree you may need to make more flocking.
1. Mix coconut and cornstarch
Pour the coconut into a bowl and pour a cup of liquid cornstarch into a measuring cup. Mix in a good 2 tbsp or so of the sta-flo (liquid corn starch) into the coconut. Loosen up any clumps and keep stirring.
2. Mix in the rest of the cornstarch
Slowly mix in the remainder of the cup of sta-flo.
3. Add more cornstarch
Slowly pour another cup of sta-flo into the bowl of coconut.
Once your coconut is all stirred it will look something like this. All of the coconut should be wet with sta-flo.
4. Sprinkle the flocking on the tree
Take your sta-flo coconut mixture and sprinkle it all over your tree, starting from the top and allowing flakes to fall and land on the branches below.
Now comes the hard part.... waiting! You have to let the coconut dry for 8 hours or so. It is smart to do this project before heading to bed, and then the tree will be ripe and ready by the time you wake up in the morning.
Here is the aftershot! I like it more than I even expected.
How to remove the flocking
Not only is this non-toxic but it can be cleaned off, which is great if you want to put this on a fake tree for one year and then have a clean tree the next. You can vac this off the tree since it isn't attached with glue.
The snow does make a mess when applying it, as it falls to the floor and not only on the branches but can easily be swept up once you are finished.
For more information, see this guide on how to keep a flocked tree from shedding and these alternative DIY flocked Christmas tree ideas.
DIY flocked Christmas tree
It does look good with ornaments too, but I could have it either way. This flocking looks more natural to me than the canned stuff for sure!
Side note: I LOVE coconut and making this was seriously a treat! The whole house smelled like coconut. I know you probably want the smell of pine, but quite honestly the combination was amazing!
Resources for this project:
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Looks messy and awesome.
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I clicked on the fairy lite link and there are tons of craft ideas, but nothing about fairy lites
Frequently asked questions
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This is a great idea, but might it draw ants?
why is there a horse above the tree. Unusual but the tree is pretty.
How about spraying a tee branch with hairspray and then sprinkle the stuff on? Or you could sponge on Mod Podge...