DIY Christmas Tree Topper!

Tools and Materials:

• Printed out star
• Cardboard
• Box cutter
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Duct tape
• Hot glue
• Newspaper
• Mod podge (or any way you choose to decoupage)
• Paint

First print out your favorite star. No, not Robert Downey Jr! Cut out your star and then trace it onto cardboard or corrugated fiberboard. You can make the star bigger on the cardboard by using a ruler and extending all of the points out and connecting them using the ruler to make straight lines. You'll need two of these.

Go get the box cutter and cut straight lines using the side of a ruler just deep enough for the cardboard to bend. The cut lines will be on the inside. Also think about how you're going to store this after Christmas. If you don't want the star to be collapsible, you'll need to hot glue some kind of support directly to the middle of the inside. I cut, tightly rolled and wrapped duct tape around printer paper for my support. I hot glued it to the inside center of both stars before I taped down the sides.

Carefully run duct around the star. Try not to make any creases in the tape.

For the base tube that goes on the tree, wrap cardboard around the top of your tree and then duct tape it to get a perfect fit. The tube gets smaller as it goes up from the tree.

You'll need to carefully cut a hole in the bottom of your star so the tube goes tightly in place. Use hot glue to secure it.

It's decoupage time! I decoupaged a couple layers of newspaper onto this. I made it smooth at first, but went back over it pinching up areas to give the star the look I wanted. I painted it with acrylic gold craft paint and then rubbed it down with a water based antique liquid.

I live in Japan, so I used local brands!

Isn't it stunning? The possibilities are endless when it comes to what you can do to customize your Christmas tree topper! Let me know how you personalize yours down below!